Pilot program focuses on South Jersey Businesses
  The current economic climate has made it more critical than ever for businesses to operate as efficiently as possible. The New Jersey State Library has recently launched an exciting marketing pilot program in South Jersey to inform businesses about free research and reference services available at local libraries.  Business librarians from Atlantic City, Burlington County, Cherry Hill, Gloucester and Ocean County Libraries have been visiting business groups throughout the area to educate them about these invaluable business reference tools.
  Pam Boyd, president of Thomas/Boyd Communications, the firm selected to spearhead the communications and marketing outreach for the project stated, “With today’s economic challenges, business professionals are expected to do more with less time. The library’s free business resources are a breath of fresh air for business people who need valuable marketing information but simply don’t have the time, expertise or resources at their disposal.” 
  Working in partnership with the Southern New Jersey Development Council (SNJDC), the NJ State Library conducted an initial focus group to discuss the most effective ways to inform local businesses about library business services.  One of the things we learned is that only two out of 15 participants had ever used their local public library for business services.  Why?  They simply were not aware of these services. Based on the valuable feedback obtained from the SNJDC, including the importance of saving time and money, we developed the NJ Libraries Biz services logo and positioning line.
  According to Marlene Asselta, president, Southern New Jersey Development Council, “The Southern New Jersey Development Council is proud to be a part of this important outreach effort which will greatly benefit the business community in both our region and statewide.”
  “We’re finding that business people, in general, have been pleasantly surprised to learn that libraries offer state-of-the-art technology, sophisticated databases and other tools free-of-charge right at their fingertips,” said Norma Blake, State Librarian.  “Our business presentations, open to business groups and organizations, provide an overview of library reference services including: database access, sample marketing and business plans, training sessions, Webinars and one-on-one business consulting.” 
  Local business reference librarians are available for calls, e-mails, live chats and in-person meetings. It is interesting to note that reference librarians in the nation’s public and academic libraries answer nearly 8 million questions each week.  In New Jersey alone, the number of reference questions in 2008 was over 8.4 million. They key to obtaining this information is simply a library card.
Top 5 Business Services
  The library provides hundreds of business services, but we have identified the top
5 as outlined below:
  1.  Access to premium databases that you won’t find on Google or Bing. Search engines search what’s free on the Web, but the most accurate and verified information resides in expensive password-protected databases such as Ref USA or EBSCO. Librarians can search over 10 million businesses in the Ref USA database to find detailed company information. The EBSCO Database offers articles from over 1,000 businesses, management, and trade magazines to help you track trends in your business.
  2.  Access to marketing and business plan templates readily available at local libraries. Librarians will also meet with businesses to help in developing a business plan.
  3.  Training sessions on using research tools and databases as well as training on software such as PowerPoint, Excel, Microsoft Office features and social media tools for networking, marketing and blogging. Many libraries bring in U.S. Census trainers for more in depth business research.
  4.  Many libraries are beginning to offer Webinars as online tutorials for various subjects.
  Webinars are time-saving because you can watch when you have time, in the convenience of your home or office.
  5.  One-on-one business consultations are also offered at many libraries. Personal appointments can be made with the business reference librarian for special research or training.
  If you would like to schedule a business reference presentation for your business group or company, please contact Alka Bhatnagar at 609-278-2640 ext 133 or abhatnagar@njstatelib.org.
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Written by: Tina Keresztury
Associate State Librarian, NJ State Library