Took 2 Hours, 20 Minutes to Answer. Answered on 2/3/09

Amy Honisett

IPL Log

Question 1

Took 2 hours, 20 minutes to answer. Answered on 2/3/09

Question:

I want to know the size of the Fragrance Industry. Specifically,

I need to know the major companies that make up the industry and

the value of the industry. Any other factual information would

be helpful. Thank you.

location: St Paul, MN

area: Business

reason: Writing a paper

school: Yes

sources_consulted: I have already visited my local library and

the book I wanted was checked out (something about a day in the

life of the fragrance industry). I Googled and it just gave me a

bunch of cosmetic sites with no figures.

Answer:

Hello,

Greetings from the Internet Public Library.

Thank you for your question about the size of the fragrance industry, the major companies that make up the industry, and the value of the industry.

I found a few sources that I hope will answer your question.

The US Census Bureau lists industry information for many industries, including “cosmetics, beauty supplies, & perfume stores.” This information is at their website:

This link is quite long and could break, so here is a shortened version for your convenience:

The US Census Bureau is a service provided by the US government. I found this website by accessing the Internet Public Library at:

from the Internet Public Library homepage, I chose “business,” and then “statistics.” The census bureau website is one of the resources in this category:

A second source of information on the fragrance industry can be located through the St. Paul public library. Many online databases are available from your computer; you can access these databases by using your library card. I found information on major companies in the fragrance industry by using the Business & Company Resource Center database. You can access that database through the St. Paul public library by using this link:

This link is quite long and could break, so here is a shortened version for your convenience:

This is a licensed print and/or electronic resource that we are recommending to you. You will not be able to access it or get a copy of it without being a member of the St. Paul public library.

From this database, I chose the “Company” button. I entered “perfume” as the industry description. From the results page, I entered “perfumes” in the search box and chose “Articles Search” from the drop down menu.

From there, I scrolled down to “Perfumes Industry” and clicked the “Narrow” button. From that results page, I chose “Directories.”

The results of this search will get you “Who’s Who in the Cosmetics Industry,” which lists all the major companies in the cosmetics industry, including fragrance companies. This search will also show you some other directories that may provide the information that you are looking for.

I chose this database because it available remotely to members of the St. Paul Public library.

I hope that these resources help you in your search.

I have enjoyed researching the fragrance industry. Please don’t hesitate to contact us again if you need more information.

Thank you for using IPL.

Sources consulted and strategies:

Source One

I began by looking at the IPL website. I chose “business” from the sidebar, hoping that it would lead me to some sites with pertinent information.

I chose “business directories,” hoping to find sites listing the major companies in the fragrance industry, but I could not find anything helpful.

I then chose “industry,” thinking that I might find sites specific to various industries (including the fragrance industry). I chose the link to “Industry Information Resources,”

From there, I tried the “Cosmetics, Beauty Supplies, and Perfume Stores SIC 5999 / NAICS 446120” link, which lead me to IBIS world: because the site claims to have “in depth analysis.” The reports offered on this website are not free, but there was a link to the Personal Care Council: which I followed because it also claimed to have industry information, and had an .org suffix, so I was hopeful that it would not simply be advertisements. This site was very general, but it did link to a site for the “Fragrance Foundation,” I thought this might be useful because of the .org suffix and the specificity of the name (fragrance). This link was broken, so I searched for “fragrance foundation” using Google.

The Fragrance Foundation website did not have any useful information. I went back to the Personal Care Council website and tried the website for the European Cosmetics Association, hoping to find information about the major fragrance companies in the European market. I followed the “statistics” link, but these figures are not free. I looked at the Colipa annual report, but this was a report about Colipa as an organization, and so was not helpful.

I returned to IBIS world and searched “fragrance.” This lead me to a report entitled” “Beauty, Cosmetics, and Fragrance Stores in the US” These reports are not free. ($995.00 membership required), so I returned to the IPL.

I tried the “economics” link, but did not find any useful looking information.

I chose the “statistics” link, and then chose “Census Bureau Economic Information” From here, I found the “American Fact Finder,”

This site looked like it might contain some information on industry size. At I found detailed information on the number of businesses in the fragrance industry, as well as sales and employment information.

