The Business Library at City, University of London provides access to students and staff study spaces to fit various styles of studying and an impressive portfolio of specialist business databases. Curated over 25 years, each of these resources has been carefully selected to ensure any gaps in the wider business subject area are covered.
Bayes Business School is close to other institutions, which researchers may wish to take out membership to. Their resources and services may be a good addition to those offered by the Business Library on Bunhill Row.
The first such institution is Small Business Research + Enterprise Centre (SBRES), which is part of to the network of public libraries within the City of London. The Centre is at the Guildhall, and is open to visitors on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, from 10am to 4pm. Remote access is available from Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. There are two membership models: the first one is free and allows you to use the flexible working space with a fast Wi-Fi connection, as well as access to some of the databases (eg. Business Source Premier). The second is a paid membership, costing £189 per year and coming with more perks, including access to more online resources.
The Centre offers a small, but helpful selection of databases, some of which are available only with paid membership. One of the advantages of SBRES is access to the flexible working spaces, which may come in useful for those needing a change of scenery or want to try a new work environment. SBRES also organises workshops, for those looking to start a business, as well as business and research advice.
Another place, worth visiting and considering membership of is the Business and IP Centre, located in the British Library, on the first floor of its main site at St Pancras. Membership is free and enables access to one of the largest collections of business and intellectual property information in the world. The opening times can be viewed on the website.
The collection includes market reports from several providers, company information for millions of companies worldwide, as well as 60 million patents. The resources and qualified staff will provide information on research funding sources, business research, intellectual property, and general business advice. There are workshops (many of them free and online), events and one to one advice sessions (please note that you have to pay for bespoke research) are some of the many reasons to add Business and IP Centre’s website to your bookmarks.
