Subjects/Topics – St. Thomas Libraries Blog - Page 14

St. Thomas Libraries Blog

Browsing Category

Subjects/Topics

Business & Economics, News & Events, Uncategorized

Census 2010 data is ready… but different?

Census logoSince the 2010 Census was completed last year, data has been rolling out. But this year, the data looks different. Many researchers have been waiting for specific sets of data to be released, and are disappointed to find out that it is not going to be released at all as Census data is rolled out.  Why?  Where can we find it?

The answers:

The bulk of the Census data (including much of what we think is the most interesting!) is now being collected through what is called the “American Community Survey” (ACS).  Because of this, the 2010 Census form was “short” for everyone, meaning that it included only very basic information.

Data has been collected for the “American Community Survey” since 2005 on a form very similar to the old “long” form to the Census (which 1 in 6 household used to receive simultaneously with their “short” form).  It releases data three times annually in three data sets: 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year. 2010 was the first year the 5-year data was  released.

All of this data is still easily available online.  The Census’ official data reporting website, American Factfinder, has been updated to reflect these changes in reporting structure.

For more information, feel free to ask any of your friendly UST librarians or visit the Census website itself at http://www.census.gov

NYC’s “Gotham Gazette” also has a great overview of some of the major changes in the way Census data is being collected and can now be retrieved.

August 16, 2011 by
Business & Economics, Libraries, Recently Read

Have you heard of a ‘hassle map’?

When doing business research – especially when doing market research – we oftentimes spend a lot of time trying to predict customer behavior.  We work hard to look at what customers want and what customers need, and we try to invent new ways of fulfilling those needs.

According to analyst Adrian Slywotzky, who just wrote a book entitled, “Demand: Creating What People Love Before They Know They Want It” (available in a library near you this fall!), perhaps we should be looking at and addressing  some of the reasons they have those needs, and the problems that cause them in order to help determine demand before customers even realized they have it.  He calls this creating a “hassle map,” and gives the examples of  ways that Netflix, Bloomberg,  and  Factset have all used this idea to their advantage.

Find out more about this unique take on demand theory by reading other books by Slywotzky, or check out this interview with him that was recently published in the New York Times.

August 10, 2011 by
Music, New Materials, News & Events

The National Jukebox

jukebox2Hey, this is pretty cool: the Library of Congress has released the National Jukebox, which provides free access to some vintage music from the LOC and other collections.  Users can browse or search by genre and artist, access, create, and submit playlists, etc.  The “Jukebox Day by Day” feature lets you see what was recorded each day of the year. 

Listen to a Sample Playlist.

 

About the National Jukebox
The Library of Congress presents the National Jukebox, which makes historical sound recordings available to the public free of charge. The Jukebox includes recordings from the extraordinary collections of the Library of Congress Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation and other contributing libraries and archives.

jukebox

May 12, 2011 by
Business & Economics, Database Highlights & Trials

Introducing… Euromonitor Passport!

Over the past week, the ever-useful Euromonitor database has adopted a new interface, now called Euromonitor Passport.

Passport users can still access the information they are used to retrieving, but they are now assisted by an enhanced search builder, personalized account settings,  more powerful data downloads, and several more new features.  A new user guide is available on the database’s homepage to give users a tour of the new features.

Euromonitor Passport provides market research on countries, markets and companies. It includes country demographics and economic conditions; consumer lifestyle profiles; sales volume, value and forecasts for 350 retail products; information on major brands and companies. Data can be downloaded into Excel spreadsheets.

If you have additional questions or concerns about this change, please do not hesitate to contact your friendly UST librarians!

April 20, 2011 by
Business & Economics, News & Events, O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library

Holiday CPI

Yes, you’ve all been waiting for it – the annual CPI. Consumer Price Index? Oh, no. It’s the Christmas Price Index®!  

Compiled every year by the PNC Financial Services Group, this CPI tracks how much it would cost to buy each of the gifts in “The Twelve Days of Christmas” (did you know, there are 78 of them?)

