Business reference experts select annual list of Best of the Best Business Reference Websites

ATLANTA—The annual Best of the Best Business Reference Websites list was announced at the Reference and User Services Association’s (RUSA) Book and Media Awards ceremony at the American Library Association’s Midwinter Meeting in Atlanta on Sunday.

The list made its first debut in 2009 in Reference and User Services Quarterly (RUSQ), RUSA’s research journal, and recognizes three websites highly relevant to information professionals involved in providing business reference services. The Best of the Best Business Websites are nominated and selected by the members of the BRASS Education Committee, based on the quality of content, ease of use and technical execution. BRASS, the Business Reference and Services Section of RUSA, promotes professional development for business librarians. The theme for 2017 winners is Corporate Social Responsibility.

The list includes:

Ceres, http://www.ceres.org
Ceres is a non-profit organization advocating for sustainability leadership. Their website includes financials and industry reports focused on enabling business leadership in balancing sustainability risks and initiatives. Notable among their resources is the SEC Sustainability Disclosure Search Tool which allows users to screen SEC filings by sustainability issue or topic, company name, and industry group among other filters.
Free

United Nations (UN) Global Compact Library, https://www.unglobalcompact.org/library
Global Compact is a voluntary initiative based on CEO commitments to implement universal sustainability principles and to take steps to support UN goals. The UNGC Library contains materials issued by the UN Global Compact and key partners to support implementation of the Ten Principles and other relevant issues.
Free

The World Bank: Sustainable Development, http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/sustainabledevelopment
The World Bank provides financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world. Their Sustainable Development topic section features research and data to support initiatives in that area in a global context.
Free

The Best of the Best Business Reference Websites selection committee includes: Robbi De Peri (Vanderbilt University) Co-Chair, Ashley E. Faulkner (Princeton University) Co-Chair, Charles Allan (Texas State University), Cara Cadena (Grand Valley State University), Phebe L. Dickson (Rowan University), Bridget Farrell (Auburn University), LuMarie Guth (Western Michigan University), Monica J. Hagan (UCLA), Sara F. Hess (University of Virginia), Hiromi Kubo (California State University-Fresno), Kelly LaVoice (Cornell University), Tom Ottaviano (Cornell University), Christina Sheley (Indiana University), Eimmy K. Solis (NYU), Andy Spackman (Brigham Young University), and Teresa D. Williams (Butler University.)  Nominations and voting were organized by Phebe L. Dickson, with assistance from Monica Hagan and Cara Cadena.

The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of the American Library Association, represents librarians and library staff in the fields of reference, specialized reference, collection development, readers’ advisory and resource sharing. RUSA is the foremost organization of reference and information professionals who make the connections between people and the information sources, services, and collection materials they need. Visit RUSA Update for more information on awards.