Source Two

I started again at the IPL. I chose the “business” link, and from there, “entrepreneurship,” thinking that there might be statistics here for people thinking of going into particular industries.

I chose “A Guide to Finding Business Information at the Library of Congress,” for the same reason, but I could not find any information on the fragrance industry.

I returned to the IPL and chose “statistics” again, thinking that I might be able to find a second useful resource in the same place that I found the first.

I followed the link to the Bureau of Economic Analysis: as this seemed like it might have industry statistics, but I was not able to find information on the fragrance industry.

From there, I left the IPL and tried I entered “How can I find industry information on the fragrance industry?” but the results were just commercial sites that sold reports.

I decided to try the St. Paul public library, since the patron lives in St. Paul and has already been to the library, so I assumed that she did not mind using the library. I looked at the databases the library has available remotely, so that the patron would be able to access them from home with her computer and her library card.

I saw that the St. Paul public library has a database called “Business & Company Resource Center,” which is also available remotely to me through my own public library. Since I cannot log into the St. Paul public library, I accessed the database through my public library, and found that it contains a copy of “Who’s Who Guide to Personal Care,” which lists companies in the personal care industry, and separates out companies in the fragrance industry. This database also seems like a good start for the patron to find more information on the fragrance industry.

Critique

I am satisfied with the answer I gave the requestor; I feel that the resources I provided her will answer her specific question (the major companies that make up the industry, and the value of the industry) and will be a great place for her to find any other factual information that she may want. The Business & Company Resource Center is a wealth of information, and the directions that I gave her should help her navigate through the database easily.

In the future, I would skip using for a question like this, that does not have an easy answer, and I would check government sources at the beginning of my search, since the question is about specific figures, and I discovered that government resources do contain information on these figures.

Question 2

Took 45 minutes to answer. Answered on 2/4/09.

Question:

Needed by: 02/9/2009

Question:

What is the national (U.S.) average per capita (indoor and

outdoor combined) water use? What is the national (U.S.) average

per household (indoor and outdoor combined) water use?

location: Philadelphia, PA

area: Science

reason: I am doing a sustainability audit of Montgomery Township

and would like to compare local data to national data

school: No

sources_consulted: I found a PA state average here: 3.

and a national average for indoor water use only here:

Answer:

Hello,

Greetings from the IPL!

Thank you for your question on the US average per capita water use and the average per household water use in the US. I understand that you would like to know the combined indoor and outdoor water usage.

I found a few sources that I hope will help you answer your question.

The US Geological Survey website offers information on US water usage. You can access the site through this link:

I found this website by using the Google search engine:

and entering “US per capita water use.”

The following link will bring you to another place in the US Geological Survey’s website where you can access a report documenting US water usage in 2000.

And this link will bring you to a chart that breaks down public supply water withdrawals by state, as well as the population of each state in 2000:

The US Census Bureau website also has information on water usage. Follow this link:

and use the drop down menus to choose water usage and an individual state or the entire country.

I found this website by using the Librarians’ Internet Index:

and searching for “water usage.” The Librarians’ Internet Index is a source to find reliable websites.

You can also find data on US indoor water usage at the Environmental Protection Agency’s website:

While this site does not appear to have information on outdoor water usage, I did think that the information provided might be of interest to you.

I found this website by using the Google search engine and typing in “Household water usage in US.” The Environmental Protection Agency is a government agency that is a reliable source of information.

I hope these resources help you in your search. Please do not hesitate to contact the IPL if we can be of any further assistance. I enjoyed researching your questions.

Thank you for using the Internet Public Library.

Sources consulted and strategies:

Source One

I began at the IPL Ready Reference section because I thought that this question might be easily answered on a government website listing statistics.

I chose the General Library site: because the description says that “this site provides general info on many areas,”I hoped it might have science or conservation information.

From there, I chose InfoPlease.com, but I was not able to find any information there. I went back to General Library.com and tried ScienceDirect.com , but the resources on this site are not free. I went back to General Library.com and tried the Community of Science website, but this is a site for scientific researchers, not for general information.

