Library Databases

Published: April 19, 2022
Updated: May 19, 2023

Library Databases

The Expensive World Of Business Information

Believe it or not, you cannot find everything on Google! Have you ever done an online search and found the perfect industry report only to find that it costs over $5,000? Did you know that libraries pay for many expensive databases that could be helpful in your secondary market research? 

Search engines like Google can only provide direct access to freely available information. Most of the web, including business information, lives in databases behind expensive paywalls. This paywall-protected section of the Internet is known as the deep web. Fortunately, some libraries pay to subscribe to databases so they can provide free access to their patrons — and many business databases can contain useful information such as articles, market research, and company reports.

There are several strategies you can use to access relevant business information on the deep web. First, we urge you to look up what business resources your local public or academic library can provide access to. Each database has its own arrangement, with unique interfaces and search features. It helps to know the structure and search terms of the specific database you are working with in order to retrieve effective results. 

Also, it is important to know that library databases are restricted by specific usage agreements. It can help to consult with a librarian if you have trouble navigating a specific database. They may also be able to help you find comparable information elsewhere. Libraries with robust business collections might have useful e-books, directories and trade journals. As you conduct your secondary market research you will likely need to consult both free and deep web resources.

For more information about how and why to use business databases, check out our video tutorial, Module Four: Conducting Your Industry Research.

 

UBC Library Business Databases

How to access: If you are a UBC student, staff, faculty or in-person library visitor you may have access to business databases through the David Lam Management Research Library and Canaccord Learning Commons through the links below.

Full Listing By Title or Full Listing By Subject

There are two different ways to identify databases: Use "by title" if you already know the name; otherwise you can search the list "by subject" to find starting places for undertaking market research, finding articles or researching companies. To learn more about how you can access library resources if you are a community user or temporary visitor, check out the UBC Library Community Users & Visitors Guide. Community users and temporary visitors may have additional access restrictions to specific databases because of license agreements.

 

ABI/INFORM Collection

How to access: If you are a UBC student, staff, faculty or in-person library visitor you can access this resource.

Created by ProQuest this database contains full-text articles from over 1,000 business magazines and journals that track business conditions, trends, management techniques, corporate strategies, and industry-specific topics.

  • Wehring, O. (2022, Jan 27). What’s coming up in beer in 2022? – predictions for the year ahead – comment. Just - Drinks Global News. Retrieved from ABI/INFORM Collection. 
  • Growlers market is expected to reach US$ 635.1 million by 2028 - comprehensive research report by FMI: Growlers market - analysis, outlook, growth, trends, forecasts. (2022, Jan 24). NASDAQ OMX's News Release Distribution Channel. Retrieved from ABI/INFORM Collection. 
  • United states food & drink report - Q1 2022. (2022). (). London: Fitch Solutions Group Limited. Retrieved from ABI/INFORM Collection. 
  • Canadian beer news - taste T.O.: Craft brewery workers’ alliance of Canada announces formation (2022). . Singer Island: Newstex. Retrieved from ABI/INFORM Collection. 
  • Global beer and cider market forecast to 2025 by industry size and share, demand, worldwide research, prominent players, emerging trends, investment opportunities and revenue expectation. (2020, Mar 09). NASDAQ OMX's News Release Distribution Channel. Retrieved from ABI/INFORM Collection.
  • Canada : Government of canada invests in microbrewery, cidery and winery tourism in central Ontario. (2020, Aug 11). MENA Report. Retrieved from ABI/INFORM Collection. 
  • Canada beer and cider market insights report 2020 - historical background trends, 2019 performance and 2020 outlook. (2020, Dec 09). NASDAQ OMX's News Release Distribution Channel. Retrieved from ABI/INFORM database. 
  • Global cider market report 2021-2027: Market to reach $16.6 billion - Heineken revels in cider business while C&C languishes. (2021, Aug 23). NASDAQ OMX's News Release Distribution Channel. Retrieved from ABI/INFORM Collection.
  • A $15.9 billion global opportunity for cider by 2026 - new research from StrategyR. (2021, Oct 01). PR Newswire. Retrieved from ABI/INFORM Collection. 
  • Food processing equipment market worth $98.4 billion by 2027 - market size, share, forecasts, & trends analysis report with COVID-19 impact by meticulous research®: Food processing equipment market by type (meat, poultry, and seafood processing equipment, bakery equipment, beverage processing equipment, dairy processing equipment, and fruit and vegetable processing equipment) - global forecast to 2027. (2022, Jan 20). NASDAQ OMX's News Release Distribution Channel. Retrieved from ABI/INFORM Collection. 

