HANDBOOK OF COMMERCIAL INFORMATION SERVICES COMPILED BY THE S. L. A. Committee on Commercial Information Services INTRODUCTION Following upon its creation in 1921 the Special Committee on Commercial Information Services held several meetings. As a result of these conferences the task assigned was subdivided as follows: To Miss Reynolds and Miss Hasse, preliminary publicity; to Miss Kight and Miss Morley, preparation of copy; to Miss Carmody, the special section relating to government publications; to Mr. Hyde, all matters of press work and final publicity. The other members of the committee have been of material assistance in giving advice and suggestions. The committee found great difficulty in defining the word "service," and in determining the inclusion or exclusion of a given organization the compilers have erred on the side of inclusion. As the sources of information on the subject are limited, there have been undoubtedly many omissions, but the search has disclosed 252 commercial services, 76 association and non-commercial services, 87 government services and 381 periodical services. The itemized statement about each service was obtained as follows: A multigraphed letter was sent to each organization asking for a description of the specific service. From the material received a "write-up" was prepared. This "write-up" was forwarded to the organization with a request for an O. K. When the "write-up" was returned vised or corrected the item was accepted for copy and indexed. In cases where no response was received the "write-up" was included with the note "no direct report." Discrepancy of space for each entry is due to the amount of information originally furnished by the specific organization. The index has been arranged in two divisions: A title index, presenting in one alphabetical list titles of all included services; a subject index with numerous cross references to topics covered by a specific service. Titles beginning with the name of the publisher are not in dexed, info ut listed in alphabetical order in the specific section of information services. Certain headings common to nearly all the services as "Statistics," "Research," "Business" have been omitted. Some services conduct researches of such a general nature that subject headings would be multiplied indefinitely. In such cases the term "General information" has been adopted to the exclusion of all other subject headings. The various services have been grouped as follows: Commercial services, numbered 1 to 252; association and non-commercial services, lettered and numbered A1 to A76; government services lettered and numbered G1 to G87; periodical services lettered and numbered P1 to P381. The committee is deeply indebted to Mr. John Cotton Dana of the Newark Free Public Library for the allotment of time for this research given to Miss Morley, Miss Kight and other assistants of the Business Branch. In addition, the members of the committee have also given freely of their own time and effort. We also appreciate the courtesies extended by Mr. George A. Deveneau of the Reuben H. Donnelly Corporation for the list of periodicals noted in Section IV and by Miss F. A. Hanley of the National Industrial Conference Board for facts concerning numerous research organizations in New York City. HERBERT O. Brigham, Chairman. SECTION I-COMMERCIAL SERVICES NOTE The aim has been to include in the following list only those agencies furnishing a service which has crystallized into more or less definite form. In some cases, due to scarcity of information, agencies have been included which may not fall within a strict definition of terms. 1. AD Art Service, 52 Vanderbilt Ave., N. Y. Issues advertising material in mat form, weekly. For newspaper advertising departments only. $200, $104, and $52 a year. 2. ALEXANDER Hamilton Institute, Business Conditions Service, 13 Astor Place, N. Y. Covers business, trade and investment conditions and progress. Publishes four monthly bulletins in weekly rotation. Research department prepares business reports on demand. Price $16. 3. AMERICAN City Bureau, 443 Fourth Ave., N. Y. Establishes commercial organizations in cities. Runs a research division. Cost on membership increase percentage basis. ties. In loose-leaf form. Price on request. 9. ARKIN Advertisers Service, 422 South Wabash Ave., Chicago. Sells advertising cuts, useful for house organs. Issues a catalog of available cuts twice a year, with monthly supplements, price of catalog $1 (refunded on receipt of order for $3 worth of cuts). Also issues a book, "Type data essential to copywriters and advertisers,' price $1. 10. ARMSBREUESTER, Rudolph, Grovesnor Library, Buffalo, N. Y. Catalogs and analyses maps listed in geographical and travel periodicals. Price on request. (No direct report.) 11. AUTO List and Addressing Co., National Automobile Information Bureau, 250 W. 54th St., N. Y. Makes typewritten lists of automobile owners in any state by makes of cars, etc. Gives complete automobile statistical information by states, counties, etc. Prices vary according to work done. 12. B. & B. Service Corporation, Standard Rate and Data Service, 155 E. Superior St., Chicago. Published monthly, art. supplemented by bulletins three time a week. Purposes to eliminate all rate and data files and furnish information on newspapers and periodicals. $30 a year. 4. AMERICAN Express Co., 65 Broadway, N. Y. Runs international banking service, international shipping service, domestic financial service, travel and tour service. on 5. AMERICAN Federation of Arts, 1741 Institute of Finance, Complete Educational Investment and Speculative Service, 141 Milk St., Boston. Consists of weekly investment and speculative bulletin; practical educational course in art of