How do the Public Libraries Use Online Media Platform to Reach Small Business Owners?

Abstract

Small business owners (SBO) do not generally think of libraries as business information sources, even though these organizations provide helpful business-related resources. Recent literature guides libraries about effective outreach to this community but offers little information about an emerging channel: social media. Therefore, we performed a comparative case study focusing on two public libraries in the Mid-Atlantic to investigate how they leverage these platforms to reach SBOs. We designed a mix-method study, including collecting qualitative and quantitative data from interviews and the two libraries' social media profiles. In this study, we found that the library, with a solid partnership with business support organizations, does not utilize these platforms as often. However, the library, which has recently started to support SBOs better, and has yet to strengthen its partnerships, leverages these platforms to reach SBOs. Nonetheless, the impact of using these platforms is still unclear, suggesting the need for future research.