A Guide to Navigating AD+PR Resources
“Learning to Learn” to expand your knowledge in the classroom and beyond
By Hunter DeNicolo
As students, we often get caught up in the whirlwind of assignments, group projects and papers that come our way. Luckily, the William C. Gast Business Library provides a variety of information all relevant to students and faculty in the Department of Advertising + Public Relations. Alexandra Hauser is a business librarian who can assist in navigating these abundant campus resources.
Q: What is your position at the business library and what does it entail?
A: “As the departmental business librarian, I’m a subject expert on advertising, public relations and marketing resources. I visit with classes and work to develop collections of materials – online and print – that meet the curriculum set out for students as you are growing into eventual professionals. Students schedule appointments through me to answer questions regarding assignments in “research consultations.”
Q: What specific resources are available to AD+PR students?
A: “For many assignments regarding consumer or company research, MarketLine Advantage is great because it includes SWOT Analysis in the industry. Mintel Academic Reports really focuses in on target market demographics – what they are buying or not buying and how to market to a specific group. ABI/Inform and Data Source Complete are places to go if you need a scholarly peer-reviewed source. Through the Factiva database, students can view articles in the New York Times or Washington Post for current events. Additionally, trade publications like Ad Age and Adweek are available to students through the advertising-focused section.”
Q: How do these resources assist students in their studies?
A: “Learn to learn, hopefully you’re curious and want to know how the industry is working. Our resources are fantastic for helping you accomplish an assignment, but they’re also here to learn. They will help you as you’re doing the assignment and build skills and knowledge before you enter the industry.”
Q: Is there any additional information you think would be helpful?
A: “Reach out to me with questions! It’s my job to support students and faculty in the department, whether there is a study to accomplish or help needed for a job interview. We have fantastic access to materials at MSU, the business library loan has a budget of nearly $1 million just for online database tools – so make use of that. Anyone can do a Google search, but the access we have at the libraries for all departments is incredible.”
The library provides students access to over 1,000 databases – 115 are for business research alone. A wide range of knowledge is at every student’s fingertips here at MSU and these resources are available anytime and anywhere if you are enrolled.
Visit https://lib.msu.edu/bus/ for more information or contact Alexandra Hauser for a research consultation.