Business Reference Experts Announce Annual Best Websites List
The annual Best of the Best Business Reference Websites list was announced today by the Business Reference and Services Section (BRASS) Education Committee.
The list made its first debut in 2009 in Reference and User Services Quarterly (RUSQ), RUSA’s research journal, and recognizes three websites highly relevant to information professionals involved in providing business reference services. The list includes:
worldbank.org/en/businessready
The World Bank’s new Business Ready (B-READY) site benchmarks the business and investment climate across economies, replacing the former Doing Business report. The complete open-source data set and a reproducibility package are provided. The B-READY methodology evaluates economies by assessing ten topics, such as Business Entry, Labor, Financial Services and International Trade, and organizes this analysis around three pillars: Regulatory Framework, Public Services, and Operational Efficiency.
The strengths of this free resource include a broader, more balanced methodology and integration of de jure and de facto data (considering laws and regulations, as well as how they are implemented), while also incorporating themes of digitalization, sustainability, and gender. There are some limitations regarding initial country coverage and ongoing concerns from civil society organizations, including NGOs, labor unions, and advocacy groups, about inclusivity and labor standards. The first release covers 50 economies, with plans to expand to more than 100 in 2025 and nearly 180 by 2026, refining methodology and data collection in future editions.
Published by the World Bank
Free
Reviewed April 23, 2025
projects.propublica.org/nonprofits
ProPublica’s free Nonprofit Explorer provides comprehensive, searchable access to tax filings from over 3 million tax-exempt organizations in the United States. This powerful database allows users to search, browse, and download Form 990 filings dating back to 2013, offering unparalleled transparency into nonprofit operations. The interface includes user-friendly search capabilities by organization name, location, or EIN, while also offering filtering by organization type, revenue size, and filing year.
ProPublica regularly updates the database as new filings become available from the IRS, ensuring researchers have access to the most current information about tax-exempt entities. The combination of comprehensive data coverage, intuitive design, and powerful analytical capabilities makes Nonprofit Explorer an indispensable resource for business librarians, nonprofit researchers, grant writers, and anyone seeking transparency in the nonprofit sector.
Published by ProPublica
Free
Reviewed March 28, 2025
dataqualityliteracy.org/a-guidebook
This ebook equips information professionals, researchers, and students with the skills to critically evaluate data quality. It was developed as a deliverable of an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) funded project. The edited volume is based on a series of national forum webinars which were compiled and enhanced with infographics and supplementary materials. The guidebook covers various aspects of data quality literacy, including quality assurance in data creation, governmental and commercial data, data reproducibility and preservation, and more. This resource is invaluable for librarians involved in data literacy instruction, researchers seeking to strengthen their understanding of research data, and anyone striving to become more discerning data users.
Published by Grace Liu, Bobray Bordelon, Rashelle Nagar, Uyen Nguyen, Jordan Sarti, and Jennifer C. Boettcher
Free as an ebook; Print-on-demand paperback: $15.53
Reviewed March 6, 2025
aiexpertnetwork.notion.site/AI-Transformation-Case-Studies-779878d924fa466186071b7939d7599a
The “AI Transformation Case Studies” Notion workspace, published by AI Expert Network (AIX), expands its “AI in Action” newsletter and Substack. The site provides a free, curated repository of business AI implementation examples. AIX is a global organization connecting businesses with AI professionals. This collection of case studies addresses the scarcity of documented real-world business AI deployments. The collection provides over 200 case studies indexed by company, industry, use case, and technology. Each case study presents structured information including company approach, implementation, challenges, results, takeaways, and referenced sources.
Published by AI Expert Network (AIX)
Free
Reviewed February 26, 2025
Note: The Best of the Best Business Reference Websites selection is made by the BRASS Education Committee. Emily Mross, Penn State University Libraries, Chair. Committee Members: Genifer Snipes, University of Oregon; Jennilyn Wiley, Auburn University; Alan Witt, SUNY Geneseo; Alice Kalinowski, Stanford University; Anna Milholland, The College of William and Mary; Christopher Sturgeon, University of South Florida; Edward Junhao Lim, University of Connecticut; Emily Da Silva, University of Ottawa; Kate Cummings, University of Scranton; Sarah J. Hammill, Florida International University; Tim Tully, San Diego State University; Laureen Cantwell-Jurkovic, Colorado Mesa University; Rebecca Maniates, New York University Abu Dhabi; Terrence O’Neill, Michigan State University.
The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of the American Library Association, represents librarians and library staff in the fields of reference, specialized reference, collection development, readers’ advisory and resource sharing. RUSA is the foremost organization of reference and information professionals who make the connections between people and the information sources, services, and collection materials they need. Learn more at rusaupdate.org.