In praise of librarians helping business journalists

Tim Ferguson, who edits Forbes Asia from New York, writes in praise of his colleague Susan Radlauer, who was recently promoted to director of research services at Forbes.

Ferguson writes, “For nearly five years here Sue has been sent chasing many an obscure fact (how many Malaysians have air-conditioning?). Lately she’s helped me find data on Korean labor strife, Australian wheat exports and the California golf course interests of a unit of Japan’s Sanyo Foods.

“Traditional media, FORBES included, used to have more Sue Radlauers than we do now, but as DIY Web searches took hold and finances got tighter, this support was harder to justify. As a result, the libraries throughout the U.S. press have been gutted.

“Yet, finding the informational paper clip in the dustbin is still so much of what we in the trusted media do for our audience. Getting and using the right data help to make a brand like ours more reliable than whatever pops up first as you type a few keywords.”

Read more here.