Geographic Research, Inc.

The GRI team will be exhibiting at the 2010 Public Library Association conference later this month at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, OR.

The PLA National Conference is the premier professional development event for public librarians, public library workers, trustees, Friends, library vendors, and others with an interest in public libraries. PLA 2010 will provide opportunities to learn new ideas, share success stores, hear best practices and meet colleagues from across the county and around the world. For detailed program information, click here.

Stop by booth 900 to ask questions, view a demo of SimplyMap, or enter our raffle for a free monitor!

Exhibit Hours
Wednesday, March 24
4 - 6:30pm
Exhibits Opening Reception

Thursday, March 25
9:30am - 5pm
Coffee breaks at 9:45am and 3:15pm

Friday, March 26
9:30am - 4pm
Coffee break at 9:45am and Exhibits Closing Reception from 3:15 - 4pm

The GRI team was honored to learn that SimplyMap was included in this year’s Choice Outstanding Academic Title List, published in the January 2010 issue of Choice Magazine. This is a great follow up to the magazine’s December 2009 review of SimplyMap, which bestowed an “Essential” rating on the product.

This year’s Outstanding Academic Title list includes 652 resources chosen by the Choice editorial staff from over 7,000 titles reviewed during the past year. Of the 652 products and services on the list, only 40 of them are electronic resources, truly placing SimplyMap among the elite academic reference tools.

According to Choice, additions to this list are selected for their excellence in scholarship and presentation, the significance of their contribution to the field, and their value as important — often the first — treatment of their subject. Comprising  just over 9% of the titles reviewed  by Choice during the past year, and less than 3% of the more than 25,000 titles submitted to Choice during that period, selections for the Outstanding Academic Titles list are truly the “best of the best.”

Come visit the Geographic Research booth at the Ontario Library Association Super Conference, February 24-27, 2010 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

The Ontario Library Association is Canada’s largest library organization and OLA’s Super Conference is Canada’s largest continuing education event in librarianship, with the country’s largest library tradeshow.

GRI will be exhibiting in booth T14. Stop by and visit us for a demonstration and information about SimplyMap Canada!

Expo Hours:
Thursday, February 25: 10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Friday, February 26: 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Expo schedule and highlights

Skokie Public Library, in Skokie, IL has published a useful overview of SimplyMap on the Mike’s Space blog on SkokieNet. The article is filled with examples of research questions that can be easily analyzed, answered, and presented with SimplyMap, such as ranking ZIP codes in Chicago with the highest percentage of new car owners, foreign car owners, or fast food consumption, to name a few.

The piece notes that SimplyMap allows small businesses to inexpensively access demographic and buying habits of current and potential customers; research that would have been available only to larger, deep-pocketed organizations just a few years ago.

Providing this helpful overview encourages Skokie Public Library’s patrons to take a closer look at this and other tools available to all cardholders. Earlier this year, SkokieNet launched a new business portal with the purpose of supporting local businesses via access to valuable research and reference tools, including SimplyMap.

Read the full overview on SkokieNet.

ALA’s Choice Magazine, publisher of independent reviews of products and services for academic libraries, released a new review of SimplyMap in the December 2009 edition.

The reviewer, Carol E. Smith from the University of Central Missouri writes, “SimplyMap is an outstanding online subscription service that eliminates these significant technical hurdles [of GIS software] for the average person, providing a user-friendly interface, access to a wealth of built-in data, and surprisingly rich GIS analysis capabilities.”

Our team was very happy to learn of SimplyMap’s “Essential”  rating from Choice!

Read the complete review.

The ALA 2010 Midwinter Meeting will be held on January 15-19, 2010 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. (Note that this is not the Hynes Convention Center). Geographic Research, Inc. will be at booth 2168 - stop by and visit us with your questions, for the latest updates on new features, and a demonstration of SimplyMap.

Exhibit hours are:
Friday, January 15, 5:30-7:30 pm
Saturday-Sunday, January 16-17, 9:00 am - 5;00 pm
Monday, January 18, 9:00 am - 2:00 pm

Legal Information Alert, a monthly newsletter covering what’s new in legal publications, databases and research techniques, published a review of SimplyMap in their April 2009 issue titled, “SimplyMap: A Simple Solution for Complex Statistics.”

The review was written by Sonnet Erin Brown, Head of Federal Documents at the Earl K. Long Library at the University of New Orleans, who noted how useful SimplyMap could be for legal researchers, especially as a tool for litigation:

“Using SimplyMap, lawyers can look at trends in a neighborhood, such as race, economic standing, crime, education levels, and many other factors. This can give lawyers some insight into jury pools and can also help them determine how to best present a client. The information gleaned from SimplyMap can even help a lawyer decide about whether or not a client should face a jury, a judge, or take a deal.”

Brown goes on to describe how SimplyMap can be invaluable when setting up a business. Lawyers assisting businesses can use SimplyMap to decide the best location for a new restaurant, bank, or even a law firm. SimplyMap is also noted in the article as useful for real estate law (researching demographics of neighborhoods), and legal advertising placement (using crime data).

Looking beyond the data, Brown has many positive things to say about SimplyMap’s interface:

“[SimplyMap] is especially useful for visual learners and for presentations. Instead of graphs and pie charts, users can create actual maps that convey the arguments they are trying to make. Nothing sells a particular argument like a good visual aid. SimplyMap is an amazing visual aid that can make even an Internet novice look like a professional.”

In closing, Brown notes, “An assortment of professionals can use this database to enhance their businesses or careers, including politicians, lawyers, statisticians, and business executives.”

Send us an email if you’d like a full copy of the review. View more information on Legal Information Alert here.

SimplyMap was highlighted in the Wake County, NC Public Library Business Blog today as a valuable tool for business planning. Wake County has access to SimplyMap through NC LIVE, a statewide collaborative supported by the North Carolina General Assembly through funding from its Communities of Interest.

For those seeking assistance in answering business questions with SimplyMap, NC LIVE has developed a partnership with the Business Librarians (BLINC) throughout North Carolina to help patrons find the information they need. Beginning mid-November, this e-mail reference service will begin, allowing the public to submit inquiries via email which will be researched using library resources and databases, including SimplyMap.

Read more at the Wake County Business Blog.

The North Carolina Library Association will hold its annual conference in Greenville, NC at the Greenville Convention Center from October 6-8, 2009. Geographic Research, Inc. will be exhibiting - stop by and see us at booth 205!

Exhibit Hall hours:

Tuesday, 10/6: 6pm - 9pm

Wednesday, 10/7: 9am - 6pm

Thursday, 10/8: 9am - 5pm

Click here for conference info.

Jeff Zaslow, Wall Street Journal columnist and co-author of the The Last Lecture, will speak at the Orlando, FL Public Library on Friday, September 11 at 7 p.m.

Zaslow helped the late Randy Pausch share his last lecture in the powerful bestselling book.  With eloquence and inspiration, the book imparts key messages about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of seizing every moment and making time for what matters.  During these down economic times, his simple lessons are more important than ever.

Geographic Research, Inc. is pleased to be a sponsor of this event. Tickets are $50 each and all proceeds benefit the Orange County Library System.  Purchase online, by phone at 407.835.7481 or in person at the library system’s Community Relations Office on the third floor of the Orlando Public Library.

Zaslow is currently coauthoring Highest Duty, the autobiography of Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, famous for landing US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River. The book is expected to be released October 13, 2009.

Friday, September 11, 7 p.m.

(There will be a special free screening of The Last Lecture at the Orlando Public Library on Saturday, September 5 at 1 p.m.)

More Info