Libraries Build Business

Overview & Objectives

Libraries Build Business (2020-2022) was a national initiative of the American Library Association (ALA), supported by Google.org, intended to build capacity in libraries offering programming or services to local entrepreneurs and the small business community, prioritizing low-income and underrepresented entrepreneurs.

ALA accepted grant proposals from public libraries with a documented history of providing services for small business and/or entrepreneurs for low-income and/or underrepresented groups in their communities. ALA awarded a cohort of 13 public libraries grants of up to $150,000.

The Libraries Build Business Playbook

The Libraries Build Business Playbook is a resource collaboratively developed by LBB cohort members to share practical resources and advice, promising strategies and models, and inspiration for programming and services for any library, no matter their size or budget, to adapt in their context. It will guide your library to a local program fit with resources including monitoring and evaluation tools that your library can use to track progress and drive impact; specific strategies to prioritize equity, diversity, and inclusion; and accessible suggestions for getting started, building partnerships, and more. We hope that you will benefit from what we’ve learned and explored – adapting the resources, ideas, and experiences in this playbook while adding your own library’s voice and expertise to the conversation.

Read the Libraries Build Business Playbook!

Join Our Libraries Build Business Community

Are you developing or implementing a small business or entrepreneur program or service at your library? Join our Slack discussion board and get connected with the Libraries Build Business cohort and other library workers! Come ask questions, share resources and advice, learn about events, and get connected with other library workers interested in small business and entrepreneur development!

For more information about Libraries Build Business, please contact Megan Janicki, project manager (mjanicki@alawash.org).

Download the Libraries Build Business Communications Toolkit

Based on the knowledge and experience gained through the Libraries Build Business initiative, this toolkit can help you define your work in entrepreneur support and confidently convey your goals, resources and the impact of your library’s business program to stakeholders in your community.

Download the toolkit!

Read Our Policy Brief, "One Small Business at a Time"

This brief for policymakers discusses the national impact of library business building programs, and the role libraries play in helping underrepresented entrepreneurs, providing specialized equipment, connecting entrepreneurs to peers and communities, and boosting economic development.

Project History

During the course of the LBB project, which launched in 2020, the ALA team and a cohort of 13 public libraries have worked together to answer questions, pilot projects, develop resources, and share these learnings with the wider library community. The initiative is diverse in terms of both library participants and entrepreneurs. The LBB cohort libraries represent 12 states and include urban, suburban, rural, and Tribal libraries of all sizes. Additionally, LBB projects have impacted more than 15,000 small business owners and entrepreneurs across the United States, serving a range of entrepreneurs including individuals re-entering the workforce from jail or prison, primarily Spanish-speaking sidewalk vendors, rural entrepreneurs, tribal members, and minority-owned tech startups. Learn more about each of the LBB cohort libraries and their projects in the About the Cohort section below.

LBB cohort libraries are offering programs and services such as: business incubators, co-working and maker spaces; classes and workshops including Business 101, ESL for Business Owners, Web Design and Marketing, and Accounting; mentorship and one-to-one training with small business owners, entrepreneurs, and local partners; specialized equipment and technology; promotion and marketing assistance; as well as research and reference services, including assistance navigating legal and business licensures and requirements. Libraries Build Business projects are thoughtfully designed with consideration of local business and industry demands, based on community-specific market research and needs assessments.

Learn More About the Cohort

• Baltimore County Public Library
• Laramie County Library
• Spokane County Library District
• Topsham Public Library
• Yakama Nation Library
• Independence Public Library
• Ferguson Municipal Public Library
• Richland Library
• Gwinnett County Public Library
• Providence Public Library
• Appleton Public Library
• Broward County Public Library
• Los Angeles Public Library

Browse Tools & Resources

• LBB Communications Toolkit (May 2023)
• One Small Business at a Time: Build Economic Opportunity in America's Communities (April 2023)
• LBB Project Outcome: Case Study (September 2022)
• LBB Project Outcome: Resource Guide (September 2022)
• LBB Initiative Highlights Report (July 2022)
• Final Monitoring and Evaluation Report (January 31, 2022)
• Libraries Build Business Peer Coaching Guide (December 2021)
• LBB Community Discussion: Marketing & Outreach for Business Programs (December 16, 2021)
• LBB Community Discussion: Demystifying Coaching (October 28, 2021)
• LBB 2-Pager: Sustaining Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs During the Pandemic and Beyond (March 2021)
• ALA Midwinter 2021 LBB Lunch & Learn - Cohort Project Updates (January 24, 2021)
• LBB Lunch & Learn - Cohort Introduction Session (July 22, 2020)
• Libraries Build Business Focus Group (July 28, 2020)
• November 2020 - ALA Policy Perspectives - Open to Change: Libraries Catalyze Small Business Adaptation to COVID-19

Libraries Build Business in the News

• November 17, 2023: An initiative of the American Library Association allows local libraries to 'empower diverse entrepreneurs to reach their potential' (WorkingNation)
• January 28, 2022: As Entrepreneurship Grows, Libraries Fill the Gap (Bloomberg CityLab)
• January 12, 2022: Laramie County Library System's Rachael Svoboda Receives Wyoming Library Association's Outstanding Librarian Award (Cheyenne Post)
• November 1, 2021: Big Ideas for Small Business (American Libraries)
• March 16, 2021: From business idea to business plan: Baltimore library 'Entrepreneur Academy' can help you get there (Baltimore Sun)
• September 16, 2021: Work in Progress: Workforce development in public libraries (Library Journal)
• July 24, 2020: Broward Library wins Google grant to spur businesses (Miami Herald)

Check out our LBB Q&As on Instagram!

Read "Libraries that Build Business: Advancing Small Business and Entrepreneurship in Public Libraries"

Check it out on the ALA Store!

"Libraries that Build Business: Advancing Small Business and Entrepreneurship in Public Libraries," published by ALA Editions in collaboration with ALA's Public Policy & Advocacy Office, details programs ranging from one-on-one business consultations, classes, and workshops to networking and equipment lending. Serving as powerful models of how libraries and their staff can advance innovation and economic growth on any budget and scale, the examples in this collection edited by Megan Janicki will inspire public libraries to plug into their own communities while guiding them through the nuts-and-bolts of making it happen.

With support from
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