1. Pulling it all together: Best Practices for Library Business Services
Welcome and thank you for coming! I’m Jennifer Price and I’m the Business Reference Librarian for Middle Georgia Regional Library.
Today, I want to share with you some best practices that a community library can put into place for serving businesses.
But first, a bit more about my position and the Business and Nonprofit Center at MGRL…
By Jennifer Price, Business Reference Librarian
Middle Georgia Regional Library System
Presented at the 2018 GALILEO Annual Conference

2. Middle Georgia Regional Library
Business and Nonprofit Services
What we have…
Space: BANC (Business and Nonprofit Center)
Classes for both for-profit and nonprofit users
Print and Digital Resources
How we started…
A brief overview of business services at MGRL

3. Why Business Services? Social and Economic Impact: Snapshot
37, 384 nonprofits in Georgia (Independent Sector 2016)
Nearly 10% of the state’s workforce employed at nonprofits (Independent Sector 2016)
1 million small businesses in Georgia (Small Business Administration 2018)
43.2% of the state’s workforce employed by small businesses
(U.S. Small Business Administration 2018)
Economic impact statistics justify the provision of library business services.
What’s the demand from your library’s business community?
If you are looking for a justification for developing or augmenting a business services program for your library…
From the Georgia Center for Nonprofit’s 2012 publication, The Economic Impact of Georgia’s Nonprofit Sector:
“Contributing to the overall health of our economy, nonprofits bring in money from
outside sources (or keep money from leaving the state), provide jobs and wages to residents, and circulate
money in the economy through their purchases of goods and services.” --
According to Independent Sector’s 2016 snapshot of Georgia’s nonprofit sector:
Georgia has 37, 384 Nonprofits (Independent Sector 2016)
Top 3 types: Community Improvement/Public Benefit, Human Services, Education (Independent Sector 2016)
Nonprofits are known for positively impacting quality of life (Independent Sector 2016)
Georgia’s nonprofits employ nearly 10% percent of the workforce (Independent Sector 2016)

4. The Community Library’s Role
Public and Academic Libraries
Mission statement, strategic plan, QEP, experiential learning programs
Ecomonic Development Partner
Information Literacy
Type of library Vehicle for community impact

5. Decisions, Decisions!: Selecting Services
Financial Literacy?
Small Businesses?
Finance & Investing?
Careers & Employment?
Nonprofits?

6. Time for Best Practices! Oh, and there’s a Handbook, too!
Community Engagement
Professional
Development
Strategic Goals
Professional Guides for Business Services:
○ Embedded Business Librarianship for the Public Librarian by Barbara Alvarez (ALA Editions 2016)
○ Making Sense of Business Reference by Celia Ross (ALA Editions 2013)
○ Guide to Reference in Business and Economics edited by Leonard and Soward (ALA Editions 2014)

7. Strategic Goals Organizational Mission Statement Set goals from here.
Objectives
How are you going to get there?
Goals will impact which services are selected, which programs to provide, and who the library’s community partners are.

8. Community Engagment Community partners are your eyes and ears!
SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives)
Chambers of Commerce
Small Business Development Centers
Community Foundation (located regionally)
Municipal Offices of Small Business Affairs
Regional Commissions
Industrial Authorities
The Impact:
Collection development
Services delivered
Professional development

9. Professional Development
Events sponsored by Small Business Administration, SCORE, etc.
Reference & User Services Association’s Business and Reference Services Section (BRASS)
Business Librarian Online Conference (BLOC)
Online training: SBDC, SCORE, SBA, Webjunction, ALA, Library Juice Academy
Networking, of course!

10. Speaking of GALILEO…
For professional enrichment, research, and practical tools:
ABI/Inform, Business Source Complete, ConsumerEd, Hoover’s, Mergent, etc.
Georgia specific:
Georgia Secretary of State Business Search online
Consumer data
Industry Reports
Market Research
Business Plans

11. In Conclusion…
Let’s share!

12. Any questions? Contact me!
thanks!
Any questions?
Contact me!

13. Credits SOURCES IMAGES Slide 3:
Georgia Center for Nonprofits . (2012, April). The Economic Impact of Georgia’s Nonprofit Sector. Retrieved from
Independent Sector. (2016). The Nonprofit Sector in Georgia. Retrieved from
U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy. (2018) Small Business Profile: Georgia. Retrieved from
Slide 6:
Alvarez, B. (2016). Embedded business librarianship for the public librarian. Chicago : ALA Editions, an imprint of the American Library Association, 2016.
Ross, C. (2013). Making sense of business reference : a guide for librarians and research professionals. Chicago : American Library Association, c2013, 2013.
Sowards, S. W., & Leonard, E. (2014). Guide to reference in business and economics. Chicago : ALA Editions, an imprint of the American Library Association, 2014.
IMAGES
Slide 2:
Logos:
Foundation Center:
GALILEO:
PINES:
ReferenceUSA: --
Photographs:
Middle Georgia Regional Library Business and Nonprofit Center, photos courtesy of MGRL staff
Slide 3: Georgia logo:
Slide 7-Goal image:
Slide 8- Bee image:
Slide 9-GALILEO: Databases by Subject screen shot retrieved with login at
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