start here with a library card
Apply online to receive a Library Card Number that you can use immediately to access our eCollection and public computers. This card number is good for 2 years. Visit any Memphis Public Library with your documentation requirements listed below to check out physical items. (Customers age 13 and up are invited to apply online.)
Visit our Start Here page for more details on obtaining a Library Card.
reference usa
ReferenceUSA is a comprehensive collection of databases and tools to help you start and run a business, connect to consumers, find a job and more. Databases include:
- Businesses
- New Businesses
- Healthcare
- Historical Businesses
- Jobs and Internships
- Standard White Pages
- Consumer/Lifestyles
- New Movers and Homeowners
Library Card required if accessing outside of the Library. Sign up for one online and use it immediately.
Training Material:
- Once logged in, select “Learning Center” at the top-right to access documents, webinars, and more.
lynda.com video tutorials
Lynda.com is a premier online learning resource offering more than 3,400 courses covering technical skills, creative techniques, business strategies, personal finance, and more.
This includes courses and videos on MS Office, resume writing, and interview techniques.
Library Card required. Sign up for one online and use it immediately.
entrepreneurship: gale business
Search Gale Business: Entrepreneurship to learn how to plan, fund, start or manage your small business. Resources include; sample business plans, how to guides, articles, and websites.
small business resource center
Located in the Business/Science Department of the Central Library, the Small Business Center is geared to serve the potential small business owner, the recently-licensed entrepreneur and the established small business operator. Find out more information about this center as well as links to other resources.
Or, check out ebooks and eaudiobooks by visiting the Small Business Center Collection on OverDrive.
small business collection (Overdrive)
Visit this special collection of Small Business eBooks from our OverDrive eBook service.
Library Card required. Sign up for one online and use it immediately.
business & finance magazines
Check out business and finance magazines such as Entrepreneur Magazine, The Economist, MoneyWeek and more.
Library Card required. Sign up for one online and use it immediately.
Register with rbDigital and check out magazines right away.
Linc/2-1-1 community information
Our LINC/2-1-1 Community Information Database includes several resources for those starting/running a business:
business insights: essentials
Gale Business Insights: Essentials delivers authoritative company and industry information, articles, and statistical data. Students, business owners, entrepreneurs, marketing professionals, investors, financial planners, and general researchers can explore real-world applications and develop analytical skills.
Training Material:
- Resource Guide
- Videos: 1) Basics; 2) Searching 3) Companies; 4) Comparison Reports; 5) Industries
grow with google
Grow with Google is partnering with the Memphis Public Libraries and various organizations across the nation to provide free training, tools, and events to help you grow your skills, career, or business. There are also a new collection of resources called the Remote Work Hub to help people communicate, learn, teach, and work from home.
gale directory library
The Gale Directory Library is the online version of four quintessential directories: 1) Brands and Their Companies; 2) Encyclopedia of Associations: National Organizations of the U.S.; 3) Gale Directory of Publications and Broadcast Media; 4) Scholarships, Fellowships & Loans.
business: gale onefile
Gale OneFile: Business contains full-text coverage of all business disciplines, including accounting, economics, finance, marketing, management and strategy, and business theory and practice. Users will understand the activities of companies and industries worldwide through leading business and trade publications, which are updated daily. Complementing these titles is a selection of international, U.S., and regional news publications.
economics and theory: gale onefile
Gale OneFile: Economics and Theory offers a strong emphasis on titles covered in the EconLit bibliographic index. This content is useful for starting a business, marketing a product, developing policy, analyzing trends, constructing economic models, investing for the future, researching rates, and more.
insurance and liability: gale onefile
Gale OneFile: Insurance and Liability addresses concerns over the protection of assets, physical or intellectual, ranging from the individual property owner to multinational corporations. Insurance and Liability connects researchers to hundreds of thousands of updated articles from leading journals.
leadership and management: gale onefile
Gale OneFile: Leadership and Management provides access to authoritative periodical content covering such topics as 21st-century skills, organizational dynamics and leadership, adult learning and continuing education, and more. Updated daily, this library resource is useful for researchers or any professional interested in career development.
see also:
questions?
Visit or call the Library or submit a question online.