“Overwhelming, Expensive, Essential”: Exploring the research habits and needs of campus entrepreneurs
Carey Toane, Entrepreneurship Librarian, University of Toronto Libraries
Sarah Shujah, Liaison Librarian, University of Toronto Scarborough Libraries
Helen Kula, Head, Research & Instruction, University of Toronto Mississauga Library
View poster | text-only version (.doc)
Librarians at University of Toronto conducted a five-year comparative study to learn about their entrepreneurial community, its research habits and needs, and how library services meet those needs. This session will draw on takeaways from that 2016-2020 survey to build an evidence-based approach to how to better support campus entrepreneurs as they develop business plans and launch their ventures. This session will provide insights into the entrepreneur’s research journey, including:
-Who campus entrepreneurs are (you may be surprised!) and the industries they operate in
-The information startups are looking for, where they look for it, and what they use it for
-How startups view the research process, the barriers they face, and what this means for libraries over time
Twitter hashtag: #CULibraryForum