Read Consumer Reports from Home

Photo courtesy of shashiBellamkonda

If you have to part with your money, Consumer Reports can help you spend it well.

Many people know that Consumer Reports ranks cars and appliances by features and reliability. You may not know that it also evaluates services like cell phone plans and offers money management advice. The library has always-available copies of the magazine in the reference section upstairs, but you can also search and browse Consumer Reports from home if you have Internet access. Here's how:

• Go to Consumer Reports online:
  • Go to www.wccls.org
  • Click on "Online Resources"
  • Click "Magazine Articles" in the left-side column
  • Scroll down and click "MasterFILE Premier"
  • Log in with your library card number

• Search and browse:
  • To search
    • Type consumer reports in the "Publication" box and click the search button
    • Type your search words in the box at the top
    • You can refine your search using the subjects in the left-side column, and read the full article by clicking "PDF Full Text"
  • To browse:
    • Click "Publications" on the bar at the top.
    • Type consumer reports in the second box and click the browse button
    • Click "Consumer Reports" in the results list.
    • Click the year then month of the magazine you want to browse in the right-side column.
    • Click the "PDF Full Text" link for the article you want to read.

Another online source I use for purchasing advice is http://www.consumersearch.com, which offers product suggestions based on reviews from many different sources including Consumer Reports. It has some ads, but is free to use.

- Charles Dunham, adult services librarian