Your Librarian
Meet Your Librarian
Hi. I'm Sandra, the librarian for the Faculty of Media Studies and Creative Arts.
I hope the material below helps you in your research, but if you need more help you can
- contact me by email at sandra.herber@humber.ca or
- book an appointment with me, using my booking calendar or,
- for immediate help, use our chat service, located on the Library homepage.
PowerPoint Used in Class
Hi, I'm Sandra Herber, the librarian for Media Studies at the Lakeshore campus.
Welcome to the Library Research Guide for ADMC 153.
In the left-hand column of this guide you will links to contact me via email or book an appointment with me, as well as a video introducing me, your librarian. Finally, you'll find the PowerPoint I used in class.
Below you will find links to all the key Library tools, organized by the type of information you are seeking. You'll notice that some tools contain more than one type of information and appear in more than one list.
You will find:
- target market information and information on consumer spending/demographics/psychographics in Vividata (Canada only)
- industry research (for example, information on competitors) in Passport (international), IBISWorld (Canada only), MarketLine (international) and Statista (international)
- information on media consumption in Vividata (Canada only) and Media Technology Monitor (Canada only)
- geographically-based information (such as demographics, and Environics PRIZM segments) in Simply Analytics (Canada only)
- wide-ranging data from multiple sources in Statista (international)
- media monitoring (latest news about a company or trend) can be found in Canadian Newsstream (Canadian newspapers) or U.S. Newsstream (U.S. newspapers)
If you need help, there are training videos and user guides linked further down the column
If you're having trouble with your research, you can email me at sandra.herber@humber.ca or you can book an appointment with me through my appointment calendar.
Library Databases Organized by Information Type
Target Market - Consumer Behaviour/Demographics
- Vividata This link opens in a new windowContains Canadian consumer spending, media habits, and psychographics based on the Survey of the Canadian Consumer.
- Statista This link opens in a new windowContains statistics, charts, tables, and public opinion polls on marketing, demographics, consumers, communication, technology, politics, health, and leisure.
Industry Research
- IBISWorld This link opens in a new windowContains reports on Canadian industries. The industry reports include industry performance, outlook, product, markets, competitive landscape, major companies, and operating conditions.
- GlobalData Explorer This link opens in a new windowFormerly known as Marketline, this database contains Canadian and international company reports, industry reports, country reports, and influencer reports.
- Passport This link opens in a new windowContains Canadian and international company and industry reports on consumer goods and services. (Note for Mac users: there are known issues if you access the portal with Firefox. Please use a different browser.)
- Statista This link opens in a new windowContains statistics, charts, tables, and public opinion polls on marketing, demographics, consumers, communication, technology, politics, health, and leisure.
Media Consumption
- Vividata This link opens in a new windowContains Canadian consumer spending, media habits, and psychographics based on the Survey of the Canadian Consumer.
- Media Technology Monitor (MTM) Reports This link opens in a new windowContains reports and data analysis from a survey of 12,000 Canadians' media habits, technology ownership and use conducted by CBC-Radio Canada since 2004.
Company Research
- Passport This link opens in a new windowContains Canadian and international company and industry reports on consumer goods and services. (Note for Mac users: there are known issues if you access the portal with Firefox. Please use a different browser.)
- GlobalData Explorer This link opens in a new windowFormerly known as Marketline, this database contains Canadian and international company reports, industry reports, country reports, and influencer reports.
- Statista This link opens in a new windowContains statistics, charts, tables, and public opinion polls on marketing, demographics, consumers, communication, technology, politics, health, and leisure.
Geographically-based information
- SimplyAnalytics This link opens in a new windowMaps demographic, psychographic (Environics Prizm) and company information over geographic areas. Define a target market, pick a business location and/or learn about nearby competitors.
Media Monitoring
- Canadian Newsstream This link opens in a new windowContains articles from national and local Canadian newspapers. Includes The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, the National Post, and the Vancouver Sun, among others.
- U.S. Newsstream This link opens in a new windowContains national and local U.S. newspapers. Features The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Newsday, and Chicago Tribune.
Other Databases
If you are looking for information about the fashion or beauty industries, try WGSN.
- WGSN Fashion & Beauty This link opens in a new windowContains collection reviews, trend reports, image Library, market research, and buying guides for the fashion industry. In addition, contains forecasts, reports, and images on the Canadian and international beauty industry. Create an account to access the design tools and download reports.
Vividata Training Videos and Resources
The Library has three Vividata videos:
- Introduction to Vividata
- Creating a Table in Vividata
- Reading a Table in Vividata
They will play, one after the other, in the frame below.
Note: There have been some updates to the Vividata interface since these videos were created (the tables have been simplified) but the videos are still relevant and helpful.
- All Brands included in VividataFind out if the brand you're looking for is included in the Vividata survey.
Company and Industry Research Training Videos
the Library created this series of videos on company and industry research:
- Company Research: Introduction to the Series
- Company Research: Google and Wikipedia
- Company/Industry Research: MarketLine and Canadian Newsstream
- Company/Industry Research: IBISWorld and Passport
The videos will play one after another in the frame below
Simply Analytics Training Video
The PDF below (created by Humber Librarian Fiona Inglis) introduces you to SimplyAnalytics
The video below (from the University of Alberta) is a good overview introduction to SimplyAnalytics
Created - January 2022
This guide was created in February 2022. To get updates for this material, contact Sandra Herber at sandra.herber@humber.ca