Instant Reference Sources, Inc. develops and publishes software used as references, training aids, and planning tools by government agencies, lawyers and regulators, environmental engineering firms, educators, and health and safety professionals. We offer optional in-depth training and consulting support, including expert witness services, to accompany sales and licensing of our software. Our software and services enable clients to plan and implement cost-effective projects that guarantee results and to obtain the right data for critical decisions on time every time. Systematic planning is an integral component of our interactive software that trains users as it is operated and puts instant knowledge at their fingertips.

The company is a small woman-owned business and it is also one of the oldest electronic book publishers in existance. In 1985 Dr. Larry Keith decided to convert a chemical protective clothing (CPC) database into a publishable format so that it could be accessed inexpensively throughout the world. It became one of the world's first "electronic books" under the title of Chemical Permeation and Degradation Database and Selection Guide for Resistant Protective Materials.