Despite the down economy, the 2010 CPI increased a surprising 9.2% over last year. Big increases were seen in the Five Gold Rings (30%), as well as higher costs for wages and benefits for some of the entertainers. The Twelve Drummers and Eleven Pipers both went up 3.1%, Lords-a-Leaping increased 8%, and the dancing Ladies saw a 15% rise (note that none of these performers had a raise last year.) The Maids-a-Milking did not receive an increase, as the federal minimum wage stayed flat at $7.25 an hour.

What about the wildlife, you ask? Bird prices increased due to rising costs of feed and demand for certain fowl. The biggest increase was for the Three French Hens (up 233%) and the Turtle Doves (up 78.6%.)

 Interestingly enough, if you do a Summon search on the Twelve Days of Christmas, there are over 22,000 items, including classic New England activities for the holidays, a newspaper article on cruise lines, an article from Mathematics Teacher, and an article from Australian Doctor. And there are 45 books, from such authors and illustrators as Anne Geddes, John O’Brien, Jack Kent, and one of my favorites, Jan Brett.

Happy Holidays!

December 7, 2010 by
Business & Economics, News & Events

Minnesota tops in turkey production: 47 million gobblers

We’re projected to raise 47 million turkeys in 2010, tops among the 50 states. So that’s 94 million drumsticks, give or take, right?  Not to be outdone, our neighbors to the east lead the nation in cranberry production at 435 million pounds, more than double its closest competitor.  For these and other fascinating bits of useless trivia, see the Census Bureau’s Facts for Features: Thanksgiving Day 2010.

November 1, 2010 by
Business & Economics, News & Events, Recently Read

For the College Educated: Increasing Employment … Lower Unemployment …… and Higher Earnings.

 An interesting report and data summary on issues relating to higher education from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

By the numbers:

  • Over the 1992–2009 period, the number of college-educated workers increased from 27 million to 44 million.
  • In 2009, the unemployment rate for workers with college degrees was 4.6 percent. The rate for workers without a high school diploma was 10 points higher.
  • In 2009, the median weekly earnings of workers with bachelor’s degrees were $1,137. This amount is 1.8 times the average amount earned by those with only a high school diploma, and 2.5 times the earnings of high school dropouts.

These and myriad other data on degree attainment, student’s time use (1.5 hrs/day traveling? lots of commuter students I guess), degree attainment in U.S. compared to other countries, higher education workplaces, costs, etc.  Includes this interesting chart on Professor pay and employment by discipline:

prof_pay

September 28, 2010 by
Business & Economics, Database Highlights & Trials

New Mergent Interface

If you’re accessing Mergent Online on July 6th or later, you’re in for a surprise.  The UST Libraries’ best tool for getting public company financials, SEC documents, and more has changed its look.

company lookup

You’ll find a better company lookup tool and more options for finding company information more quickly.  Getting ratio reports and historical pricing for the company is easier, too.

Click here quick tips for using the new Mergent Online.  All of the old features of Mergent Online are still available.  Getting to them has been made easier.

quick tip sheet

July 1, 2010 by
Business & Economics

The battle being fought for your computers and your security

The 2008 Conficker computer worm upped the ante in the battle of cyber-security experts against the creators of malicious viruses and worms. While The Cuckoo’s Egg remains a classic book about the onset of tracking hackers, this article from The Atlantic shows that the war is far from over.  As the author Mark Bowden points out the stakes in the battle against newer, more sophisticated and insidious computer viruses have never been higher.  

The security experts profiled in the article employ old fashion Sam Spade-type detective work along with their state of the art technologies and unprecedented collaboration with experts across national borders.  I am hesitant to say that I enjoyed this article because of the serious issues involved, but if you are going to read an article about global cyber attacks what is the harm if it also reads as well as an espionage thriller?

The Enemy Within by Mark Bowden from The Atlantic

June 10, 2010 by