At any time of year, these treasure-houses filled with books, ebooks, magazines, music, databases, digital innovation and more - are good for us as humans, as a community, and for biz!
- AUTHOR'S ADVANTAGE:?I sometimes meet local would-be-author clients at the library because we're able to focus on, research and compare books; see how covers attract; muse over genres, publishing companies, formats and more.
- And, of course, we can Google for more resources, print stuff and look at newspapers from around the world.
- BOOKS FOR BIZ:?From project management to digital guides and entrepreneurial how-tos. How about?Pivot, Disrupt, Transform: How Leaders Beat The Odds and Survive*?by Marcia Daszko? Or Hey Whipple, Squeeze This: The Classic Guide to Creating Great Ads?by Luke Sullivan. Or... Codebreaking: A Practical Guide?by Elonka Dunin.
- DATABASE DELIGHT:?With a library card, you easily can access many biz research tools from business and current affairs to online and advisor info on publicly traded and private companies, Crown corporations, municipal and provincial/state agencies as well as predecessors. Also, online directories of businesses, mergers, markets and lectures.
- And biz is only part of it. From arts to ancestry to stats, here's a sample of what else is available, through the Toronto Public Library system:?https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/databases/
- OF COURSE:?Through the Toronto Library system's programs I found: 'Freelance Finances' (how to run your sole-proprietorship finances), Small Business Network with Guest Speakers. 'One-on-One Consultation with a Business Advisor'?– and 'How to Build Your Brand On LinkedIn.' As well as a Dream-catchers' workshop, 'Posture Improvement with the Mitzvah Technique' and 'Clueless in the Garden' courses.
- *That was back in pre-pandemic days, when people gathered regularly for all sorts of weird, wonderful and work-worthy subjects and purposes. That day is coming again – I do see more and more actual in-library events. And there's still plenty of virtual offerings and online groups.
- TECH TOOLS + TOGETHERNESS:?You can take advantage of: Video creation labs, digital innovation hubs, learning platforms and mobile hotspots, robots, classes in music-editing software, 3-D printing and digital and print book publishing. Also meeting rooms available for business, arts and charity events. Overall potential: https://princh.cm/11-services-that-libraries-can-provide-to-help-local-businesses-and-entrepreneurs/#.XH8ZV8BKi1s
- MORE BENEFITS:?From the American Library Association, here's an example of civic library value: An association with?$16 million in net new spending in Seattle WA?in first year of operations (equal to?$320 million over a 20-year period) Nearby businesses reported increases in spending associated with library visitors.
- And in any city, library resources also contribute to learning, literacy, business productivity, personal and professional developments, and individual livelihood.
- LEARN FROM DISASTER:?The Library of Mistakes in Edinburgh UK was opened by a group of financiers (five years after the Royal Bank of Scotland published the record $24.1 bn loss for 2008) ?https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-47265232
. The library's motto is?Mundum mutatu errore singillatim?– changing the world one mistake (and financial fiasco) at a time.
- ARTS FOR THE HEART:?Soothe your biz-related stress with other library offerings – art exhibits, musical performances from Metis fiddlers to hip-hop, author talks, poetry readings, tea-and-books, open mics, meditation. Some libraries offer musical instruments and works of art to take out like books. You may even find yourself inspired to turn a hobby into a rewarding sideline biz.
- *** As the world (and the library world) becomes a safer place again, we will continue to have more of these people-pleasing extras, right within those library walls!
- DRIVING HOPE:?I love reading about libraries on wheels bringing the goods to remote villages whether in Ghana, Africa (https://cnn.it/2D2Gnl4
) or the mountains of Basilicata, Italy (https://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20190125-the-tiny-library-bringing-books-to-remote-villages
) (Thanks for that one, Roly Keates :).
- Whatever form it comes in, wherever and whatever your goals are, the library is one of the best connections and investments you can have in this business of life!
