Your Public Library Is an Untapped Resource for Young Entrepreneurs

“Libraries have long supported small businesses. The Seattle Public Library is one of the two oldest business-supporting organizations (alongside the Chamber of Commerce) in the city,” said Jay Lyman, Librarian with the Community Engagement and Economic Development group at The Seattle Public Library.

“We don’t have a ton of records from those earliest days, but we do still have pieces of the collection from the early 1900s, which make it clear that they were supporting those starting and growing businesses. We also have the oral history of librarians who worked at the Central Library in the 1970s and 1980s who tell us that the business desk was by far the busiest desk,” said Lyman.

When you think about the core role of libraries, you might not think about business support, but these stalwarts of ideas and community have long supported individuals in achieving a wide range of educational goals (graduation, digital literacies, etc.) on a more personalized timeline. They have programs for almost anything you can imagine.

They work with The Friends of The Seattle Public Library, which donates books to teachers, they provide story time for kids, they offer support on taxes and free legal support, and much more. Many libraries are a backbone for fiber optic cables and broadband, transit hubs, etc. On the social infrastructure side, they provide a baffling amount of social programming and upskilling opportunities. They serve as cultural institutions, and provide a haven for teens and adolescents to hang out in the ever-eroding “third space.” 

Why start a business at the library?

Building on the aforementioned business legacy, in 2014, SPL launched the Library to Business team, which led to the rebranding and reimagining of services for entrepreneurs and nonprofits. This includes a core “Business Information Appointment” service, where community members book time with librarians trained in business research who will work 1-on-1 to help with customized information and connections to organizations that help in other ways. This service is free, as are all Library programs and services.

This virtual service currently serves about 300 small business owners (and those aspiring) per year, with roughly 70-80% of the visits focusing on emerging business opportunities.

Additionally, libraries provide access to many databases, including market research, community, and retail data, as well as free learning tools like LinkedIn Learning. They even offer free legal consults for anyone looking to have a few questions answered by volunteer legal experts.

The library offers other events with many local nonprofit groups like Black-Owned Business Excellence and Seattle SCORE. They routinely support cohorts of aspiring entrepreneurs at Business Impact NW, Community Carrot, and Ventures and participate as part of an ecosystem of support for those starting and growing businesses.

In 2024, L2B team members collaborated with a local business mentoring organization called Seattle SCORE to teach classes on how to research a market using library tools. Librarians also participate in a monthly three-hour hands-on business planning workshop where patrons develop a unique value proposition and lean business plan. SCORE has over 200 mentors in the Seattle area alone, so those starting and growing businesses also learn about the free business mentoring that they can get through SCORE. This is just one example of how the library offers skill building opportunities, but also connections to experts who help in more customized ways.

What do librarians know about business?

As libraries embrace their roles in economic development, initiatives to help librarians build their skills to better serve business communities are beginning to emerge. Libraries as Launchpads, Libraries Build Business, and the Entrepreneurship in Libraries (Entrelib) conference are just a few programs helping librarians upskill in order to help entrepreneurs.

Libraries play a key role in pathways. As holders of social knowledge and a laundry list of community connections, libraries can provide useful information about what to learn next and how to prepare yourself for your career ambitions.

 What does this have to do with education?

Libraries have the opportunity to be a catalyst for entrepreneurial flourishing in communities around the world. Right now, the library is a resource-rich place. Need data? They’ve got it. Need community connections? They’ve got them. Need to learn a skill? They’ve got it. These curiosity engines could also help young people spot and frame challenges in their communities and beyond.

The possibilities are truly endless. Imagine an entrepreneurial project in which students were asked to identify a community challenge and create a solution to address it. Students would need to frame the challenge so that they can build a business or initiative to address the need, find data to help them tell the story of how the program will work, test their idea, and learn the mechanics of building the business.

The library has community connections to programs that help in all these ways! People just need to ask and they will help them connect. 

“At our heart, we are a destination for learners of all ages to explore entrepreneurship on their terms,” said Lyman. “We can help teachers support their students on an entrepreneurship project; we can support groups of students exploring together, and we can help individuals figure out what they need to launch their dream business. In all cases, libraries have tools and skills that can help youth as they explore being in business for themselves. “We shine when we embrace the learning needs that communities bring to us.”

Disclaimer: Mason Pashia serves on the board of Friends of Seattle Public Library.

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