 

BCC Research Centre

How to access: If you are a UBC student, staff, faculty or in-person library visitor you can access this resource. Otherwise, contact your local library to see if they provide access.

Publishes 250 reports annually that are complete with market intelligence, five-year forecasts, statistical and analytical data, key players, market share, industry structure and dynamics, and technological shifts and trends.

  • Barnes. (October 2020). 2021 U.S. Breweries & Beer-Making Industry-Industry & Market Report [Report Code MBR1082A]. Retrieved from BCC Research Centre database.
  • TRBC. (June 2020). Beer Manufacturing (Breweries) Market Global Briefing 2020: Covid 19 Impact and Recovery. [Report Code MKB340B]. Retrieved from BCC Research Centre database. 

 

Business Source Ultimate

How to access: If you are a UBC student, staff, faculty or in-person library visitor you can access this resource. Otherwise, contact your local library to see if they provide access.

Includes financial data, books, videos, company profiles, SWOT analyses, industry profiles, country reports, market research reports and case studies. Also includes information on industry trends, forecasts, outlooks, competitors, how to run a specific business and much more.

  • MarketLine Industry Profile: Beer & Cider in Canada. (2020). Beer & Cider Industry Profile: Canada, 1–43.
  • Bachman, J. R., Hull, J. S., & Haecker, S. (2021). Millennials are not all the same: Examining millennial craft brewery and winery visitors’ social involvement, self‐image, and social return. International Journal of Tourism Research, 23(1), 123–133. Retrieved from Business Source Ultimate database.
  • Alfaro, M. (2022). Beer leaders against craft brewers: will Goliath end up defeating David in the US? Applied Economics, 54(5), 554–567. Retrieved from Business Source Ultimate database.
  • Rosburg, A., & Grebitus, C. (2021). Sustainable development in the craft brewing industry: A case study of Iowa brewers. Business Strategy & the Environment (John Wiley & Sons, Inc), 30(7), 2966–2979. Retrieved from Business Source Ultimate database.
  • Luederitz, C., Caniglia, G., Colbert, B., & Burch, S. (2021). How do small businesses pursue sustainability? The role of collective agency for integrating planned and emergent strategy making. Business Strategy & the Environment (John Wiley & Sons, Inc), 30(7), 3376–3393. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2808
  • Luckstead, J., & Devadoss, S. (2021). Taste renaissance, tax reform, and industrial organization of the beer industry. Economic Inquiry, 59(4), 1702–1722. Retrieved from Business Source Ultimate database.
  • Wohlfarth, R. (2022). Brewery Boiler Systems: Sanitation, Sterilization, and Customer Satisfaction: Designing a steam system for a brewery can be frustrating, because the logic of low-pressure steam is opposite that of other HVAC systems. Engineered Systems, 39(1), 23. Retrieved from Business Source Ultimate database.
  • Anderson, B. (2021). The Forgotten Labour of Craft: Exploitation and Organizing in Artisanal Industries. Labour / Le Travail, 88, 1–25. Retrieved from Business Source Ultimate database.
  • Nelson, V. (2021). Consuming local: product, place, and experience in visitor reviews of urban Texas craft breweries. Leisure Studies, 40(4), 480–494. Retrieved from Business Source Ultimate database.
  • Harfmann, B. (2021). Surviving and Thriving during COVID-19: 70% of craft brewers would consider direct-to-consumer shipping if legal in their stated. Beverage Industry, 12. Retrieved from Business Source Ultimate database.
  • ENMAN, C. (2021, June 1). Kingston craft brewer taps into sparkling new market. Ottawa Business Journal, 54. Retrieved from Business Source Ultimate database.
  • Tse, D. (2021). Farming for Craft. Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine, 43, 48–51. Retrieved from Business Source Ultimate database.
  • Jacobsen, J. (2020). Crafting the new norm: Maturity brings new landscape for craft beer. Beverage Industry, 111(3), 26. Retrieved from Business Source Ultimate database.
  • Kriel, G. (2020). Brewers and distillers in the aftermath of the pandemic. Finweek, 37–40. Retrieved from Business Source Ultimate database.
  • Smith, M., Lal, P., Oluoch, S., Vedwan, N., & Smith, A. (2021). Valuation of sustainable attributes of hard apple cider: A best-worst choice approach. Journal of Cleaner Production, 318, N.PAG. Retrieved from Business Source Ultimate database.

 

IBISWorld Industry Reports

How to access: If you are a UBC student, staff, faculty or in-person library visitor you can access this resource.

