Publicly Accessible Library Services to Business in the USA and Australia: A Comparison and Analysis

ABSTRACT

There are various models of library services to business, but these are relatively underutilised in an Australian setting. They are however far better developed in the USA, where there is a long and successful history of providing small businesses with a variety of support services through publicly accessible libraries. This paper defines and explores the models of business services in libraries, reflecting on examples of these models in practice from both Australia and the USA. It then considers the future opportunities for developing and enhancing library service for business provision in Australia, based on these insights.

KEYWORDS:

• Business libraries
• business library research
• business library resources
• business library support

Introduction

In January 2020, the author of this paper was fortunate enough to be a member of the RMIT ‘Business Globalisation’ study tour to the United States of America (USA). During this trip, visits were made to several business-focussed publicly accessible library services. This opportunity revealed a level of dedicated resources and services for small businesses that are well in advance of those offered in Australian public libraries, leading to this investigation. The following paper first describes what the author has determined to be some of the most common models of business library services. The current provision of business reference services is then considered across a selection of relevant publicly accessible libraries in the USA and Australia. Finally, the paper considers approaches Australian libraries can take in this area going into the future. The scope of this paper covers business reference services in publicly accessible and publicly funded libraries such as public libraries, state and national libraries in Australia and the USA. For the purposes of this paper the term ‘public libraries’ will be used as shorthand for all of these institutions.

The intention of this paper is to be a conversation starter around the opportunities and challenges in this largely undiscussed area of the Australian library sector. It is not intended to be an exhaustive review of this library service area, which is deserving of much deeper analysis, something the author intends to pursue in future research. Key areas to be considered in future research include the reasons behind the contrast in business library service provision in the two countries, what the information needs of small business owners are and how they can be met by libraries, whether they are filled by other service providers, and why Australian libraries are not providing USA-style business services.

Business library services are difficult to define. McGinn (2002) notes, that since their inception at the beginning of the twentieth century ‘business library services and collections have been in a continuous state of evolution’ (p. 109). In the broadest sense, a business library is an ‘information center, devoted to meeting specialized information needs’ of businesses (Schlessinger, Karp, & Vocelli, 1989, p. 252). Such services come in a range of sizes and models, but the consistent aspect is the support of businesses’ information needs. For the purposes of this paper, discussion is limited specifically to publicly funded libraries, some of which do and some of which don’t make available business information services to the general public; namely national, state and public libraries.

Firstly, the issue of whether public libraries should be supporting business with a specialised service must be addressed. There are undoubtedly those who would argue that business services, such as dedicated business reference support, dedicated business collections and providing small business advisors are beyond the remit of most public libraries, or should be services that come at a cost. Traditionally, libraries have been seen as places of knowledge and information, offering equality and services for all (IFLA, 2019). The standpoint that this does not necessarily coalesce with providing free business services is understandable. However, given the crucial importance of small business in creating opportunities for people and powering local economies across the globe and Australia, the opportunities and benefits that come with providing these services cannot be ignored. As Pankl (2010) states, ‘One of the tacit missions of the public library as a unit of government is (or should be) arguably to contribute to the functioning of the economy of its community’ (p. 95).

ALIA (2018) states that public libraries create opportunities ‘for local people, contributing to recreational enjoyment, education outcomes, creativity, economic participation and prosperity’, and that one of their key principles is ‘to enable people to contribute to the economic wellbeing of their families and the nation’. As small businesses account for some 44% of the workforce (Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, 2019) and contribute to national prosperity and the economic well-being of the nation, it is the author’s contention that public libraries have an important role in providing business information to small businesses.

Library Business Services Models

The models of publicly accessible business library services vary widely in scope and form across Australia and the USA, but the vast majority provide free or low-cost services, and fit into three clear categories. Firstly, there are many library services with disparate, uncoordinated resources available for either individual historical business research (access to records and histories of business operations), or start-up and up-skilling support, with both databases and physical items spread throughout the general collection. In Australia, in the author’s experience at least some of these services are offered in the majority of publicly accessible libraries, including Gold Coast Libraries. They often have no clear support or specific guidance to these resources, excepting those that offer an online research directory, webpage, or something similar specifically on the topic. In this model, only general-purpose library spaces are available. It is important to note that business support may also be provided in ways that are not immediately apparent in these libraries, through services such as printing, access to the Internet, and via reference enquiries (Bishop, Mehra, & Partee, 2016).

