Blog

How to use Companies House to search for UK private company filings

In addition to being a prospect researcher, I have been a desktop Linux user for the past 15 years. Over that time, I have used many of the most popular distributions, such as Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch Linux, Debian, Linux Mint, and more. However, right now I am back on Ubuntu, which is probably the most… Continue reading How to use Companies House to search for UK private company filings

Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority compels arbitration between Bell’s Brewery and Loveland

Starting in January, beer drinkers around Richmond noticed that the beers of Bell’s Brewery, known for favorites such as Oberon and Two Hearted Ale, where no longer appearing on the shelves of grocery stores or at restaurants. Later, in February, we learned that the loss of Bell’s was not just limited to Virginia, but also… Continue reading Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority compels arbitration between Bell’s Brewery and Loveland

This is what happens when you cut a library’s budget

As I talked about in my letter to the Governor of Virginia, Terry McAuliffe, and the Secretary of Education, Dietra Trent, the Library of Virginia has been forced to make massive and devastating budget cuts, which account for 12% of their total staff being laid off. The other shoe has now dropped: the Library will… Continue reading This is what happens when you cut a library’s budget

My letter to Terry McAuliffe and Dietra Trent about the importance of the Library of Virginia

Below is a letter that I wrote to Governor Terry McAuliffe and Secretary of Education Dietra Trent about the proposed layoffs at the Library of Virginia. 26 state employees have to be laid off state-wide, and out of that number 15 are currently proposed to come from the Library of Virginia. It is unfair, inequitable,… Continue reading My letter to Terry McAuliffe and Dietra Trent about the importance of the Library of Virginia

Using a Western Digital My Passport Ultra on Linux

I’ve been trying to build a home file server, mostly to store backups, using a Raspberry Pi and a Western Digital My Passport Ultra as the main storage unit. For years, I used an old Compaq desktop tower as my backup computer, but the fact that it won’t turn on and the fact that it… Continue reading Using a Western Digital My Passport Ultra on Linux

Prospect research as an alternative career for archivists and librarians

This is the text of a presentation as written that I gave at the Fall meeting of MARAC in Roanoke, Va., on October 9, 2015. I adlibbed some, but it is pretty close. My name is Ben Bromley and I am a development research analyst with Virginia Commonwealth University. While this may seem to be… Continue reading Prospect research as an alternative career for archivists and librarians