Collection guides

About the collection

Our collection includes report literature, working papers, conference papers, market research reports, trade directories, company annual reports and house journals alongside the more usual fare of books and periodicals.  Our primary focus is the United Kingdom but our English language collections from North America, Asia, Australia and New Zealand are also strong and our collections from Eastern Europe document the transition to capitalism. We also subscribe to a range of online business and management resources which are available in our reading rooms.
 
We have been acquiring published market research reports since the early 1980s and many key publishers such as Mintel,   Frost & Sullivan, Key Note and Verdict are represented in the collection. The earlier reports are held in hard copy but in recent years market research publishers have moved to online publication, so we now offer access to a number of their electronic resources in the Business & IP Centre reading room at St Pancras.
 
Sources for business history research can be found throughout the Library's collections. We have trade and business journals, directories, market reports, product brochures and catalogues, company annual reports, company histories, trade cards and advertisements, patents and trade marks. Alongside these printed sources we also have oral histories, photographs, prints and drawings, a web archive, electronic resources and even some films and television programmes.

What is available online?

Our Business and Management Portal delivers high quality digital content from our business and management collections.

We select content for the Portal from leading UK based research organisations and from a number of UK business schools. It includes reports, case studies, briefings, working papers, conference papers and journal articles.

And we also have extended articles which explore the life and works of influential management thinkers, placing their work in context and giving suggestions for further reading.

All of the content in the Portal is rights cleared so, once registered, users can access the content anywhere on a mobile device or PC.

What is available in our Reading Rooms?

The Business & IP Centre at St Pancras is the place to go for practical information on markets, companies and products. The Centre provides access to an extensive range of hard copy and online information resources and staff are on hand to offer research advice and support. The Centre also offers training workshops, networking events and one-to-one advice sessions for anyone who wants to find out more about starting, running and growing a successful business.

The Social Science Reading Room is the focus for researchers in business and management studies. Staff are on hand to offer research advice support and you will be able to access key databases and use our catalogue to explore the full range of our content for this discipline. Recent issues of key journals will be available on the open access shelves.