Mining Technical Resources for Business Information

Business librarians can benefit from a deeper understanding of science and engineering resources, especially when researching technological topics, products, or industries. The authors introduce a variety of technical publications and databases useful for business research. Categories of resources described include technical encyclopedias and handbooks, periodical indexes and full-text databases, patents, technical reports, product literature, preprint and open-access repositories, conference proceedings, and dissertations. A case study based on MP3 audio technology demonstrates the types of business information that can be uncovered through a careful search of technical sources.