Library Web News

February 1999 Web News

Check Recent Stock Developments with Standard & Poor's Stock Reports Online

The Library recently subscribed to the web version of Standard & Poor's Stock Reports through the Net Advantage Internet service. It is available on three designated Reference department online catalog workstations. The database offers comprehensive full-text coverage of over 6,400 publicly held corporations. These detailed reports include key income statements, projections, analysis, balance sheet items, recent dividend earning reports, price ranges, capitalization and significant management developments. Most reports are updated daily; with the entire database updated weekly.

To search Standard & Poor's Stock Reports online:

1. Click the Standard & Poor's Stock Reports link on the main menu of selected library online catalog workstations.
2. The main Net Advantage menu allows the user to search the database by company name or ticker symbol as well as perform a more detailed full database search by choosing such fields as public companies, closed-end funds, industry snapshot by company or stocks by company.
3. When searching by company by the Easy Search method, type the name in the dialog box and click Search.
4. The database will retrieve a full-text stock report of that company along with detailed graphics on stock activity and relevant statistics. Users can also read about the industry outlook, news headlines and Wall Street consensus for the selected company by clicking relevant links on the screen.
5. To print a report, click on the report itself within the frame. Then click on the printer icon at the top of browser screen. Note: Printing full-text reports from IU Northwest Library computer workstations costs 10 cents per page.
6. An alternative is for you to bring IBM-formatted floppies and download the material. It is easily readable on your home computer or in the computer labs.
   • Reports may be retrieved in either HTML format or PDF (portable data file) format.
   • PDF files will exactly duplicate the appearance of the printed Standard & Poor's report. Please note that you will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader® to view these files (it is installed on the online catalog workstations) and can download a free copy from Adobe.
   • Also note that while you can read either format easily on your home computer you cannot edit PDF files nor can you cut and paste them inbto documents.
7. For more help searching, printing or using this database, click on the Help button located on the database screen.

In late January, Sociofile (or Sociological Abstracts)was added to the IU Northwest Librarydatabase menu. It utilizes the EbscoHost search system already in place for the Inspire databases the library has been offeriung. Due to liscensing restrictions, it can only be accessed from IU Northwest campus computers. Sociofile is the primary tool for obtaing the latest research findings in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. Sociofile, which is produced by Sociological Abstracts, Inc includes abstracts from over 2,600 journals published since 1974. The periodical index also contains non-evaluative abstracts from Social Planning / Policy & Development Abstracts (SOPODA) that complements the database's theoretical emphasis by focusing on the applied aspects of sociology such as violence, aging and risk assessment. This web-based index is updated quarterly.

To use Sociofile from IU Northwest campus computers, go to the On Campus Electronic Information page. After logging in to Sociofile at EBSCOhost's main menu, the user can perform keyword searches by using the Find dialog box and limit searches by year or journal title. This screen also features buttons to do a subject search and browse journal titles. (Note: all EBSCOhost databases use exactly the same search methods.)

Once a keyword search has been completed, selected articles with abstracts can be printed, e-mailed to the user or downloaded to a floppy disk. If you meed any more help searching this or any other EBSCOhost database, click on the Online Help button. For further information about using Sociofile or any other EBSCOhost online indexes, contact , Library News Web Editor.

Obtain Income Tax Preparation Help Online

Need help preparing your taxes? Try using the following federal and state government web sites to seek online assistance via e-mail, file your return electronically and download or print tax forms.

• U.S. Internal Revenue Service
• Illinois Department of Revenue
• Indiana Department of Revenue

Newly Added to the Growing IU Northwest Array of Databases - The CCH Tax Research Library

Another addition to the collection of databases accessible from anywhere on campus is the CCH Tax Research Library. Providing access to the latest developments in Federal and State tax laws, as well as access to the tax codes, cases, annotations and much much more. To connect, simply go to the library's On Campus Electronic Information page.

Two New Databases From GaleNet - Associations Unlimited and Contemporary Authors

Encyclopedia of Associations has long been the premiere source for information on associations and professional societies. Unsurpassed as the authority on nonprofit membership organization information, the Encyclopedia of Associations series now contains 135,000 detailed listings for organizations all over the world, with a scope that covers everything from a local Chamber of Commerce to the American Medical Association, and beyond. GaleNet has added approximately 295,000 additional nonprofit organizations to create its Associations Unlimited database, making it the world's largest, most detailed and searchable database available on nonprofit information.
Coverage includes:

• 23,000 U.S. national associations
• 20,000 International associations
• 92,000 U.S. regional, state and local associations
• 295,000 U.S. 501(c) nonprofit organizations

For more than 30 years, Contemporary Authors has been the primary resource for information on modern authors, including those who were active prior to 1960 and whose works continue to influence contemporary literature. Information includes biographical information, comprehensive lists of works by the author, and bibliographies of critical works on the author. The database covers more than 100,000 current writers in a wide range of media, including:

• current writers of fiction, general nonfiction, poetry, and drama whose works have been issued by commercial publishers, risk publishers, or university presses
• prominent print and broadcast journalists, editors, photojournalists, syndicated cartoonists, screenwriters, television scriptwriters, and other media people
• authors who write in languages other than English, provided their works have been published in the United States or translated into English.
• literary greats of the early twentieth century whose works are popular in today's high school and college curriculums and continue to elicit critical attention.

Access to these resources are available from anywhere on the IU Northwest campus, to connect, simply go to the library's On Campus Electronic Information page.

, Library News Web Editor