Secondly, another model which is significantly more common in the USA, is that of business-specific reading rooms or business libraries. These normally have business-oriented resources and collections, with designated business librarians available for reference enquiries. They are generally designed to specifically support business research, and may also have resources and programs to assist start-ups and small businesses in reaching their goals. It is the author’s observation that this form of business service has historically been far more prevalent in the USA than Australia, and although highly resource intensive, it delivers a uniquely targeted experience. The Science and Business Reading Room at the Library of Congress falls into this category.

Thirdly, there are a small number of business hubs in libraries that take a small business incubator approach. These normally have some form of a dedicated space and prioritise, or even exclusively support, existing businesses and start-ups. Support is given by business advisors and facilitators, and there may be no traditional librarian presence. Workshops and start-up accelerators – programs designed to support ‘early-stage, growth-driven companies through education, mentorship, and financing’ (Hathaway, 2016) – provide ongoing support to entrepreneurs in these spaces. In many cases, there are only limited, or even no, traditional physical library resources available for perusal. StartSpace at the State Library Victoria is a prime example of this model of business service delivery.

It is important to note that these models of business services are not by any means mutually exclusive, and in fact regularly overlap and intersect. Historical business research and contemporary business planning and support are often required interdependently, and thus in many instances blended approaches are utilised.

Publicly Accessible Business-oriented Library Services in Australia

While Australia is by no means bereft of publicly accessible business-oriented library services and resources, the scale, availability and visibility of these services is relatively insubstantial at national, state and public library levels. Certainly, Australian business libraries lack the long history and widespread availability of their American counterparts.

The National Library of Australia (NLA) has a limited business-related presence. It has a number of resources supporting historical business research, including some physical company records, annual reports, directories, free access to online databases, and the back-catalogues of some business-related periodicals. Many of these resources (and others in the library) are also available digitally via Trove, the NLA’s online library database aggregator and service that brings together resources from Australian libraries, museums, archives and other collecting organisations (Trove, n.d.). However, the NLA has no centralised hub for business services, nor any clear support resources for emerging and extant businesses. Its marketing of the historical business resources that it does have on hand is minimal. It is important to note that the role of the National Library of Australia is legislated and very specific, namely to ‘ensure that documentary resources of national significance relating to Australia and the Australian people, as well as significant non-Australian library materials, are collected, preserved and made accessible’ (National Library of Australia, 2020) and thus providing significant business support is outside their remit.

Some Australian state libraries play a role in keeping records and providing services for business. The State Library Victoria (SLV) makes available a variety of resources, including brief guides to business research, records of delisted stock exchange companies, industry directories, a wide range of relevant economic and demographic statistics, some company record archives, and e-resources around business practice (SLV, 2020). Their business services have recently expanded significantly with the introduction of StartSpace, a development which is considered in greater depth later in this paper.

The State Library of New South Wales provides a range of resources for assisting business start-ups and researchers, including databases, e-resources, news publications, historical ASX records, business books and magazines (State Library of New South Wales, 2020). It does not have a dedicated space for business services.

The State Library of Queensland (SLQ) provides one of the only business-dedicated library spaces in Australia, through their business centre, titled Business Studio, which consists of a variety of services housed in one location. It includes access to librarian support, free access to a variety of business-oriented online resources, and free-shared workspaces and bookable individual spaces (SLQ, 2020). The SLQ also bring together many of the services that are available digitally online through their website. Membership is free and available to SLQ library card holders. The remaining state libraries in Australia all hold at least some relevant business records but lack easily findable-centralised business reference services or marketed business hubs.

Public libraries also have varying levels of services supporting business and business research across Australia, however the vast majority do not offer coordinated business support services, with only two exceptions which clearly advertise their business services online: Yarra Plenty Regional Library, and Gold Coast Libraries.

Yarra Plenty Regional Library is among the more active Australian public libraries in supporting their local business community. It not only offers a variety of business-related physical and e-resources as many libraries do, but collates them and their other business services on a dedicated page on their website (Yarra Plenty Regional Library, 2020). Among these other business services are business-related workshops and events hosted sporadically, maker spaces and links to local business e-newsletters. The library service does not, however, have a dedicated space or collection for this community, in common with most Australian public libraries.

Gold Coast Libraries host a ‘Start me up – Business skills’ series of workshops, designed to assist budding entrepreneurs in developing their business ideas. They also provide a business resources page on their website, bringing together access to journal databases with business-related content, physical and digital resources, workshops, online learning portals and other resource offerings (City of Gold Coast, 2020). Interestingly, they also promote the availability of their ‘Creative Tech Labs’ – free digital, creative spaces for public use – a useful offering given the frequent connection between digital innovation and new business.

