Library Opens New Chapter in Data Retrieval Business

Local companies that pay steep prices for computer research on the competition, new clients and industry trends now have a less expensive cyberspace source: public libraries.

Since May 1, Covina’s city library has been offering computer-retrieved information such as company profiles, trademark and patent material and mailing lists. The cost of the customized information searches is a bargain for businesses, city officials claim. Many companies are accustomed to shelling out hefty consulting or staff fees for computer research.

The Covina facility joins eight other city libraries, including ones in Azusa, Glendale, Santa Monica and Long Beach, in launching the research program.

While some libraries have been using the information superhighway to track down data not easily accessible on their shelves, the newest effort is a bid to market services to untapped patrons at small and medium-sized companies, said Covina Librarian Roger Possner. The research service is seen as a potential moneymaker for cash-strapped libraries, he said.

“What’s distinctive is that these are products we will send or fax to you very quickly--things that would require a lot of research to do,” said Possner. “But it’s entrepreneurial and hard to forecast the demand.”

Developed by a library-run partnership at a cost of $107,000, the information is culled from 4,000 on-line services and CD-ROM databases, officials said. At Covina, an extensive company profile costs $15; customized searches go for $90 an hour. Besides more traditional industry data, the libraries also will help companies track down suppliers, contacts and competitors. It will even help people find long-lost relatives and colleagues.

Azusa Librarian Paymaneh Maghsoudi said her facility also has an Internet account and hopes to offer computerized research to companies in Irwindale and Duarte.