---
title: About OpenBook Local: Why We Show What's Missing
url: https://theopenbooklocal.com/about/
updated: 2026-10-29
---

Skip to content

[OpenBook *Local*](https://theopenbooklocal.com/)

More useful information before you make the call.

- [Home](https://theopenbooklocal.com/)
- [Methodology](https://theopenbooklocal.com/methodology/)
- [For businesses](https://theopenbooklocal.com/claim/)

1. [Home](https://theopenbooklocal.com/)
2. [About](https://theopenbooklocal.com/about/)

About us

# About OpenBook Local

Information sheets on local businesses: what they charge, how they contract, and what they haven't told anyone.

- Updated **October 29, 2026**
- [How we collect and check this](https://theopenbooklocal.com/methodology/)

## Section 1 Why OpenBook Local exists

Before hiring a contractor, most people learn the important details on the phone, one call at a time: the deposit, the warranty, how changes are priced. We collect those details in advance, on one information sheet per business, so you can compare them before you call.

We also say what we don't know. A field a business hasn't shared is marked Not provided , because that gap is often the most useful thing to ask about.

## Section 2 Our principles

1.

**Every fact has a source.** Supplied by the business, checked against a document, from a public record, or from customer reports, and the sheet says which.

2.

**Missing is stated, not hidden.** We never fill a gap with marketing language.

3.

**Paying can't buy silence.** No plan removes an accurate negative fact or a Not provided label.

4.

**Tables are alphabetical.** A report is a comparison, not a ranking.

## Section 3 Who we are

OpenBook Local is a small research team that checks public records, reads documents and keeps sheets up to date. We are part of a network of independent local directories; each has its own method. Questions? [Contact us](https://theopenbooklocal.com/contact/).

[OpenBook *Local*](https://theopenbooklocal.com/)

Information sheets on local businesses. Every field shows where it came from, and anything a business hasn't told us is marked Not provided instead of being filled in.

## Browse

- [All reports](https://theopenbooklocal.com/)
- [Request quotes](https://theopenbooklocal.com/quote/)

## How we work

- [About OpenBook Local](https://theopenbooklocal.com/about/)
- [Methodology](https://theopenbooklocal.com/methodology/)
- [Corrections](https://theopenbooklocal.com/corrections/)
- [How we make money](https://theopenbooklocal.com/how-we-make-money/)
- [Privacy](https://theopenbooklocal.com/privacy/)
- [Terms](https://theopenbooklocal.com/terms/)
- [Contact us](https://theopenbooklocal.com/contact/)

## Businesses

- [Claim your sheet](https://theopenbooklocal.com/claim/)
- [Supply information](https://theopenbooklocal.com/claim/#supply)
- [Correct a sheet](https://theopenbooklocal.com/corrections/)

Sheets are rechecked at least every 90 days. Paying for a profile never removes accurate negative facts or *Not provided* labels. © 2026 OpenBook Local