IBISWorld research is an independent, professional publisher of high-quality market research reports. These reports analyze the underlying structure and external forces that drive an industry.

  • DellaCamera, C. (2022). Breweries in Canada / CANADA INDUSTRY (NAICS) REPORT 31212CA / MANUFACTURING IN CANADA. IBISWorld. Retrieved from IBISWorld database. 
  • Kanda, S. (2021). Beer, Wine and Spirits Wholesaling in Canada / CANADA INDUSTRY (NAICS) REPORT 41322CA / WHOLESALE TRADE IN CANADA. IBISWorld. Retrieved from IBISWorld database. 
  • Lombardo, C. (2021). Craft Beer Production in the US / US SPECIALIZED INDUSTRY REPORT OD4302 / CONSUMER GOODS AND SERVICES. IBISWorld. Retrieved from IBISWorld database.
  • Wood, G. (2023, April). Cider Production in the US / US SPECIALIZED INDUSTRY REPORT OD5335 / CONSUMER GOODS AND SERVICES. Retrieved from IBISWorld database. 
  • Wood, G. (2021). Breweries in the US / US INDUSTRY (NAICS) REPORT 31212 / MANUFACTURING. IBISWorld. Retrieved from IBISWorld database.
  • Madigan, J. (2020). Hops Farming in the US / US SPECIALIZED INDUSTRY REPORT OD6150 / CONSUMER GOODS AND SERVICES. IBISWorld. Retrieved from IBISWorld database. 

 

Mergent Online

How to access: If you are a UBC student, staff, faculty or in-person library visitor you can access this resource.

This database provides access to US and international public company data. It also contains data on companies that were acquired, went bankrupt, liquidated or merged out of existence from 1995 forward. Users can compare companies and export data into programs like Excel. 

To narrow down your company search by geography, look for the Country dropdown menu on the right-hand side. Searching “Canada” in combination with NAICS code “312120” returns 109 Canadian company profiles. Identifying breweries by Canadian province requires scanning individual profiles for company addresses. Below is a list of all British Columbia-based craft breweries found in Mergent Online.
 

  • Bigridge Brewing Corporation. Mergent Online. Retrieved from Mergent Online database.
  • Bridge Brewing Company. Mergent Online. Retrieved from Mergent Online database.
  • Fireweed Brewing Corp. Mergent Online. Retrieved from Mergent Online database.
  • Gladstone Brewing Co. Incorporated. Mergent Online. Retrieved from Mergent Online database.
  • Granville Island Brewing Co. Ltd. Mergent Online. Retrieved from Mergent Online database.
  • Highway 97 Brewing Company Ltd. Mergent Online. Retrieved from Mergent Online database.
  • Hoyne Brewing Company Ltd. Mergent Online. Retrieved from Mergent Online database.
  • Island Pacific Brewing Company Ltd. Mergent Online. Retrieved from Mergent Online database.
  • Kamloops Brewery Ltd. Mergent Online. Retrieved from Mergent Online database.
  • Lighthouse Brewing Co Inc. Mergent Online. Retrieved from Mergent Online database.
  • Marten Brewing Company Ltd. Mergent Online. Retrieved from Mergent Online database.
  • Old Yale Brewing Co. Inc. Mergent Online.Retrieved from Mergent Online database.
  • Pacific Western Brewing Company Ltd. Mergent Online.Retrieved from Mergent Online database.
  • Persephone Brewing Company Inc. Mergent Online.Retrieved from Mergent Online database.
  • Phillips Brewing Company Limited. Mergent Online. Retrieved from Mergent Online database.
  • Russell Breweries Inc. Mergent Online. Retrieved from Mergent Online database.
  • Steel Oak Brewing Co Ltd. Mergent Online. Retrieved from Mergent Online database.
  • Tevano Systems Holdings Inc (NBB: TEVN F). Mergent Online. Retrieved from Mergent Online database.

 

Business Market Research Collection (Proquest)

How to access: If you are a UBC student, staff, faculty or in-person library visitor you can access this resource.

Business Market Research Collection brings together four sources to help students more easily conduct the research they need to produce business plans, marketing plans, startup plans, market growth analysis, and strategic and financial plans. Includes access to: Hoover's Company Profiles, OxResearch, Barnes Reports, and the older Snapshots Series, which includes market research overviews on over 40 industries and 40 countries to 2008.

