New York SBDC Research Network

From Medium Dear budding entrepreneur: Your local library is one of the most powerful tools you have to launch a successful business. As EveryLibrary writes, “Librarians can serve as an extension of your staff and will help you harness the power of these resources to grow your business.” Sometimes misidentified as repositories for dusty books, today’s libraries are actually cutting edge information hubs designed to help people get the resources, materials and connections they need, whether for work, school, pleasure or all of the above. Library staffers and resource librarians are some of the smartest folks around — and they’re on a mission to help you get information. If you’re an entrepreneur, an established business owner, or just thinking about starting a business, head down to your local library. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the role the library staff and resources can play in helping you start and grow a business. Here are just a few ways libraries support entrepre...

Castleton Library names new director Amy Lynn Peker will take the reigns of the Castleton Library beginning January 18, 2011. Amy earned a MS in Information Studies with a concentration in library and information services from the State University of New York, at Albany...[She] worked as an Information Specialist with the NYS Small Business Development Center. Congratulations, Amy!

Harvey Mackay On Business Published: 12:00 a.m., Sunday, September 5, 2010 Albany Times Union Studies show that children who use the library tend to perform better in school. They are also more likely to continue learning and exploring throughout their lives. If you don't use the library for business, now is a good time to start. We can obtain a high percentage of the information we need via search engines using our home or work computers. But there are a lot of hidden business jewels available at your local library, and many of them can be accessed online. The average small business or job seeker is penalized by having limited research capabilities. Big companies with big budgets pay for expensive databases. With a mouse click, they can instantly access company data, sort through research reports, and locate current and archived newspaper and trade journal articles. Small companies and individuals who can't afford premium access are left out. Unless they have a local library c...

This article appeared a few months ago, so my bad for not getting it out there earlier. It's written by a public librarian in the Detroit area, and it chronicles how libraries have become such a vital part of a community that has experienced a great deal of economic turmoil. In many ways, what her library - and her role within it - reminds me of our centers, and how they can become a pathway to opportunity for our clients. Both librarians and business advisors act as willing providers of ideas, services, loan programs, etc., to an audience badly in need of hearing about them. Hence, this article. Hope you like it.