Libraries Build Business: A Playbook of Promising Strategies, Models, and Inspiration

ABSTRACT This article provides an overview of the Libraries Build Business Playbook, a product of the American Library Association’s Libraries Build Business initiative (2020–2022), with the aim of introducing a wider audience to this resource and encouraging participation in its further development and use. We situate the Playbook and library engagement with small business initiatives in terms of the role libraries play in economic advancement more generally and entrepreneurship as a means for economic empowerment. We discuss the development and content of the Playbook and its application to the library field; related opportunities, including the Libraries Build Business Community; and ways in which libraries can participate in expanding entrepreneurship programs and resources to be more diverse and inclusive.