scientific investment and speculation. $77.50 year. a 7. ANSWERALL Information Bureau, 13. BABSON Statistical Organization, Babson's Reports, Wellesley Hills, 82, Mass. Reports for merchants, bankers and investors, forecast of coming con.. ditions in business and finance. Consists of: "Barometer Letter," weekly, analyzing and forecasting fundamental probabilities in business, tells you when to buy and when to sell, includes Babsonchart showing the exact present position of business and indicates next step in current cycle; "Statistical Sheet,' monthly, presents basic statistics on the 30 important barometers of buiness, includes Babson Business Dial; "Sellers' Bulletin," semi-monthly, forecasts future business in sales territories in United States and Canada for sales, credit and advertising purposes; "Buyers' Bulletin," semimonthly, forecasts price changes on 1,500 commodities; "Industries Bulletin,' semi-monthly, forecasts coming condi BAN 8 BRO tion in over 300 of the more important 19. BLOOMFIELD, Meyer and Daniel. Labor Digest, 6 Beacon St., Boston. Covers industrial relations problems. Includes weekly publication "Industrial Relations" supplemented by charts analyzing plans and methods in connection with industrial relations, special research service to subscribers. $65 a year. 14. BANKERS Bulletins, Inc., 40 Ex- year. 16. BANKERS Economic Service Inc., Industrial Digest-Research Department, 37 W. 43d St., N. Y. Makes investigations of production and marketing problems. Maintains statistical and graphic department. Claims to keep largest file of trade and technical papers in existence. Maintained in connection with "Industrial Digest" which is published monthly. Subscription $5. 17. BENNETT, Frank P., & Co., Inc., Investors Information Service, 530 Atlantic Ave., Boston. Furnishes information on financial securities of all kinds. Service including subscription to the United States Investor, $5 a year. 18. BEST, Alfred M., Co., Inc., Insurance Reporting Advisory and Engineering Service, 75 Fulton St., N. Y. Issues reports upon financial responsibility, reputation and methods of insurance institutions; bulletins giving more important happenings in the insurance world; special reports on request; gives advice to property owners, brokers, etc., on insurance underwriting and engineering matters. Publishes manuals once a year supplemented by Best's Insurance News, fire and marine edition, and casualty and miscellaneous editions. $25 a year. (No direct report). $75 20. BONNET-BROWN Sales Service, 155 22. BOSTON Automobile Dealers, Used 23. BOYLES Candy Publications, 30 South Michigan Ave., Chicago. Subscription: to papers entitles one to free and unlimited use of the organization for any information on business. Candy and Ice Cream $2., Candy Factory $1, Candy Jobber $1. 24. BRADSTREET Co., Service, 346 Broadway, N. Y. Publishes quarterly rating books containing name, business, financial responsibility, and credit standing of corporations, firms, Copartnerships, and individuals doing merchantile business in the United States and Canada. Furnishes special reports embodying financial conditions, trade information, fire record, antecedents, and other information of general character bearing upon desirability of subject as credit risk. Price governed by number of reports subscribed for and territory covered. 25. BROOKMIRE Economic Service, Inc., Complete Commercial Service, 25 W. 45th St., N. Y. Consists of: "Forecaster," weekly, discussing and analyzing in four issues financial, manufacturing, general business, agricultural and transportation conditions; "Trade Bulletin," semi-monthly, having general commodity section, sales, credit and special commodity section; "Barometer No. 1," monthly, covering commodity prices and industrial stocks; "Financial Bulletin," monthly, giving developments affecting borrowing and lending policies; "Sales and Credit Map," monthly, showing geographically BRO degree of business activity and prosperity; "Analyst," bi-weekly, giving opportunities, analysis of merits of individual investment properties and securities, price quotation, dividend rate and investment yield of sixty standard stocks; "Investment Opportunity Bulletin," monthly, giving specific securities which offer best investment opportunities, safety and income yield considered; "Barometer No. 2," monthly, covering railroad stocks and bonds; "Trend Chart," monthly, showing movements for the past year of industrial and railroad stocks and bonds; "Building Bulletin," monthly, indicating future building trends in types of building and materials used in construction; "Lumber Bulletin," semimonthly, indicating trend of prices and conditions in lumber industry; Consultation Service specialises in problems of general management, purchasing, financing; Registry lists entire list of holdings of any subscriber and opportunities for shifting to advantage are brought to the attention of the subscriber. $190 a year. 31. BUREAU of Municipal Research, of Personnel Administra- 26. BROWNELL Advertising Service, 501 30. BUREAU of Industrial Research, 289 35. BUSINESS_Bourse International, Inc., 15 W. 37th St., N. Y. Furnishes surveys of industries, makes questionnaire calls on local dealers, and local consumers by means of staff of 173 local resident investigators. Compiles statistics, makes graphic charts. Gives management, sales, advertising and financial counsel. Supplies loose-leaf data volumes on business management; counsel and investigations. $25 to $1000 a report. BUSINESS Letters Made More Effective, Edward H. Schulze Service, Woolworth Bldg., N. Y. Maintairs service consisting of the criticism of business letters, and preparation of effective 1usiness letters. 37. BUSINESS Research and Develop- |