  • Breweries - quarterly update 2/7/2022. (2022). Fort Mill, South Carolina: Mergent. Retrieved from ABI/INFORM Collection.
    (Tip: Search the database for “Breweries - quarterly update” to access all past reports.)
  • Beer, wine & distilled spirits wholesalers - quarterly update 2/28/2022. (2022). Fort Mill, South Carolina: Mergent. Retrieved from Business Market Research Collection.
    (Tip: Search the database for “Beer, wine & distilled spirits wholesalers - quarterly update” to access all past reports.)
  • Red Jacket Orchards, Inc. (2023). (). Fort Mill: Mergent. Retrieved from Business Market Research Collection database.

 

Statista

How to access: If you are a UBC student, staff, faculty or in-person library visitor you can access this resource.

A simple to use statistics portal that integrates statistics from thousands of sources, on topics related to business, media, public policy, health and others. Statistics can be exported in PPT, XLS, PDF, and PNG formats. Some basic content available for free.

  • StatCan. (October 22, 2021). Monthly retail sales of beer, wine and liquor stores in Canada from 2015 to 2021 (in billion Canadian dollars) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved from Statista database. 
  • Conway, J. (2021). Sales volume of the beer market in British Columbia 2012-2021. Statista. Retrieved from Statista database.
  • Conway, J. (2021). Beer market in Canada - statistics & facts. Statista. Retrieved from Statista database.
  • Conway, J. (2021). Number of breweries in Canada by region 2020. Statista. Retrieved from Statista database.
  • Conway, J. (2020). Retail sales of the beer market in British Columbia (BC) from 2012/13 to 2020/21. Statista. Retrieved from Statista database.
  • Conway, J. (2020). Canadian beer drinkers who consumed microbrewery or craft beer by city 2018. Statista. Retrieved from Statista database.
  • Conway, J. (2023, March 6.) Sales volume of cider in Canada from FY 2011 to FY 2022 (in million liters). Statista. Retrieved from Statista database.
  • Conway, J. (2022, July 19). Cider dollar sales in Canada from FY 2011 to FY 2021 (in million Canadian dollars). Statista. Retrieved from Statista database.
  • Conway, J. (2022, July 19). Cider dollar sales in Canada from FY 2011 to FY 2021, by product type (in million Canadian dollars). Statista. Retrieved from Statista database. 

 

WARC: World Advertising Research Center

How to access: If you are a UBC student, staff, faculty or in-person library visitor you can access this resource.

WARC has case studies from major companies and advertising agencies, as well as articles from leading advertising journals and unpublished papers. It also includes company profiles, advertising spending statistics, and demographic and economic data.

  • (2018, March). What's working in beer and cider. WARC Category Intelligence. Retrieved from WARC database.
  • (2022, July). Beer in the US. Euromonitor Strategy Briefings. Retrieved from WARC database.
  • (2022, April). Sam Adams: Your Cousin from Boston. Case Studies on WARC. Retrieved from WARC database. 
  • (2022). SingleCut BeerSmiths: Notes IPA. Cases. Retrieved from WARC database.
  • (2021). Dragon's Milk: Raid the Dragon's Hoard. WARC Awards for Effectiveness. Retrieved from WARC database. 
  • (2018). Bulwark: The new world cider. Cases. Retrieved from WARC database.

 

Newspapers and News Sources - UBC Library Research Guide

How to access: The guide can be viewed through the link below. Individual resources and databases will have different access requirements.

UBC Library has an excellent collection of current and historical newspapers from B.C., Canada, and around the world. UBC affiliates will have access to these resources.

  • Pottinger, D. (2023). Beer and spirits causing a brouhaha in wine country. The Vancouver Sun (Online), Vancouver. Retrieved from Canadian Newsstream database.
  • Clapson, D. (2022, Sep 17). Hop on to the microbrewery scene in the Prairies. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved from Canadian Newsstream database.
  • Derdeyn, S. (2023, Feb 26). B.C.'s craft cider industry comes of age; farms' owners share their passion for what they say is the next big beverage. The Province. Retrieved from Canadian Newsstream database.
  • Sigurdson, B. (2022, Aug 13). Never waste backyard apples … or cereal-beer dreams. Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved from Canadian Newsstream database.
  • Newton, W. (2023, May 13). Ontario craft breweries tap into local and Canadian history; brews news. The London Free Press. Retrieved from Canadian Newsstream database.

Provincial Library Database Partners

How to access: Check out the database list and note the License Participants to find out which institutions have access. Otherwise, contact your local post-secondary library to see what they offer.

BC Electronic Library Network (ELN) Research Databases

ELN licenses databases with partner academic libraries. These include LexisNexis, Canadian Newsstream, Hoovers, CBCA Business, ABI/INFORM Complete and others that may be of interest to business researchers.