Industry Sources - Historical

Overview

This guide does not provide detailed information on doing historical industry research. Much of the oldest information on various industries is not necessarily found in full-text electronic sources. Instead, access to many articles is through print or online indices that cover periodicals and journals but which may or may not be business specific. The most obvious are Business Periodicals Index, its precursor, Industrial Arts Index, as well as PAIS, Poole's and Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature. Other sources which are not business specific but which can be helpful include databases containing long runs of newspapers as well as the database American Periodical Series, which contains early journals and magazines.

Also, many online sources used for current industry information have in the past been published in print and are often available in quite long runs. Publications of the U.S. Census Bureau are prime examples. Economic Census data is published on the U.S. Census Bureau web page going back as far as 1992, but prior to that the Census Bureau published this information in print format in much the same form as it is currently published. In addition, prior to the start of the Economic Census, which began in the 1930's, some business and related economic data was contained in the general Decennial Census.

Issue 9/10: Summer/Fall 2007

Guide to Industry Research

Table of Contents

Introduction
Basic Strategies
Classification Codes
Industry Sources - United States Government
Industry Sources - General
Industry Sources - Historical

This data is not always easy to access but Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970 is available as a 2 volume set and as a freely available electronic resource for much of the relevant data. Some data from this set is also available online from the University of Virginia through its Historical Census Browser. In addition, Cambridge University Press has also produced a 5 volume updated millennial edition incorporating data through the 2000 Census, also available for purchase in online form from the publisher. [Note: This online subscription product is not available at the Library of Congress.]

Another source of interest, though mostly for manufacturing and labor concerns, is the Department of Labor's Bulletin which was begun in 1895 and continued under various names. The Department has prepared a subject index of the articles appearing in the Bulletins (and other publications) from 1978-1998, and there are earlier indices for the material predating 1978.

PRINT RESOURCES

Bulletin of the Public Affairs Information Service; Annual Cumulation. Continued as the Public Affairs Information Service [PAIS] Bulletin. . New York : Public Affairs Information Service 1915 - 1990.
LC Call Number: Z7163 .P9
LC Catalog Record: 16000920

Period from 1972 forward also available in the subscription database product PAIS. Access at the Library of Congress limited to users onsite.

Bulletin of the Department of Labor. (Bulletin of the Bureau of Labor). Washington [D.C. : G.P.O.: United States. Dept. of Labor. 1895-
LC Call Number: HD8051 .A62

  Indexing:

Business Periodicals Index. New York, H.W. Wilson Co. v. 27 cm. v. 1- Jan. 1958/June 1959 - present.
LC Call Number: Z7164.C81 B983
LC Catalog Record: 58012645

Successor to The Industrial Arts Index. Index also available online as part of Wilson's Business Full Text database beginning in 1982. Abstracts are included beginning in 1984. Full text of articles from nearly 500 publications begins in 1995. Access to the online database is limited to users onsite.

Carter, Susan B. et al. Historical Statistics of the United States : Earliest Times to the Present. Millennial ed. New York : Cambridge University Press, c2006.
LC Call Number: HA202 .H57 2006
LC Catalog Record: 2005027089
Table of Contents
Publisher description

Related to Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970.

Funk & Scott Index of Corporations & Industries. Cleveland [etc.] Funk & Scott Pub. Co. 1960 - present.
LC Call Number: Z7165.U5 F23
LC Catalog Record: 63025278
LC Catalog Record: 81641652
LC Catalog Record: 94657040

Also known as Predicast's F & S Index United States and the F&S Index.

Harvard Studies in Business History. Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press. Series.
See the Library of Congress online catalog for information on LC holdings.

Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970. [prepared by] U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.
LC Call Number: HA202.H57
LC Catalog Record: 89002274

An online edition is available from the U.S. Bureau of the Census, which offers the data as either PDF or ZIP files (Part 1 - PDF | ZIP - 52.2 MB; Part 2 - PDF | ZIP - 66.1 MB )

The Industrial Arts Index. Annual Cumulation. White Plains, N.Y. : H.W. Wilson, 1913-1957.
LC Call Number: Z7913 .I7
LC Catalog Record: 2001201675

Continued by the Business Periodicals Index.

International Index to Periodicals. New York : H.W. Wilson Co., 1907-1955.
LC Call Number: AI3 .R49
LC Catalog Record: 88640970

Content from the print index is also included in the Wilson Humanities & Social Sciences Index Retrospective online database. Access to the database limited to onsite users.

