Small business support from the Library
February 25, 2021
The Library offers many resources that entrepreneurs and small business owners can access for free. We recognize the entrepreneurial spirit of our community and honor all small businesses and entrepreneurs that play a pivotal role in strengthening our local economy.
Find the information you need here:
SimplyAnalytics - SimplyAnalytics is a web-based mapping application that enables you to quickly create professional-quality thematic maps and reports using powerful demographic, business and marketing data.
Gale Business: Entrepreneurship - Covers all major areas of starting and operating a business, including financing, management, marketing, human resources, franchising, accounting, taxes and more. Gale Business: Entreneurship is an easy-to-browse interface mapped to four key stages - plan, fund, start and manage. It includes access to 700+ business plans with new plans added monthly. This resource also includes a collection of business eBooks, journals, magazines and directories listing thousands of associations and consultants.
Gale Business: Plan Builder - This step-by-step planning tool can be used for starting, managing and optimizing a business. The Gale Business: Plan Builder program's intuitive dashboard walks users through five areas of exploration; etrepreneur profile, business ideation, break-even analysis, business plans and financial projections. These tools help develop a comprehensive plan for any business or nonprofit.
Business Shelf on OverDrive – OverDrive is a collection of e-books and digital audiobooks offered by the library. Within OverDrive, we have a designated Business Shelf where you’ll find information ranging from business to entrepreneurialism to job-related topics. E-books and audiobooks can be downloaded to your computer, tablet, (including Kindle), or mobile device.
The Library also offers programs and events throughout the system on small business topics. For more information, click here for the calendar.
Starting on the second floor of the branch, customers will find a new Teen Loft, surrounded by ample open seating, computers, and cozy lounge areas with scenic views of the branch’s beautiful trees and lush landscaping. It’s the perfect place to find your next favorite Young Adult title or graphic novel! In addition to tempting cookbooks on display, when the branch is fully accessible to the community, customers will enjoy community seating and collaborative spaces, a public computer lab, a brand new community room, individual and group study rooms, a training lab/studio, laptop bar and bright alcoves overlooking the front of the branch.
On the first floor, customers can enjoy the new Children’s programming room, a second community room, vending café, patio and a Calming Room for anyone who needs a peaceful space such a nursing mothers, those who may experience sensory overload and more. Additionally, South County Regional features a refreshed collection that includes 40 new launchpads preloaded with educational apps for children. Customers can experience the best of the collection at South County Regional!
Other features customers can enjoy in the renovated library, include free Wi-Fi, an efficient checkout system using radio frequency identification (RFID), and enhanced audio-visual capabilities in community rooms and the training lab/studio. A new exterior book/materials drop that feeds to and an automated materials handling unit (AMH) is part of the new traffic flow in the parking lot which requires cars to travel to the left in front of the building and drive in a clockwise direction. Visitors are encouraged to pay attention to directional signs in the parking lot to ensure safety for themselves and others.
South County Regional visitors will also notice the new, interactive outdoor public art display Open Book, Open Mind by North Carolina artist and sculptor Jim Gallucci. The installment, made possible by the Arts & Science Council and the Public Art Commission in partnership with Mecklenburg County, is located at the Library’s entrance and provides a welcoming and exciting walk through a whimsical canopy of colorful books featuring diverse authors and encourages visitors to explore and learn. The title of the work was chosen by the South County community and South County Regional staff chose the featured titles.
How Does It Work?
We know it’s challenging for many of you to facilitate your own book clubs without having access to the Library’s extensive print collection. Luckily, we have options for you through our e-book and e-audiobook platforms. hoopla currently offers 10 checkouts per month, plus a collection of “bonus borrows” that won’t count against your monthly limits – and there are no waits on this special collection. OverDrive’s “always available” collections of classics, Indie authors and other featured titles also don’t count against your OverDrive checkout limits. 
One message Mecklenburg County officials want to make clear is that Mecklenburg County is under a Stay at Home Order, which was extended to May 8, 2020 by North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper on Thursday, April 23, 2020. This order mandates that residents stay home unless they are considered essential workers or need to make essential trips to the doctor or hospital, to the pharmacy for medical needs, or to secure food and beverage items at grocery stores and local restaurants. Residents are also permitted to go outside to walk their pets, get exercise and a few other activities listed on 
Mecklenburg County Deputy Health Director, Raynard Washington, also wants to clear up misconceptions regarding the populations most vulnerable for contracting COVID-19. It is important for residents to understand that everyone is at risk for contracting the virus. While there is no evidence suggesting genetic differences impact the spread of the disease, COVID-19 disproportionately affects the African American community due to greater employment in essential, customer-facing jobs, higher rates and earlier onset of underlying chronic health conditions and longstanding gaps in access to health care and other resources.
