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11 Bus. Info. Alert 1 (1999)

handle is hein.journals/busiale11 and id is 1 raw text is: Mining for Information by Michelle Bing One of the world's largest and most useful indus- tries is rarely discussed in business information publications, yet it is one that impacts many other industries as well as our daily lives-what we eat, how we travel, and even the way our houses are built. No, it's not agriculture, not transportation, and not construc- tion. It is mining. Think back: When was the last time you read anything about information sources in the mining in- dustry? If the answer is a long time ago or never, you are not alone. Maybe it's time to change that. When you think about it, the lack of published infor- mation about mining industry resources is somewhat sur- prising. Mining and minerals, after all, are connected to every facet of life, from the obvious-such as coal for en- ergy-to the obscure-such as calcium carbonate and talc in lipstick. The quantity of minerals consumed in the U.S. alone is amazing. According to the National Mining Asso- ciation, approximately 40,000 pounds of minerals are mined annually for every person in the United States. Total mine production for coal, industrial minerals, and metals was valued at $59.4 billion in 1997, and the number of employees in mining and its supporting industries totals approximately five million. Mining affects nearly every other industry-in the United States and the world. Agriculture, for example, re- lies on fertilizers made from minerals such as potash, phos- phate rock, and nitrogen, all of which are essential to plant growth. In the next 20 years, the use of these fertilizers will grow to about 208 million nutrient tons compared to only 27.4 million 30 years ago. (See A Growing Appetite for Minerals by Eileen Barrett Burns in Mining Voice, Septem- ber/October 1997, pp. 28-33, National Mining Associa- tion, for an excellent overview of the fertilizer industry, world hunger, and the environment.) Humans also need minerals to grow. The food we buy contains minerals as do the vitamins we take. Another closely connected industry is construction. Minerals are the building blocks of our houses, apartments, stores, and offices. Gypsum is in the wallboard; iron and zinc in the nails and screws; and titanium, calcium carbon- ate and more in the paint-and that's just the start. The typical 2,100 square-foot home contains 439 pounds of copper and 13.97 tons of concrete. Minerals are in sinks, appliances, floors, window glass, insulation, furniture, and the decorations. Even plastic products in houses depend on continued on next page I In This Issue Mining for Information .......... 1 From the Editor ....... ....... 2 News & Trends............... 5 New Sources ................ 7 Vendors....... ..... ..12 Review Finder .............. 12

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