Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh LibAnswers: Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh FAQs

ReferenceUSA is a powerful tool, not only for locating people, but for doing demographic and market research.  This FAQ will focus on locating people. 

What makes ReferenceUSA so useful?

ReferenceUSA draws not only from the White Pages, but from a consumer lifestyles database which also captures addresses and phone number numbers.  If you look at their White Pages vs. Consumer Lifestyles database, you will notice 160 million and 317 million records, respectively.  You may not have a land line, but if you buy with anything other than cash, your information is for sale.

Reference USA is highly accurate as they draw from and share data with Google.  This means that they are regularly audited to be sure they adhere to Google's standards of data accuracy which is somewhere around 96% or 97%.

Locating ReferenceUSA from our website: 

ReferenceUSA is accessible to CLP cardholders only (cards beginning in 11812) and will need to be accessed via our Research Pages.

1. Navigate to carnegielibrary.org.

2. On the menu bar at the top, click "Research".

3. In the grey "Find Resources" box, set the "Subject" field to "Business" and enter "ReferenceUSA" into the "Keywords" field.

4. Click the purple "Find" button.

5. If you are accessing ReferenceUSA from outside the CLP network, you will be prompted to enter your library card number and 4-digit PIN.

Finding a person in ReferenceUSA:

1. Upon logging in, you will be brought to the ReferenceUSA homepage and should see a list of "Available Databases".  

2. Click "U.S. Consumers/Lifestyles".

3. For most location purposes, the "Quick Search" is usually enough information.  We will discuss the "Advanced Search" and it's applicability in the tips and tricks section of this FAQ.

4. Enter the relevant information into the fields and click the blue "View Results" button.

You will receive a list of names, addresses, and phone numbers that match your search criteria.  The information available for each record may vary.

Tips and Tricks:

Do a Quick Reference Interview

Where did this person live the last time the patron spoke with them?

     - This can work in reverse as well.  Hearing an address may jog someone's memory and help you distinguish between similar records.

Is the person married?  What is their spouse's name?

     - Another way to pinpoint someone where there are multiple similar records is to search for their spouse to see if they are listed at the same address.

Does this person have any siblings or family in the area?

     - Many families remain in the same area, sometimes even down to the street or domicile.  Get the names of relatives to cross-reference with addresses in possible records.

Search Strategies

Sometimes Less is More

     - People move.  When doing the basic search, leave the city or municipality out of the search and go statewide. 

     - Do the same thing with names.  Just use the surname.  When things get desperate, combine this with a statewide search.

Advanced Search

The advanced search feature provides filters to narrow your search.  The filters appear on the left side of the screen.  When you select a filter, a widget opens in a workspace to the right of the filters.  You can then use the widgets to enter the relevant information.

     - If the patron has bits of info like zip codes, addresses, or general and broad geographical areas associated with the person in question, the advanced search provides filtering options including a             radius search.

     - Using filters from the "Consumer Snapshot" box, you are likely not to receive contact info as the fields here would allow people to be singled out based on traits such as gender, ethnicity, or religion.