When people imagine what our library offers, it’s easiest to consider the many shelves of books, the computer stations, or even the Dabble Box Makerspace in the lower level; but many people are unaware of the many online resources that the library offers as well. Although library patrons may be familiar with a handful of our online resources, such as the MORE catalog or Libby, there are plenty that are offered by L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library (LEPMPL ) that get highlighted far less often.

For the fourth blog post in a series highlighting online library resources, I would like to focus on the “Consumer Reports” section under the “Explore” tab on the library website’s front page.

The single resource available on this page, as the title of this section already revealed, is Consumer Reports, which doesn’t have any requirements to access. If you are unaware of what Consumer Reports is, it is a non-profit magazine and website that was founded in 1936 (note that the website was not around until more recently). The goal of Consumer Reports was — and is — to test products, perform consumer-oriented research, and educate people on anything and everything being sold to the public. Essentially, Consumer Reports is a magazine that tests a wide range of products (from medications and foods to vehicles and ovens) to determine if those products are worth the price, safe to use, and to explain why certain products may be ‘better’ than others. This makes it a great resource to check prior to investing in a purchase, especially for more expensive or important items in your life, such as a vehicle or a computer.

It’s also worth noting that Consumer Reports gets a lot of their data by surveying people who have purchased different products, and asking for their opinions. This is why many consider the information they put out to be reliable and unbiased, as it is taken from a large pool of diverse individuals who all have different experiences and opinions towards these products and brands.

Despite the fact that Consumer Reports has been around since the 1930’s, the library only has digital copies of the print magazine going back to 1985. In addition, the library also keeps issues from one year prior in actual magazine form behind the reference desk, for in-library use only. However, if you prefer to browse the physical magazine outside of the library, there is one issue from each of the past twelve months available to check out and take home!

Regarding the digital edition the library has access to, you may notice that it looks a little different than the actual Consumer Report website. This is because it’s run through BadgerLink, a.k.a. Wisconsin’s digital library service, which you will see tied to many of these digital resources found on the LEPMPL website. There are two different options when it comes to searching for specific information: you can either search through the database by year and then specific issue, or by specifically searching for the article you are looking for. Fortunately, this digital resource also stays up to date with the latest published issues (and ONLY the published physical issues – no articles from the Consumer Report website are accessible from this resource).

However, keep in mind that they do not review everything every year, but rather in multi-year cycles. For example, if you’re looking for information regarding the best refrigerators, it may not have been researched and published this year. Instead, you may have to go back and look at 2023 (or even earlier!), when they conducted the most recent research into the best refrigerators on the market. This resource linked HERE is an index that references all products reviewed in the past five years and can be extremely helpful with finding the item you are looking to research before purchasing.

If you have any questions regarding these resources, feel free to contact the reference services department of LEPMPL in person on the second floor of the library, through email at reference@eauclaire.lib.wi.us, or over the phone at 715-839-5004.