I started again with the Google search engine. I tried “us per capita water use” and found the US Geological Fact Sheet 2005-3051.

By searching through this website, I found an easy to read report documenting water usage in 2000:

And a table showing water usage broken down by state: this chart also notes state population.

Source Two

I started at the Environmental Protection Agency website, but could not find any relevant information.

I started again at the IPL. I tried the Science section, but could not find anything that looked promising.

Then I tried searching in the IPL using “water usage” and found USGS Water Resources Information, which is the first source I used.

I also tried the Water Science for Schools site, thinking that it might contain water usage information, even though the information might be aimed at children. The description claimed, "We offer information on many aspects of water, along with pictures, data, maps, and an interactive center where you can give opinions and test your water knowledge." This link also lead me back to the USGS site, which I had already used.

Next I tried the Librarians’ Internet Index, in the earth science section, but I found too many results to browse through.

Then I searched LII for “water usage” and found the USA Counties Data Files site, which is the site for the US Census Bureau. The description of the site states that it provide files containing information on subject areas including water usage.

Source Three

Also found info on household water use by searching Google for “household water usage in us,” which brought me back to the EPA site, to a page that I did not find when I began searching:

Critique

I am happy with the answer that I provided. In the future, I might begin by using the IPL’s search. This strategy would have saved me some time in researching this question. I will also remember that the Librarians’ Internet Index can be a good source of information, and I might try that earlier in my search next time.

Question 3

Took 32 minutes to answer. Answered on 2/4/09.

Question:

Needed by: 02/6/2009

Question:

I need to find popular children books (picture books) for child

that have a Jewish background. These books need to be in English

and perferably not all about religion.

location: Pennsylvania

area: Education

reason: to create a book list

school: Yes

Answer:

Hello,

Greetings from the Internet Public Library.

Thank you for your question about popular children’s books for children that have a Jewish background.

I enjoyed researching this question and I found a few sources that I hope will help you compile your book list.

Annie Bloom’s Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon. I visited their website because I shop there occasionally and I know that they have a large selection of Judaica. I found a list of books for children with a Jewish background on their site by searching the children’s section for “religion” and then for “Judaism.” This is a link to Annie Bloom’s books concerning children and Judaism. The list does contain books that are not specifically focused on religion, such as cookbooks and books on Jewish-Americans.

This link is quite long and could break, so here is a shortened version for your convenience:

I also found a list of children’s books concerning Judaism on the Amazon website:

I found this list by searching the Amazon site for “children’s judaica.” I tried Amazon because I have had luck finding books at that site in the past. Here is a direct link to the list of books that I found:

This link is also quite long and could break, so here is a shortened version for your convenience:

I hope that these resources are helpful to you.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us again if you need more information.

Thank you for using IPL.

Sources consulted and strategies:

Source One

I started by searching the Google search engine for Annie Bloom’s Books, a bookstore that I shop at once in a while. I know from personal experience that this bookstore has a large section of Judaica, and I have seen plenty of children’s books about the Jewish experience there.

I found the Annie Bloom’s website, and I searched their children’s section for religion. I could then narrow the search to Judaism. This search provided a list of appropriate books.

Source Two

I started at the Internet Public Library’s “reading room.” I chose “books,” but this lead to links that provide online texts.

Then I tried the IPL’s “literature” section; in that section I tried “book lists.” I followed links there to the Book Lover’s site, where I followed the “general links” link to the Book Wire site, which has themed book lists. The March 2006 book list theme was religious books, but this list was not specific to children. I went back to the Book Wire home page and browsed the reviews section by the subject “children’s non-fiction,” but I was unable to find appropriate books.

I went back to the Book Lover’s site and chose the link to Bibliomaniac List, whose description is “richly filled link list,” but this site is not in English.

I went back to IPL and searched the site using “children Judaism,” which lead me to the Kid’s Zone reading room. I followed the book lists link and found the Allen County Public library, but I was not abl to find an appropriate book list there.

I went back to the Kid Zone and followed the link to Book Hive, whose description shows that the site has book lists, but I was not able to find any.

I tried again at the Kid Zone, and followed the link to the Boston Public Library, which also has book lists. I tried their site index, but could find nothing on Judaism.