USU Libraries
Library Databases & Career Exploration

As a USU student you have access to almost 2 million print books and journals, 7,600,000 e-books, 480,000 government publications, and over 60,000 electronic journals. These resources are invaluable when completing research assignments and can give you a competitive edge when applying for jobs.

General Databases

The library has many databases available to help you find relevant research. Many of these databases are general and have information that would interest a wide audience including Business majors. All library databases can be accessed by going to the library homepage and clicking on Articles and Databases under Find.

OCCUPATIONAL OUTLOOK HANDBOOK

Occupational Outlook Handbook is a database that allows you to explore the duties, education, training, pay, and outlook for hundreds of occupations. This resource is freely available to you even after you graduate from USU!

Within the database you can run a search for a specific career field of interest or browse occupational groups including highest paying and fastest growing occupations.

The database also has pages which highlight data and information for a variety of academic fields. On the Field of Degree: Business page you can discover the median income, employment distribution of workers by occupation, and the top-employing occupations for workers with a business degree.

Table Example: Field of Degree: Business page

a table comparing the employment, median wage, percent employed part time, percent employed in occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree, and percent with an advanced degree of a business degree versus all fields in 2019

Business Databases

Along with general databases, the library also has subject focused databases. These databases allow you to find more specific information for your research. The library has put together lists of Business databases to support the different areas of the field.

Accounting Databases
Economics & Finance
Management & MIS
Marketing & Strategy Databases

Some databases are trickier to navigate than others. Look for a blue circle next to a library database to access a short tutorial on using the database and finding the information you need.

Business Source Premiere with a blue circle icon indicating that a tutorial is available for navigating the database.

IBISWORLD

IBISWorld is a library database with a comprehensive collection of industry market research reports that could be very helpful as you prepare for a job interview or complete research assignments.

IBISWorld industry reports include:

Industry jargon along with a glossary of relevant terms
A list of major players in the industry
Industry outlook including fundamental changes and economic drivers
SWOT Analysis

Table Example: Concert & Event Promotion Industry in the US Report

major player breakdown for the Concert and Event Promotion Industry in the US and the products & services segmentation breakdown for the Concert and Event Promotion Industry in the US.

Databases like IBISWorld are freely available to you while you are a USU student so make sure that you are taking advantage of all the resources you have access to!

Don't Pay for Information

While searching in the library databases insures that you have access to the information you need, we know that sometimes it is easier to search outside of the library in a search engine like Google. Google is definitely easy to navigate, but it is common to hit paywalls. A paywall is when a publisher or website requires payment in order to view an article.

While doing research as a USU student, you should NEVER pay for the information that you need to complete your assignments.

Use the tips below to avoid paywalls and get the information you need for FREE!

INTERLIBRARY LOAN

It is impossible for the library to own every book and article, but if we don't own something you need we will try our best to get it for you from another institution. ILLiad is the system for requesting research materials such as books, book chapters, or articles through interlibrary loan.

Log on to ILLiad to place your order. Most articles arrive within 48 hours, and books arrive within 7 days.

Check out the Interlibrary Loan Guide to learn more and to find instructions for requesting books and articles.

DOWNLOAD LEAN LIBRARY

Lean Library is a browser extension that alerts you when the content you are trying to view is available for free through the library. When the library does not own an article, Lean Library will alert you to request that the library borrow the article for you through interlibrary loan. Check out the Lean Library Guide to learn more and to find instructions for downloading.

SYNC YOUR GOOGLE ACCOUNT WITH USU

Google Scholar is a great tool for academic research. However, often times its articles are behind a paywall. Sync your Google Scholar account with USU to get access to articles that USU subscribes to! Watch the video below for step-by-step instructions to sync your account.

Quick Check

What should you do if you are prompted to pay for a research article that the library doesn't own?

Pay the fee if the article is really important for your research

Wrong! As a USU student you should never pay for the information you need!

Forget about the article and find a new one.

Wrong! Hitting a paywall doesn't mean you can't get access to the article another way.

Request that the library get a copy of the article for you through Interlibrary Loan.

Correct! Interlibrary loan is a quick and free service you have access to.

Scream in frustration at your computer screen.

You could totally do this if it helps, but we recommend saving your voice and reaching out to the library to get access to the article.