Introduction

The Business on the Internet sites listed below have been selected by the Oakland Public Library for your research and informational pleasure. These Internet sites will be frequently updated.

Business on the Internet-Starting Points

Internet Public Library-Business and economic resources
http://www.ipl.org/ref/RR/static/bus00.00.00.html

Librarian's Index to the Internet-Excellent site for browsing business topics
http://lii.org/search/fil/business

A Business Researcher's Interests (BRINT)-Great source for leading edge topics
http://www.brint.com

CEOExpress-Comprehensive portal designed for the busy executive
http://www.ceoexpress.com

Local Business Information

Doing Business in Oakland California-Permits, incentives, assistance and training, redevelopment areas, demographics, etc.
http://www.oaklandnet.com/business/default.html

Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG)-Bay area commerce information. Census data, contracts and bids, green business, international trade, etc.
http://www.abag.ca.gov/home.html

Alameda County Assessor's Office-Business and real property assessments
http://www.co.alameda.ca.us/assessor

Fictitious Business Names-Filing fees and other pertinent information
http://www.acgov.org

State of California Business Information

Doing Business in California-California Economic Diversification and Revitalization
Export guides, regulations, trade leads, etc.
http://www.cedar.ca.gov/busines/

California State Contracts Register-Contracting opportunities
http://www.osmb.dgs.ca.gov/cscr

California State Board of Equalization-Sales and use tax and other business related taxes. Forms and frequently asked questions
http://www.boe.ca.gov

CALGOLD- "Business permits made simple." Searchable by type of business and location
http://www.calgold.ca.gov/

California Business Portal-Secretary of State's site. Find the agent for service of process and what you need to start and file a business entity in the state
http://www.ss.ca.gov/business/business.htm

California Technology, Trade and Commerce Agency -Comprehensive resource that helps individuals and businesses wanting to do business with the state
http://www.commerce.ca.gov/state/ttca/ttca_homepage.jsp

California State Controller's Office- Unclaimed Property Information
http://www.sco.ca.gov/col/ucp

Investments and Personal Finance

Investor Home-Personal investor resource guide. Quick links to popular sites
http://www.investorhome.com

Big Charts-Investment charting and research site. Historical quotes and industry analysis
http://www.bigcharts.com

Stock Naked:Uncovering a Company History-This guide will help you determine whether that old stock certificate is worth anything
http://www.sls.lib.il.us/reference/por/features/99/comphist.html

Investing in Bonds-Covers the basics and varieties of bonds
http://www.investinginbonds.com

A good personal finance reference, with various articles and financial calculators. They have current mortgage rates too.
http://www.MortgageLoan.com

San Francisco Chronicle Business section - news, classified ads, stock and mutual fund information, focused on Bay Area businesses
http://www.sfgate.com/business

The Green Money Online Guide-Socially responsible investing information
http://www.greenmoney.com

Careers

Jobstar - Comprehensive job search guide for California. Check out the Bay Area job banks. Great salary links
http://www.jobstar.org

craigslist-Local listings include part-time opportunities and jobs in the skilled trades
http://www.craigslist.org/

Jobs with the City of Oakland
http://www.oaklandnet.com/government/jobs/current_openings.html

Jobs with Alameda County
http://www.acgov.org/employment/current_openings.pdf

GLOBE- Association of Bay Area Governments, local and national government job listings
http://www.abag.ca.gov/bayarea/commerce/globe/globe.html

Riley Guide-Directory of employment and career information resources on the Internet
http://www.rileyguide.com

Small Business

Business link to the U.S. government.
http://business.gov

Small Business Development Center National Information Clearinghouse- Getting started, buying and selling a business, e-commerce, industry outlook trends and reports, etc.
http://sbdcnet.utsa.edu/

Startup Journal (The Wall Street Journal's Center for Entrepreneurs)-Franchising, financing, technology, etc.
http://www.startupjournal.com

U.S. Small Business Administration-Startup kit, loans, lists of small business associations, links to dozens of govt. sites, etc.
http://www.sba.gov

SCORE: Counselors to America’s Small Business - Free one-on-one counseling sessions with successful business people, both retired and active.
http://www.score.org
Local SCORE site:
http://www.eastbayscore.org

Working Solo-Tips and links for entrepreneurs working in the small office/home office
http://www.workingsolo.com

Federal Trade Commission-Work-at-home schemes
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/invest/homewrk.htm

Trade Show News Network-Search for trade shows, resources for managing your exhibit, etc.
http://www.tsnn.com/

IRS Tax Information for Small Business/Self-Employed
http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/index.html

Company Research

Hoover's Online-Lines of business, top competitors, financial data, and key personnel
http://www.hoovers.com

EDGAR-SEC filings and forms
http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml

Better Business Bureau-Check out a particular company's business practices
http://www.bbb.com

Nonprofit Organizations

The Nonprofit FAQ-Information for and about nonprofit organizations
http://idealist.org

Guidestar-Search for charities and nonprofits. Descriptions and basic financial information
http://www.guidestar.org

Foundation Center-Foundation finder. View a foundation's IRS 990-PFs
http://www.fdncenter.org

International Business

Europages-European Business Directory and Information
http://www.europages.com

Asian Sources-Product suppliers and manufacturers
http://www.asiansources.com

Currency Converter for 164 currencies
http://www.oanda.com/converter/classic

International Business and Technology Information-World level resources
http://www.brint.com/International.htm

Patent and Trademark Searching

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Database
http://www.uspto.gov

Statistics

Counting California-Data from state, federal and local governmental sources on a variety of subjects
http://countingcalifornia.cdlib.org

Consumer Price Indexes-Pacific Cities and U.S. City Average
http://www.bls.gov/ro9/pachist.htm

Bureau of Labor Statistics-U.S and regional economy. Latest numbers on business costs, occupations, productivity, industries, etc.
http://stats.bls.gov/

U.S. Census-Economic Census. Bridge between NAICS and SIC, etc.
http://www.census.gov

Bank rates for mortgages, savings accounts, ATM fees and more
http://www.bankrate.com

Business Law

The Business Law Site!-Legal checklists, choosing the right business entity, domain names, doing business over the Internet, etc.
http://www.methvenlaw.com

The 'Lectric Law Library's Business and General Forms
http://www.lectlaw.com/formb.htm

Legal Encyclopedia from Nolo Press-Employment law, independent contractors, landlords and tenants, patents & trademarks, etc.
http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/

Legal and regulatory information for America's small businesses.
http://www.businesslaw.gov

Business Newspapers and Journals

SF Gate-Search Chronicle and Examiner back to 1995
http://www.sfgate.com

NewsDirectory.com-Browse Industry Trade Publications
http://www.newsdirectory.com

Further Searching

Google-One of the more popular search engines
http://www.google.com

Northern Light-Research engine that searches the Web, newspapers, newswires, and magazines. Offers specialized searching of industry-focused Web pages and market research. Note: To access full-text of many publications, there may be a small fee
http://www.northernlight.com