68 Survey Results: Survey Questions and Responses
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
28. Please enter any additional information regarding support for entrepreneurship at your library
that may assist the authors in accurately analyzing the results of this survey. N=20
As I noted, this is an emerging area at the university and several of the issues covered in this survey
have not yet arisen. I anticipate they will within two years.
As mentioned elsewhere in our responses, currently entrepreneurship is supported by liaison
librarians (one business and two engineering) as part of the suite of services offered to their constituent
communities as affiliated with their colleges (College of Business and the College of Engineering). Our
Research Commons houses some software and data resources that may be used for entrepreneurial
activities, though they were not specifically acquired for or marketed for this purpose. The business
librarian and Head of Research Services have worked with the Technology and Commercialization
Office and the Industry Liaison Office by offering targeted instruction around research support and
business research strategies.
Business library is not part of the University Library.
Entrepreneurship (and its related activities) is interpreted in various ways on our campus, resulting in
activities that are distributed across numerous disciplines, not solely focused on business. While there
is a substantial amount of activity, and the library is engaged informally in entrepreneurship programs
with a number of units, it is difficult to articulate the specific points of contact due to the decentralized
nature of entrepreneurship on this campus.
Entrepreneurship activities here are intrinsically tied with classes and students’ experiential learning
activities for credit. We rarely serve the general public for entrepreneurship, unless those individuals
have ties with the students or incubators here. The librarians have been involved in supporting
entrepreneurship initiatives, which are part of the campus-wide economic contribution to the
community and nation. It’s hard to quantify the library’s role in this activity, yet its resources and
services are significant to the early stages of product development and market research.
Entrepreneurship here has been very “bottom-up” driven until very recently. This has led to a dispersed
effort, unlike many universities. It has also led to entrepreneurship efforts having to show value and
effect unlike some universities where it becomes an “entrepreneurship thing” the university runs to
check a box on a survey. Our students truly have a voice and are actively involved in starting companies
throughout their career here and while many of these companies never make it out of the university,
the lessons learned last and are beginning to bear fruit.
Entrepreneurship is certainly a growing trend on this campus and pushing it out of the business
school is one of the ultimate objectives. We’ve had good success with supporting the current level of
entrepreneurial activity, but if demand grows we may have to look at some of the suggestions laid out in
the survey.
Here are some of our resources that support entrepreneurship: CAUSE: Center for Advancement &
Understanding of Social Enterprises (School of Business) Small Enterprise Economic Development
(a cooperative effort between School of Business, the School of Social Welfare, the Small Business
Development Center, and the State Employees Federal Credit Union) Entrepreneur-in-Residence
Program (through both the Office for Innovation Development and Commercialization &the Small
Business Development Center. Small Business Development Center Office for Innovation Development
and Commercialization
Library instruction is provided for students in entrepreneurship classes.
Previous Page Next Page