Info for Businesses at the Downers Grove Public Library

Personalized Service
Our reference librarians are ready to assist you. You may contact us by email, by phone at (630) 960–1200, or by fax at (630) 960–9374. Even better, come by in person so we can discuss your needs in detail to determine how best to help you. We’ll show you the resources available in the library, and identify the best experts for your needs if referral is a better choice.

Getting a Library Card
Owners of Downers Grove businesses are eligible for a card. This type of card must be applied for in person at the library. Please call the Circulation Desk at (630) 960–1200 for details.

Downers Grove Public Library Cards are available free to residents of incorporated Downers Grove. The card can be used at most Illinois public libraries. The Downers Grove Public Library also honors cards from most public libraries located in Illinois.

Residents may apply for a card in-person at the library or via an online library card application. To obtain a card, proof of residency is required. The replacement fee for a lost card is $2.00.

For those who live in unincorporated Downers Grove, we offer Fee Cards. Click here for fee card options. If you are unsure about whether you live in an incorporated section of Downers Grove, please call the Circulation Department at (630) 960–1200 for verification.

Residents of DuPage County are entitled to a free library card from the College of DuPage which is valid only at the College of DuPage Library.

Information at Your Fingertips 24/7
You may access our online business sources at the library and from your home or office through the library’s website. We subscribe to commercial databases with up-to-date business information and have selected the best sites from the web to aid in locating the data or answers you need. The commercial databases may be accessed outside the library by anyone with a Downers Grove Public Library card. For even more websites, check out the ‘Click On’ for Small Business.

Reference Sources
Online Databases
These databases may be used at the library or from home or office by visiting the library’s website. The special benefit of these sources is that they have advanced searching capabilities which allow you to find the precise information you need. They also offer the options of printing, emailing, or downloading your search results.

Databases of business listings and financial information
• Million Dollar Database-Illinois—devoted exclusively to Illinois business listings.
• Public Records Electronic Database—lists of new homeowners, new businesses, foreclosures and sales, and bankruptcies in DuPage, Cook, Kendall, Lake, McHenry and Will Counties.
• Reference USA—a comprehensive directory of 12 million businesses in the United States. This source also provides access to U.S. residential listings, helpful for generating client lists.
• Standard and Poor’s NetAdvantage––company and financial information for thousands of businesses in the United States.
• Value Line Research Center—financial information on stocks, bonds, mutual funds, options and convertible securities. (in-library use only.)

Databases with articles with current information on business topics, trends and competitive information
• Infotrac
• Periodical Abstracts
• WilsonSelect Plus

For a list of library sources on researching a company, take a look at the Looking for Information about a Company bibliography.

A Nice Place to do Business
The library offers wireless Internet access so you can easily work on your laptop any location in the building. We also have computers throughout the library equipped with Microsoft Office software and Internet access. Read detailed instructions on accessing the wireless network.

You may also use the library for quiet study or small meeting space. While the Conference Room and Meeting Rooms may be used only by nonprofit groups, individuals or small groups are free to use the study rooms on the second floor.

Use Our Collection to Find the Information You Need
Search the online catalog to find the materials you need. For a list of library sources, take a look at the Starting a Business bibliography. We have books on the following topics:

• Planning a Business: Conduct market analysis, research demographics, write a business plan, and locate financing.
• Starting and Running a Business: Research Illinois laws and regulations, locate legal forms, and resolve personnel issues.
• Promoting Your Business: Find expert advice on marketing, advertising and sales.
• Managing an Office: Use our instructional materials on bookkeeping, accounting and business software.
• Making Business Presentations: Check out our resources on public speaking, and team leadership.
• Using the Internet for Commerce and Business Promotion: Find out how to set up a profitable website or conduct a growing business on the web.
• Keeping Up with Your Industry: Use the library’s business magazines and newspapers to find the latest information to stay on the cutting edge.

Magazines
The library subscribes to a number of business periodicals. We keep three years of most of the following titles: Barron’s, Business 2.0, Business Horizons, Business Ledger, Business Week, Crain’s Chicago Business, DG Partnering, Entrepreneur Magazine, Fast Company, Forbes, Fortune, Harvard Business Review, Home Business Magazine, Inc., Industry Week, Nation’s Business, Sales and Marketing Management, and Workforce Management.

Gifts and Donations
A strong public library is the foundation upon which a community can build its future. The Downers Grove Public Library supports all forms of community life from the arts and sciences to education and public affairs, as well as business and entertainment. While tax dollars can create a good library, community partnerships can create a great library.

There are many ways you can give to the Downers Grove Public Library. Click here for more information.

Downers Grove Community Network
The Downers Grove Community Network lists organizations and groups in the Downers Grove area.