At a practical level every Australian public library is providing generalised business support services on a daily basis: bookable spaces, books on relevant topics, and free Internet and technological assistance. However, very few Australian public libraries promote these services in a business context, and Yarra Plenty Regional Library and Gold Coast Libraries appear to be the only public libraries that have a dedicated online page aggregating their business support services.

Business Library Services in the USA

Library services that assist businesses have a long history in the USA. As Morgan Miller, Directory of the Cecil County Public Library remarks, ‘The concept of public libraries targeting their unique resources to advance businesses may sound like a new idea, but it is as old as our country itself’ (Vose, 2017). One of the first public library business branches was that of the Newark (New Jersey) Public Library, which opened in 1904 (Pankl, 2010). This reflects the USA’s long and proud affiliation with business success. According to OCLC (2010), business owners and employers use public library resources 2.8 million times each month.

To explore all of the business library services offered in the USA would be an impossible and ultimately unnecessary task, so instead some of the largest and most enduring business library services will be considered. The Science, Technology and Business Division within the Library of Congress provides one such service. While not officially the national library of the USA, the Library of Congress essentially acts as one, providing services not just to the Congress but also to the general public. Famed for its beautiful buildings and immense resource collection, it features a reading room entirely dedicated to Science, Technology and Business Reference services (Library of Congress, 2015). This reading room ‘provides an environment and means for their patrons to search, locate, and use scientific, business, and technical information in the collections of the Library of Congress’ (Library of Congress, 2015). Dedicated library staff are available for answering business-related reference queries, both on the reference desk and, for those working remotely, through an online portal. A reference collection of some 20,000 topic-specific items is available in the Science, Technology, and Business reading room for immediate access, with many more available from storage (Library of Congress, 2015). Meanwhile, access to a wide variety of business-specific digital databases is available on site. The division has their own website, which includes a significant number of subject guides, links to digital resources, a blog, and upcoming event calendar amongst other content. All of these resources are free to access for Library of Congress members; with membership of the institution available to all members of the public. Much of the focus is on supporting business research, particularly that of a historical nature, but some resource guides and many of the resources themselves support entrepreneurs and small businesses.

Public libraries also provide a large range of business services in the American environment. One of the most renowned is the New York Public Library (NYPL). This world-famous library service has an entire branch dedicated to science, industry and business (SIBL), and provides a wide suite of free services. Dedicated resources for business research, which include significant physical and digital collections covering a range of industries and careers, are provided in conjunction with support services for start-ups and small businesses (NYPL, 2020). Some of the advisory services offered include business coaching, financial planning, career coaching and business plan writing assistance, well beyond the services traditionally associated with libraries. They also maintain a strong online presence, offering digital resources and webinars. SIBL will shortly be moving to a new building as part of a larger library, with an entire floor to be dedicated to business services.

The San Francisco Public Library is yet another example of an American institution that provides significant business support, through their Business, Science and Technology Center. An entire floor of the Library is dedicated to the centre, with both a dedicated Jobs & Career Center, and a Small Business Center, which ‘strives to meet the needs of the entrepreneur by providing materials on how to plan, finance, organize, operate and market a small business’ (San Francisco Public Library, 2020). Their services include librarian reference support, databases, start-up manuals, and market research resources covering a wide range of industries.

Another public library that has experienced success through business-dedicated resources is the Portland Public Library. This library service has reached out to small business through their digital business hub, providing training, databases and business management resources. While they do not have a physical business hub, dedicated staff have used outreach programming and existing spaces to great effect. Librarians attend local business group meetings and expositions, and then target digital training and programs to these groups. As a result, their databases are extremely well used, and they have gained greater visibility and status in the local community (Mavromataki, Skinner, Walker, Seymour, & Hardy, 2012).

An example that particularly demonstrates the power of business libraries as collaboration hubs and economic drivers is the Carson City Library’s Business Resource Innovation Centre. This library, the product of collaboration between the library and other municipal services, provides market research services, databases, business planning sessions and technological support (Carson City Library, n.d.). With building, planning, licencing and other key local services located on the floor above the library, not only is close collaboration fostered, but when businesses are ready to start or expand, accessing council business services is a floor away (Collins, 2012). The project has seen exceptional results in a city with a 12% unemployment rate, and is regarded as the catalyst of local economic renewal (Collins, 2012).

Recent Developments in Business Library Services across the USA and Australia

As is the case across the broader field, the nature of business librarianship in public libraries is experiencing significant change. Womack (2009) observes that with simple business reference questions easily answered by an Internet search, most inquiries are now instead the result of ‘a Google search gone awry’, and as such, ‘their information needs are much more individualized and require lengthier efforts to solve’ (p. 224).

