Library Business Corners (LBC)

An LBC will house a collection of books, videos, newspapers, journals, periodicals, brochures,  pamphlets and clippings, placed where possible in a designated area or "corner" within the library. 

Librarians are requested to arrange the material in the most appropriate manner to ensure that clients have easy access to business material.  The need to support SMMEs in the country is still increasing, with particular urgency in the smaller and more remote towns and villages.  The government support strategy has so far been faced with constraints that limited the effective and spatial spread of sustained business services and therefore has to be supplemented by initiatives at local, regional and provincial level.  The LBC initiative is an attempt to complement existing services in order to spread the grid of available business information-related support.

Innovation

LBC provides business information and refer or direct businesspersons to relevant business support organisations, thus enabling these support agencies to reach a wider audience.  LBC follows an accreditation process, which has to meet measurable standards.  Catalytic roles of the LBC include internet access for library users, www.smartcape.org.za, access point to Business Referral and Information Network (BRAIN) www.brain.org.za, provision of business advice, interaction with schools and technical colleges, access to tenders, display of tourism information, exhibition of small business products, display business cards, info on trade fairs and special events, export advice and career guidance.

Effectiveness

Librarians primarily manage LBCs with support from the LBC office, which operates in close partnership with the project sponsor, library services, universities, technikons, and business communities, thus creating a network spanning the entire province.

Poverty Impact

There is a general consensus in the SMME support fraternity that more effective access to business information can directly benefit start-up entrepreneurs and "survival enterprises".  In as far as this helps to create jobs, it also alleviates poverty.  LBC has interacted with 2500 SMME's through libraries and workshops held impacted the lives of 5000 people.  LBC is currently working on more detailed indicators to measure these relationships and the poverty-relief "output".  Two case studies are being written about the impact of the LBC resources and how its start-up business projects started in communities in Mamre and Hawston.  This forms part of a paper that will be presented at the LIASA 2003 conference.

Sustainability

Long-term sustainability will be guaranteed through the interaction of a range of pro-actively applied funding methods, viz. A steadily increased share of library book acquisition funds channelled into business material, levying cost-covering fees for supplementary services from users e.g. training, arranging ongoing book donations from publishers interested to see the spread of SMME-focused literature, negotiating free subscriptions of relevant journals, mobilising corporate "Friends of the library" donation on a regular basis.

Replication

South Africa has over 2000 public libraries, which could evolve into a dense network of small business information points.  Increasing interest from other provinces in the Cape initiative has resulted in the LBC presenting the concept to Mpumalanga, Gauteng and the Eastern Cape.  This was facilitated by NAMAC and BRAIN.  Through the Library and Information Association of South Africa (LIASA) conferences, the LBC team has been presenting the concept to librarians from South Africa and beyond.  The possibility of a "franchising" approach to the expansion of LBC's nation-wide is currently considered.

Partnerships

• Provincial Departments - Dudley Adolph 18% funds, Brent Walters
• Local Government - Kim van Deventer 75% funds, David Gretton.
• Others include private sector companies - Chrispin Sonn (Old Mutual), Suzette Little (Standard Bank), ABSA, Shell and KPMG - 7% funds
• Others partners: Tuna Marine (PTY) LTD, Khula, BRIAN, NAMAC.