The Arlington Public Library has joined more than 1,700 public, corporate and academic libraries by adding ReferenceUSA to its virtual shelf.

ReferenceUSA provides access to detailed information about more than 11 million United States businesses, churches, schools, associations, government organizations and large corporations. Whether a business has two employees or 10,000, it can be found in ReferenceUSA, library officials say.

Library officials say ReferenceUSA is giving people the information they are looking for quickly and easily. It eliminates the need to check out scores of books and wade through newspapers, magazines and phone books. The information in ReferenceUSA was compiled from thousands of public documents such as newspapers, legal filings, business journals, directories and phone books from every city and town in the U.S. For more information about the reference services at the library, call Reference Librarian Debi Wood at 817-459-6900.

• Job seekers with resumes looking for companies and contact information
• Salespeople conducting market research and looking for leads
• Entrepreneurs searching for business opportunities or suppliers
• News reporters looking for addresses and phone numbers
• Law firms researching patents
• Consumers locating out-of-town companies
• Vacationers searching for motels, restaurants and entertainment opportunities
• New residents searching for daycare, real estate agents, doctors, schools etc.