Running a small business takes a lot of know-how — market knowledge, tax expertise and legal acumen — but a surprising amount of help can be found at the Kirkwood Public Library.
For several years now the library has offered monthly programming for local entrepreneurs, including legal clinics and business workshops. A librarian can help patrons navigate insightful consumer databases, and featured sessions later this month will cover the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital marketing, all for the cost of a free library card.
Local librarian Mel Lambert has been a driving force behind the small business program, having discovered a host of publicly available consumer data at her previous job with the St. Louis County Library.
“It was really there that I found my interest in small business and my job as a librarian could be connected,” Lambert said. “There is so much consumer data we have access to, and it’s all free with a library card.”
Lambert, who started with Kirkwood Public Library about three years ago, highlighted Statista Market Insights as one of the resources the library can help patrons navigate. She added that the library can also act as an office for aspiring businesspeople, offering services such as free document scanning and Internet access.
Not-for-profit entrepreneurs and job seekers also can look to the library for support, Lambert said, and she encouraged interested patrons to schedule a one-on-one meeting with a librarian.
“Come see us. It’s your tax dollars at work,” Lambert said.
Small business programming generally falls on the second Wednesday of each month, but a special series on digital marketing is set for the end of April. Host Colleen Mulvihill from the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership will lead a workshop called “AI for Marketing: Practical Strategies for Your Business” in person and live online via Zoom at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30.
“AI for marketing is really a huge timesaver for small businesses,” Mulvihill said. “It’s like talking to a collaborator. It’s your invisible partner.”
The workshop will include practical tips and hands-on instruction for using popular AI models such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini. Creative design products like Canva now also have AI assistants that can generate ideas for advertisements and social media posts with just a well-worded prompt, according to Mulvihill.
“AI can help you automate tasks like regular social media posts, and it can really help you be more efficient in your marketing,” Mulvihill said, adding that AI can even suggest the best time of day to make a post online.
A second session, “The Digital Journey: Simple Strategies for Business Growth” with Tim Valli, is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 1.
Visit the events calendar at kplmo.org to register for the upcoming workshops and find all the small business programming, or drop into the Kirkwood Public Library to speak with Lambert or another librarian.
