The City Business Library is one of the most important resources for business and company information in the UK. I have always been impressed by their telephone research service, so when CLIG organised a tour of the Library I took the opportunity to go along and see for myself.
The tour was given after hours. Once I had managed to find the building (the main entrance is tucked unobtrusively down an alley way) I joined up with our party of about a dozen people. After some very welcome refreshments we were divided into two groups and shown around the collection.

The Library is funded by the Corporation of London, but in contrast to many other public libraries it is very well resourced. The collection is extensive, and includes hundreds of UK and foreign newspapers and periodicals.
There is also a large collection of business directories, arranged geographically. They subscribe electronically to a wide range of market research reports which can be consulted for free within the Library.
Titles include CCH Business Focus, Datamonitor Business Information, Key Note Online, Market Research Monitor and Snapshots. Among the other online resources they can access are BRAD, Dialog NewsRoom, Fame and the Financial Times on CD ROM.

Users are free to come in off the street without making a prior appointment (assuming they can find the entrance!). There are no membership requirements, though proof of identity may be needed before certain popular or expensive items can be consulted.
There are plenty of computer terminals which allow free access to the Internet and to word processing facilities, and there are areas where laptops can be used.
The City Business Library is a reference library, so of course it is not possible to borrow or take material out of the building. All the recent material is on open access for ease of browsing. Older material is not retained, but much of it is sent to the Guildhall Library next door.

The enquiry desk staff can deal with simple enquires over the phone. For more complex or time-consuming research users can contact Business Information Focus, which is the CBL’s fee-based service. This is charged per hour and there may also be extra costs for online usage. However, the initial consultation is free, and they will always agree a fee before starting any work. This is an especially useful resource for legal librarians who may get the occasional complex business enquiry.
The overall aim of the City Business Library is to meet the information needs of the business community in the City of London. In this respect our hosts seemed especially proud of a recent acknowledgement in a book by the founders of the Coffee Republic chain, who said that the research they were able to carry out in the CBL proved very useful in the setting up of their business. Examples such as this show that the Library continues to play an important role in the life of the City.
I came away with my favourable impression of the Library reinforced, but perhaps a little envious of the resources they have available. Many thanks to Joan Kelleher for organising the tour, and to our guides at the Library, Marianne Howell and Helen Armstrong.