The ability to continually adapt to circumstances is a necessity for the modern business library service. Pankl (2010) states that, ‘The business library must be perceived as anchored in the enduring values of the public library, but oriented to the 21st century’ (p. 97). With the world of business and entrepreneurship constantly changing, the needs of these communities are constantly shifting in unison, and thus business libraries need to be market-oriented, listening closely to their customers and pivoting in response. The NYPL’s SIBL has experienced this first-hand, with its services and spaces continually adapting since opening in the mid-1990s. Many of its current services were not in the original plan, with services like on-site business counselling, a tailored calendar of training and network events, computers with database-specific access only, and a small business website all the result of engaging with customers to understand their adapting needs (McDonough & Cohen, 2006).

Australia’s publicly accessible libraries are starting to recognise opportunities for providing greater services to start-ups and small business. Thorpe (2017) undertook an analysis of future trends and opportunities in Australian libraries, and identified providing business services, specifically incubators, in libraries as a growing trend. A 2012 Public Libraries Victoria Network report argued that Victorian libraries should increase their direct participation in local economic development through active support of small business. Their recommendations included specifically promoting business resources through both council and library channels, targeted staff training in relevant databases, small business resource pages on library websites, and evaluation of business collections (Mavromataki et al., 2012). However, despite this report’s specific and targeted recommendations, relatively little progress appears to have been made in the eight years since the release of the report.

One significant advance in business library services in Australia in recent times is the SLV’s StartSpace, a new co-working space for those ‘starting out on their business journey’ (SLV, 2020a). Designed to help individuals navigate the start-up process, it provides programs, services, technologies, and both free and subscription-based zones in a large, attractive co-working space to current and prospective entrepreneurs (StartSpace, 2020). This service is less of a conventional American model, lacking business research resources, and is instead more of a start-up and small business incubator. While the details are still being fleshed out and the service has not been in place long enough to have a significant impact, the inception of StartSpace clearly indicates interest in expanding business services in the Australian library sector. It has the potential to be a catalyst for other Australian libraries expanding their business presence. Indeed, the SLV is positioning itself to potentially support smaller StartSpace nodes in public libraries across the state of Victoria (NewCardigan, 2018). This reflects a growing recognition across the library sector that ‘every branch library’, rather than just central city facilities have the potential to be a business information centre (Pankl, 2010, p. 100).

Looking Forward: Opportunities for Australian Business Services in Public Libraries

This paper has thus far identified several key features of business library services, including the need for continuous response to change. It has also identified several different models of business library service delivery. With a period of extended economic recovery likely to follow the COVID-19 pandemic, and the need for business resources and services in Australian libraries increasingly acknowledged (Thorpe, 2017), what modern services and activities are likely to be crucial components of delivering business support services going forward?

A shift in mindset is likely necessary to facilitate increased business library services in Australia. As Perret (2010) observes, ‘Business is a subject area where many librarians, often armed with humanities or other social science degrees, fear to tread’ (p. 46). It may seem that the skills, and indeed understanding of terminology, required to be a business-orientated librarian may be highly specialised, and provide a barrier to expansion of business library services. However, there is evidence to suggest that only a minority of business librarians have formal training in business or related disciplines, and strong orientation and training programs can help staff rapidly adapt to this unfamiliar subject area (Womack, 2009). The principles of librarianship remain important, as does a ‘curious, problem solving spirit’, but on-the-job learning and development can provide much of the core knowledge required (Womack, 2009, p. 223). Indeed, with regulations and sources varying from region to region, localised training delivers some significant benefits. Pankl (2010) summarises it well: ‘Successful business librarians are lifelong learners, because information and skill requirements change constantly; hence, effective and successful service is part of the process of learning’ (p. 99).

Acknowledging the hesitance of some librarians to step into the business discipline, gaining staff buy-in for any expansion in business library services is essential for libraries wishing to expand their services to business. Involving staff in the service-creation process as early as possible is crucial to generating buy-in through a sense of ownership, as is addressing staff concerns on a regular basis. Once staff see the value of the service demonstrated through the tangible difference being made to individuals and the broader community, buy-in becomes much easier to generate (Mavromataki et al., 2012).

