The library had goals to meet the high demand of business help requests that we were receiving and also connect more in the community, with the public and with our business community partners. The TLCPL team had a test-and-try idea for innovating. What if instead of assigning this staff to branch locations, to serve at those reference desks during the Main Library’s closure, they instead created a new, mobile outreach team (EST) — to serve in a dedicated way and throughout the community?!

• We applied (and were selected) to participate in ULC’s entrepreneurial learning cohort and gained new skills and colleagues.
• We transformed our model to better serve the public and offer more one-to-one assistance.
• We created the capacity to share business resources with more of the public and to serve specific, less-reached populations.
• We strengthened our position in the business community as a vital partner and provider, by attending more business community events and providing additional public programs for entrepreneurs.

The central outcome of this innovation we achieved is serving entrepreneurs better by creating increased capacity.

• We had a goal to provide more one-to-one research/technical assistance. We helped 83 individuals in 2017 and 223 from 4/18-4/19, a 265% gain.
• We had a goal to present more business-related programming. We had 40 business programs in 2017 and 59 from 4/18-4/19, a 145% gain.
• We had a goal to reach more aspiring and active entrepreneurs. We reached 903 people in 2017 and 1701 from 4/18-4/19, a 188% gain.