Guide to Research: Local or Regional Businesses

Newspapers and Business News Databases

Regional newspapers are most valuable for information on businesses established in that locale. Check our print and electronic newspaper resources for full-text or archived news. Some articles, to a certain extent, are available on the news publishers' web sites.

LexisNexis Academic  (All US JHU)

Business directory records, company financials, newswire articles and selected full-text of news from international, national and regional news publications.

Regional Business News  (All US JHU)

Selected full-text from regional business publications, news and newswires.

Business dateline  (All JHU (incl. International))

(FirstSearch database collection) Provides citations and selected full-text for regional business articles and is useful for information on smaller, local companies. Coverage begins with 1985 and includes weekly updates.

Newspaper Abstracts  (All JHU (incl. International))

(FirstSearch database collection) Citations and abstracts of articles from major U.S. newspapers.

Baltimore Sun (1990- )  (All US JHU)

(Through Proquest) Full-text articles since 1990 from Baltimore's major newspaper.  Articles prior to 1990 are available on microfilm. No index exists other than one created by the Enoch Pratt Library.

Baltimoresun.com  (Any location)

Links to Baltimore Sun's web site for most current articles.

Washington Post (Current)  (All US JHU)

Full-text articles from the Washington Post since 1987.

Washington Post (Historical)  (All US JHU)

Full-text, full-image access to historical issues of the Washington Post since 1877.

Press Display  (All US JHU)

Full image access to current and recent national and international newspapers, 60-day archive

Online Business Directories (JHU Accounts only):

Online business directories enable one to search for businesses by customized criteria, including geographic region and street address.

ReferenceUSA : an online phonebook  (All JHU (incl. International))

Residential, medical and business listings; Business profiles for public and private companies and nonprofit organizations are based on annual reports, national phone books, newspapers, post office forms and legal filings. Provides corporate hierarchy and maps. Useful for career, market and industry research. Similar to Dun's, but based on phone directory listings, without limits on inclusion. Cannot rank results. Data can be downloaded (limited number of records at a time) and used with Arcview Geographic Mapping Software to create visual maps, showing geographic correlations with census data. Offers geographic searches by town, zip code, metro region, distance/radius, or even street address. Search industries by SIC/NAICS code or yellow page headings.

Dun & Bradstreet  (All JHU (incl. International))

Includes public and private companies with over a million or more in sales or over twenty full-time employees. Profiles include sales, line of business (SIC), employee counts, address, year founded, public or private, trading exchange and symbol, etc. Database also contains brief biographical data for senior executives. Can search by geography (even zip code or distance/radius), among various options. Can sort or rank results by various criteria.

Print Directories and Other Sources:
 
Baltimore Business Journal
HC 108.B2 B32

Book of Lists (Baltimore Business Journal's Book of Lists)
Research Consultation Office HC 108.B2 B66 (and selected JHU libraries)
annual updates (ranks local businesses by industry, features a section on private companies)

Book of Lists : A reference guide to the Washington area's leading industries.
General Reference HG 4058.W3 B66  (and selected JHU libraries)
(Ranks businesses in the Washington D.C. area)
 
Maryland business directory
General Reference HF 5065.M25M285

Warfield's Business Record (magazine)
M-level Current Periodical Room HF 3163.B2 W382; see also their Corporate Profiles HF 3163.B2 W3822
 
Washington Post Index
General Reference AI 21.W32

 
Web Sites (some free information):
 
Baltimore, Maryland Media Links links to regional publications for Baltimore, some free articles.
 
The Washingtonian Magazine for Washington D.C. area profiles local people and businesses, includes rankings.
 
Trib.com: a list of national, international and regional news sources on the web. Uneven but useful if you know where your company is located.  Sources vary in their ability to search for a specific company. Better sources for identifying articles are Lexis-Nexis Academic or BusDateline. 
 
Bizjournals.com : business information and current and archived articles from business journals by region, including the Baltimore BusinessJournal. See also Lexis-Nexis Academic and BusDateline databases.  Back issues of the Baltimore Business Journal are available in print through the library.

HometownAnnapolis.com (Capital-Gazette Newspapers) events and news for Annapolis. Maryland. 
 

Related Library Guides:

Baltimore Subject Guide

Return to the Company Guide