Larson, Henrietta M., Guide to Business History: Materials for the study of American Business History and Suggestions for their Use. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1948.
LC Call Number: Z7164.C81 L25
LC Catalog Record: 48007565

Individual business units are covered. Includes sections on the history of individual units and industries like agriculture, banks, communications, construction, distribution concerns, insurance, manufacturing, mining, petroleum, printing and publishing, public utilities, real estate, transportation, and miscellaneous industries with further breakdowns by type. Also includes other historical business sources.

Nineteenth Century Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature. New York : H.W. Wilson Co. 1890-1899.
LC Call Number: AI3 .R496
LC Catalog Record: a 44005439

Included as part of the Wilson Readers' Guide Retrospective online database. Access to the database limited to onsite users.

Poole's Index to Periodical Literature. 1802-1899.
LC Call Number: AI3 .P7

Included in the Nineteenth Century Masterfile online database. Access to the database limited to patrons onsite.

Public Affairs Information Service Bulletin (Annual). Formerly the Bulletin of the Public Affairs Information Service. New York : Public Affairs Information Service, 1915-1990.
LC Call Number: Z7163 .P9
LC Catalog Record: 16000920
LC Catalog Record: 88651996
LC Catalog Record: 88651993

Period from 1972 forward also available in the subscription database product PAIS. Access to the database is limited to onsite users.

Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature. Minneapolis : H.W. Wilson Co., 1900 - present.
LC Call Number: AI3 .R48
LC Catalog Record: 06008232

Period from 1990 to 1982 included in Wilson's Readers' Guide Retrospective online database. Access to the database is limited to onsite users.

Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature. Supplement. Minneapolis, Minn. : H.W. Wilson Co., [1913 - 1919].
LC Call Number: AI3 .R49
LC Catalog Record: 88640960

Continued by the International Index to Periodicals.

Statistical Abstract of the United States. Prepared by the chief of the Bureau of Statistics, Treasury Department. Washington : U.S. G.P.O., 1879 - present.
LC Call Number: HA202
LC Catalog Record: 04018089
Online versions

Both the Statistical Abstract of the United States and the Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970 are very good about sourcing the data, which is a good way to track more detailed information.

DATABASES

Please note that access to these subscription products at the Library of Congress is limited to onsite patrons.

There are several subscription databases that are adding historical full-text articles in PDF format. ProQuest offers two — American Periodicals Series and Historical Newspapers. As of August 2007 Historical Newspapers includes the following papers.

• Atlanta Constitution (1868-1929)
• Boston Globe (1872-1923)
• Chicago Defender (1905-1975)
• Chicago Tribune (1849-1985)
• Christian Science Monitor (1908-1993)
• Christian Science Monitor (1908-1991)
• Los Angeles Times (1881-1985)
• New York Times (1851-2003)
• Wall Street Journal (1889-1989)
• Washington Post (1877-1990)

NewsBank also offers a product, America's Historical Newspapers, which included titles published in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries

This electronic product from Mergent (formerly Moody's) offers searches of current and historical data (from 1970 forward as of August 2007), originally appearing in the company's print directories. The company reports that it is incorporating data from earlier years into the database on an on-going basis. This company also offers a separate product, Mergent Online, that offers industry reports for the U.S., Asia, and Europe which are archived.

PAIS

The electronic version of the print source with references to journal articles, books, government documents, statistical directories, grey literature, research reports, conference reports, publications of international agencies, microfiche, Internet material, and more. Newspapers and newsletters are not indexed.

Readers Guide Retrospective and Readers Guide Full-Text

The electronic version of the print product that contains citations for popular journal titles in the fields of business, fashion, consumer affairs, fine arts, current events, health and nutrition, education, and sports. The Retrospective has 100+ years of citations from more than 500 leading popular periodicals and magazines while the full-text offers citations and some full-text.

Nineteenth Century Masterfile.

Contains Poole's Index to Periodical Literature among many other sources. It covers 60 core subject indexes to periodicals, books, newspapers, patents, and U.S. and UK government documents covering the early 1700's to 1906.

Subjects

Additional works on this subject in the Library of Congress may be identified by searching the Online Catalog under appropriate Library of Congress subject headings. Selecting a subject heading below will link you directly to the Catalog and automatically execute a search for the authorized subject selected. Please be aware that during periods of heavy use you may encounter delays in accessing the catalog. For assistance in locating other subject headings related to this topic, please consult a reference librarian.