My Favourite Websites

Managing InfoAction, the fee-based research and information service at Vancouver Public Library, means developing expertise across a broad range of business topics. We spend a lot of time on due diligence and market research, as well as frequent research in many other areas. These are a few of my most-visited sites, plus a favourite from my days managing the website content at the BC Securities Commission.

Canadian Company Capabilities from Strategis/Industry Canada http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/sc_coinf/ccc/engdoc/homepage.html - database of 50,000 Canadian businesses categorized and fully searchable. Great for finding companies and profiling competition in an industry.
Stockwatch - http://www.stockwatch.com/ - if you ever need to quickly find directors and officers, rumours about venture companies, and affiliations, Stockwatch makes a great starting place (although you may want check Corporate Online or SEDAR to ensure accuracy). Start with the 30 day free trial to find out if it's worth signing up for a very inexpensive account.
NationMaster - statistical comparisons of countries on almost any topic, for example, wine consumption by country. Fun to explore. We rank #4 in membership in voluntary professional associations (Australia is #1).
SLA Member Directory (for SLA members-only) http://www.sla.org/ecomm_phase1/member_search/WhosWhoSearch.asp - I use this when I need to find a librarian with expertise in a certain area for a quick answer, or the email address of someone I met at a conference.
Pew Internet & American Life Project - http://www.pewinternet.org/ - Canadian statistics on Internet use remain difficult to find, but for up-to-date American statistics this website always covers the latest trends with comprehensive information and stats.

On the personal side, my current favourite is OpenTable Vancouver at http://www.opentable.com/start.aspx?m=73&n=165. If you love going out for dinner, this website lets you find available restaurants and book online (available for Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg too). Plus you accumulate points towards gift certificates!

Finally, if you've never seen http://www.csszengarden.com/ check it out for the amazing things designers can do using CSS. The concept is that the designer can change only the stylesheet - the creativity on this site continues to amaze me.

Christina Zeller is the Manager of InfoAction at Vancouver Public Library and Past President of SLA WCC.

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