Transcript It’s Not Just Business As Usual at the Library Connecting Partners to Boost Economic Development Presented by the South Carolina State Library: Deborah Hotchkiss, Denise Lyons.

It’s Not Just
Business As Usual
at the Library
Connecting Partners to
Boost Economic Development
Presented by the South Carolina State Library:
Deborah Hotchkiss, Denise Lyons & Kathy Sheppard
A Little Background
2007 Brought a New Director to the State
Library: New Director = New Goals
 Libraries are essential to…

 Education
& Cultural Heritage
 Economic Development
 The wellness of SC Citizens
 Family Literacy
 Good Governance
Storms on the Horizon

Libraries are essential to Economic
Development…
what if the economy changes course?
Use Trusted Resources
DISCUS – SC Virtual Library

Resources for Small Business include:
 Small
Business Resource Center
 Encyclopedia of Small Business
 Business Safari Books Online
DISCUS Resources for Business
Partnerships
SC Business One Stop
https://www.scbos.sc.gov
 SC BOS enables anyone with an existing
business or anyone starting a new
business to file permits, licenses,
registrations, or pay taxes

WWPLD? What Were the
Public Libraries Doing?

SCSL conducted a survey to Public
Libraries on Business Reference Services

May 2008
The Results!

80% reported up to 25
business-related
questions per month

50% of libraries reporting
felt like they were not
always certain who to
refer a business patron to
in the city and the county.
Results II

80% of libraries would be willing to host
workshops on library resources for the
business community
Regional Economic Development

Georgia offered a “Plug into Profit”
seminar

Focused on Growing Local Economies
 Christine
Hamilton-Pennell was the speaker :
a librarian AND economic developer/research
analyst
What is “Local Economy?”

Necessary to define some region as the
local economy for practical reasons (i.e.
data availability)
 Often
defined according to
political jurisdictions, such as
municipalities, counties or states
More Basic Economics

Classic economy is
failing:
 Goods
and services no
longer produced locally
 No longer exported
 Returned income back
to the community
decreasing
 Local retail cannot
compete with big box

New regional
economy
 Looking
for niche
markets
 Trying to grow these
products and services
to external markets
 E-commerce
Libraries CAN Help





LIBRARIANS can provide useful information for:
 Entrepreneurs
 SBDC
Chamber of Commerce
Economic Development Agencies
Professors, Students, Academics
Businesses in a community
Actionable Intelligence
Economic Development
Seminar



Held in May with speaker and facilitator Christine
Hamilton-Pennell
Librarians learned how to “put information-seeking
skills to work to foster entrepreneurship and
encourage business growth.”
Nonprofits and govt. agencies learned how to “work
with libraries to gather information to support local
business clients and foster economic development
through partnerships and collaboration.”
What We Learned

Needed to get Libraries to understand
their role in Economic Development

Get those Librarians off the desk and in the
community once in a while
Other agencies had to realize the value of the
public library; LIBRARIES ADD VALUE to a
community for many reasons…this is just one.

That Day in May

Groups were doing similar activities
 Many
did not know what these different
organizations do and were missing out on
possible programs and partnerships

Many learned about the resources that
different organizations were using and
would share
 Crossed
all lines
State Library Too…
We had people come to the State Library
who had never been in the building; didn’t
know what we do
 An opportunity to advocate for libraries
and continued support

It’s Not Just “Business As Usual”

One participant said “it confirmed something I'd
suspected: helping business helps us, too”

Libraries have the same problems as small nonprofit organizations: we don't work in libraries to
get rich, so we tend not to think like business
people
Recap
Small businesses are the primary drivers
of local and regional economies
 Everyone needs good market information
 Public libraries have assets valuable to the
business community
 Partnering is a WIN-WIN situation

The Secret

We have to think more like business people
in order to save our budgets when times get
hard. ”Having as robust a business
services program as possible will help
you & your community down the road
when times are bad (as they are now). ”
A. Holling, CCPL
Can YOUR library
answer basic biz questions?
Be Prepared!
Basic Business Services, and…
…Kicking Library Services
Up a Notch!
Business Services:
Don’t be Intimidated!
From Here

South Carolina State Library is…
 Working
on business portal (resources on a
wiki site)
 Adding and promoting new business friendly
services
 Working on pilot program in small and rural
community to promote business services
From Here II

Balancing the needs of workforce development


Getting our communities back to work is also a way to
put income back in local communities
Joining Committees & Making Presentations



Rural Economic Development Council: Keeping in the
loop for issues that affect our rural communities
New Carolina/Connect Adults: Connecting Adults to
Jobs and Educational Opportunities, reps from
chamber, business community, govt., nonprofits
Having table at business events