Dedicated digital website hubs that collate business resources are certainly regularly successful. Large business-dedicated libraries and small public libraries alike have experienced success in collating and making available online business resources in a way that is easily accessible. Providing access to digital databases can help small businesses enhance decision-making, while providing contextualised local resources can help reduce the effort required to understand the local business environment. Many American libraries fail to promote and collate their business services online, even when they have a full business reference department. In the modern environment where people’s first port of call is the Internet, this means their services go undiscovered or unnoticed (Collins, 2012).

On a broader level, promotion and marketing of business services should certainly be a key area of focus. Generally, public libraries are not naturally associated with business in Australia, excepting select large businesses that have their own special libraries. While these do indeed provide library services to business (and have so for a long time), they do not serve small businesses and start-ups. It is thus of paramount importance to create local partnerships and to advertise the existence and nature of available services using existing and new channels. As mentioned previously, outreach into the community is a key component of the successful marketing mix. Getting a library presence in local business newsletters, meetings, associations and functions not only helps libraries in understanding local business resource needs, but also builds the relationships and trust that are crucial to word-of-mouth promotion (Mavromataki et al., 2012).

Collaboration with local business organisations and bodies is another crucial component of building successful business services. Again, regardless of model, business groups can bring their own expertise to workshops and business coaching, as well as provide marketing opportunities, while libraries can provide resources and spaces, leading to successful and potentially ongoing outcomes. There are also opportunities in operating outside the physical library space; taking outreach business programs into partner spaces, potentially bringing in new audiences and creating unique experiences for participants.

Where possible, creating dedicated business spaces has a range of benefits. These include encouraging collaboration and networking, providing a visible presence for prospective entrepreneurs who may be encouraged, and simply providing a physical space for focus and research to those that need it most. As the Carson City Library and NYPL examples make evident, when this space is combined with easy access to business support services, powerful results can follow. As StartSpace builds up a user base and, hopefully some success stories, it will provide an Australian example of how powerful this concept can be.

Finally, business skills and research sessions can make crucial differences to patrons looking to start out in business. Covering general topics, such as, but certainly not limited to, marketing, finances and managing staff, such sessions help by not only generating skills, but also by increasing individual confidence. The benefits of individual, one-to-one mentorship sessions in particular are invaluable to those looking for specific information, or for someone to share the difficulties and challenges of their journey with. This option is potentially possible for all public libraries as it can be low cost to implement; a space and a session leader is all that is required. If the relevant skills exist, or indeed can be developed in-house, hosting these sessions becomes even more feasible.

It is important to emphasise that even small, rural libraries can expand their business services going forward. While dedicated spaces and staffing are possibly beyond their capacity, training staff in regards to small business information needs, partnering with other organisations to deliver training, and marketing available basic services such as Internet access and printing to small businesses will all be invaluable in supporting local communities (Bishop et al., 2016). An additional business hub webpage is also a relatively simple, easy to implement and manage option for any library with its own website.

Conclusion

The availability and levels of business library services in public libraries differ significantly across the USA and Australia, as do the models in place. The USA have a significantly better established and more widely available business library ecosystem, with some standout examples providing levels of service well beyond anything seen in Australia. There are certainly aspects of some public library models supporting business in America that are likely outdated or unsuited for Australian implementation. Similarly, there are likely to be opportunities for Australian public libraries to learn from American models and methods of delivering business library services. Some of these opportunities and service provisions in the USA are made possible by sheer population size and resource allocation, but there remains room for Australian libraries to fill some of the gaps around business research opportunities and small enterprise support. It is clear that the level of integration, promotion and provision of business-related resources in the USA is vastly superior, and that these resources provide crucial support to the businesses in need. One of the benefits of this integration of service is that it leads to clear marketing of resources to potential users; when resources are disparate and uncollated it is more difficult for potential users to discover and utilise them. Providing services to small businesses has several benefits for libraries, key amongst them increasing library patronage, attracting new audiences, and contributing to the local community, and thus Australian libraries should explore different models of providing and marketing business resources, implementing that which best suits their circumstances. The influences of doing so are likely to extend well beyond libraries and into local economies. In an uncertain world with growing inequality and businesses facing unique challenges post COVID-19, providing these opportunities is more important than ever before.

Acknowledgement

The author gratefully acknowledges the advice, encouragement and proof-reading efforts of Dr Sue Reynolds. Also acknowledged are the efforts of Dr Paul Cerotti and RMIT University in facilitating the ‘Business Globalisation (A Study Abroad – USA)’ study tour, of which this paper is a product.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Brendan Bachmann

Brendan Bachmann is a Masters of Information Management graduate from RMIT University, and a Customer Service Library Technician at Melton City Libraries. He is passionate about the intersection of business and libraries, and the many ways that libraries contribute to their communities.