Crum Janet - Supporting Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Janet A. Crum

PART 1
TOOLS FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION

Michelle Boisvenue-Fox and Kristin Meyer

Mark Bieraugel

PART 2
LIBRARY ACTIVITIES RELATED TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP
AND INNOVATION

Elizabeth Baker

Wendy Girven Pothier

Russell Michalak and Monica D. T. Rysavy

Robert Stalone Buwule and Stephen M. Mutula

Kathryn Crowe, Michael A. Crumpton, David Gwynn, James Harper, Mary Beth Lock and Mary G. Scanlon

PART 3
CASE STUDIES OF LIBRARIES SUPPORTING
ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION

Mark Stover, Charissa Jefferson and Isis Santos

Jean P. Shipman

PART 4
INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN LIBRARY
EDUCATION

Michael A. Crumpton and Nora J. Bird

Rosario Arquero-Avils, Gonzalo Marco-Cuenca and Brenda Siso-Calvo

Janet A. Crum

Entrepreneurship and innovation are hot topics in and out of libraries but, as with many trendy terms, they are often used without clear definitions. So before we dive into the chapters that follow, let us take a moment to clarify what we mean by entrepreneurship and innovation.

When we think of entrepreneurship, many of us envision the stereotypical startup made legendary during the tech boom of the 1990s. But entrepreneurship exists beyond Silicon Valley and even beyond the business community. Eisenmann describes the definition of entrepreneurship used at Harvard Business School, originally promulgated by Howard Stevenson: Entrepreneurship is the pursuit of opportunity beyond resources controlled (, para. 3).

Nothing in any of the aforementioned definitions excludes libraries or library staff from entrepreneurship and innovation. And while entrepreneurship and innovation are trendy topics, they are not new in the world of libraries. Libraries have, likely since their inception, supported and engaged in creativity, innovation, and the discovery of new knowledge. We pursue opportunities (definitely beyond resources controlled), solve problems, and create value and we support other people who do those things. Many an author or artist has found ideas and inspiration in the stacks, and many a scientist has found that nugget of knowledge that solves a problem or leads to a new discovery. Libraries also foster collaborations that can lead to creation of new knowledge and skills, provide opportunities for lifelong learning, and help users become creative critical thinkers and problem-solvers. Whether by providing information or making new technologies available to their user communities, libraries have a long history of democratizing creativity, innovation, and, yes, entrepreneurship, by helping creative, innovative, entrepreneurial people access the resources they need regardless of their financial means. The chapters in this volume offer ample evidence to support these assertions.