Finding Consumer Reviews

Yes, you can access Consumer Reports online.  And more!  KCLS subscribes to a whole slew of databases, some of which are collections of online magazine articles.  But you have to access these via the KCLS website (as opposed to going to the Consumer Reports website).

You'll want to have your library card ready if you are accessing these from home - click the "Databases" link near the top of our homepage.  There is an alphabetical listing of databases, and also a grouping by subject.  Click "Consumer Rankings" in that subject listing.

Since everyone asks about Consumer Reports, we have a direct link into one of the databases containing this magazine.  But there are many other magazines containing product reviews (for example, PC World and PC Magazine publish regular computer reviews), and for a general search you'll want to click "Magazine & Journal Articles" from the subject listing.  Then click on a database link (Infotrac and ProQuest are the biggies).

Each database contains articles from hundreds (or thousands) of magazines, and there is some overlap - Consumer Reports is covered in several, for example.  If you are curious, at the bottom of the initial databases webpage, you can enter the name of a magazine and find out if, and in which database(s), and for how many years, the magazine is covered. 

Anyway, for the sake of example, click the "Infotrac OneFile" database link.  After you enter your card number, you will be sent to the database homepage.  If you were looking for an article on a particular topic (drills), you could type that in on this initial search page.  Or, if you want to browse a particular magazine's issue, you can click "Publication Search", enter the magazine title, and run the search.  You can then browse directly through an issue date.

 Beware of a lag time!  It will often take some time before a current issue is available full text in a database.  The latest few months of Consumer Reports, for example, is not accessible via our databases [see comment below].  But for other magazines, it can be a lag time of just a few days or weeks from the publication date.

What about consumer services?  Wouldn't it be great to have a listing of top ranked plumbers in your area?  This information is available from yet another database - Consumers' Checkbook - and is an online version of the popular Puget Sound area consumer magazine.  With regret, our licensing agreement stipulates no home access - you can only access this database from within a KCLS library branch.

Finally - I have a personal favorite:  ConsumerSearch.  I use this website when patrons come in asking for product reviews on obscure items, such as leaf blowers, radar detectors, hot tubs and pressure washers.  The site collects reviews from various other sources, and puts them all together.  You can access this website at:  http://www.consumersearch.com 

Good hunting!

P.S. Disclaimer - searching for product reviews can sometimes be a bit tricksy - feel free to call us if you get stumped.