Business Insight Anniversary Celebration
2009
Ninety years of Business Insight and its activities in Enterprise, Creativity and Learning for Birmingham Central Library and the city it serves.
Introduction This is a story of success: a story about our unique contribution to enterprise in Birmingham and across the UK. A story about an entrepreneurial public service, Business Insight, part of Birmingham Central Library, and its mission, that is has been carrying out for the city since 1919. 2009 is our 90th year of serving the people of Birmingham. We will be marking this with a series of events, celebrating our contribution to the city and indeed our survival when most large commercial libraries have withered away. What became apparent in researching our past was that nothing is new. My past colleagues pioneered much of what we think is new today. However like today they were so busy delivering for customers that they generated little documentation of their work for us to evaluate. We continue to provide a first class service and now is the time to tell this story. Business Insight started life in 1919 as the Birmingham Commercial Library, the original business support service, to help build a land fit for heroes, through supplying free business information services for Birmingham. This specialised service provided established and aspiring business people with information, primarily through books to meet their business needs, as well as delivering the regional patents service. It was the only show in town before the age of computers, until the 1970’s when computerisation and online services reduced the need for separate premises and in 1973 the service was merged with the new Birmingham Central Library. The Business service then specialised in online and enquiry services utilising staff skills to open up new sources of support for customers and taking a proactive role in business startups and enterprise. In 1993 this resulted in a name change to that of Business Insight, to help develop an enterprise culture, working with partners to bring about economic regeneration in the city. This has seen the service blossom, culminating in Enterprise Agency Status in 2006, driving an “Enterprise, Creativity and Learning” agenda to build a brighter future for all our citizens and customers. In the last four years we have created • 2508 new companies generating an estimated £253m for the local economy • 879,810 physical customers visited our premises • 17,859 customers have had one to one business advice sessions • 12% of UK Library Authorities use our outsource services Join us, as we celebrate our work and the impact it has had for Birmingham and beyond. Douglas Laird Business Development Manager Birmingham Central Library CEO – Business Insight
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Contents Introduction / Contents
2/3
Chronology
4
Land Fit for Heroes
5
Building a Service
6/7
1955 Evaluation Report
8
Never had it so Good
9 / 10
End of an Era
11
Birmingham Central Library
12
Challenges
13 / 14
Enterprise Revolution
15
Internet Revolution
16
Policy Change
17
Business Insight
18
Permanent Evolution
19 / 20
Outcomes
21
Web Services
22 / 23
Projects & Contracts
24
Creativity
25 /28
Learning
29 / 30
What Makes Us Different?
31 / 32
Back to the Future
33 / 34
Want to Know More?
35
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Chronology 1919 – The Commercial and Patent Library was opened in Great Charles Street 1973 - The library merged with the new Birmingham Central Library and was the first department to open for business. 1974: The third Birmingham Central Library opened as the largest public library in Europe. 1989 - Information Direct (Business service) launched as the UK’s leading business information services serving a fee paying UK audience with bespoke research services. 1998: The Business Library was renamed as Business Insight with a new role 2002: The Learning Shop and Learning Centre opened. 2002 – Business Insight adopt a Holistic Strategy on a ten year plan 2002 - Business studies, Management and other business stock integrated into BI 2003 - Patents Service amalgamated back into Business Insight to become Creative Insight marrying IPR, innovation and business support 2003 - 40 Business Information points in Birmingham established 2004 - Business Learning services launched 2005 - Jobs Insight service started. 2006 – Creative Industry support service “Creative Pathways” launched 2006 – Business Insight designated an Enterprise Agency including Learning service 2007 – Business & Learning amalgamated as one library service 2008 - Launch of individual creative services – Art, Film, Music, 2009 – 90 years of Business Insight serving the city 2013 – New 4th Central Library scheduled to be opened on Centenary Square, incorporating the Rep Theatre. 2019 – 100 years of Business Insight serving the city
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Land Fit For Heroes The First World War generated a series of economic, social, political, and technological problems for Britain, bringing into sharp relief Britain's relatively poor scientific and technological infrastructure. Total conflict engendered extensive social and political disaffection and an accompanying fear of impending radical change. In addressing these problems and tensions, the government initiated a policy of reconstruction in the second half of the war, prompted mainly by manufacturers who found themselves at a trading disadvantage due to lack of information. One element of this policy was a planned extension of public library services as a source of knowledge, including the funding of large commercial libraries in every city. These would be lynchpins in building a “land fit for heroes” operating as a store of technical, scientific, industrial, and commercial knowledge made freely available to all. Although the existing public library service had an economic dimension, it was not until the First World War that the libraries "materialist" role achieved anything like the standing of its traditional cultural and learning functions. They were charged with “providing economic regeneration” through supporting existing enterprises, promoting trade, and helping individuals prosper in business. In 1919 the “Birmingham Commercial, Technical and Patent Library” opened its doors to an eager public and commercial sector in Great Charles Street, where it was to remain until 1973. It was the first business support service in the city, providing free access to global business information with open access to all. The ideals and vision we still carry out today as Business Insight, one of the few survivors of the original UK commercial library network and still starting, growing and developing new businesses in the 21st century.
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Building a Service The Commercial library was a specialised service providing established and aspiring business people with information primarily through books to meet their business needs. The library went from strength to strength over the next few years with marketing campaigns that were impressive even by today’s standards. The library was open long hours ( 72)– from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm six days a week (BI does 63hrs) and housed a growing collection of resources. These ranged from business directories which provided company information; telephone directories with worldwide coverage; economics, company law, insurance, taxation, periodicals, trade publications; patents and trademarks,; newspapers and statistical publications. This information was provided directly to customers by the library staff who also encouraged the use of the venue for business meetings and seminars, provided business information training and worked closely with major companies throughout the city. Without computers or many technical aids the staff developed an international reputation for the quality of their service mainly through the intensive research work they carried out for companies and the huge task of collating, cataloguing, indexing, compiling the diverse print indexes including periodicals so that entrepreneurs could get the facts they needed instantly. Much of their time was spent using traditional library skills in order to make information accessible from whatever source. The original knowledge management and knowledge transfer system to generate economic development and build infrastructure through growth.
The main enquiry desk and reading area in Great Charles Street
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View of the Library in Great Charles Street By the mid 1920s the library had become securely established within the city and indeed regionally with Birmingham creating a model service out of a sense of civic pride and a desire to emulate or better the library of the British Museum in London. Funded by the council as part of the library system in Birmingham it became invaluable for companies in the city, especially as few had their own sources or research facilities, and progressed with this format and operation until the 1970’s. Patents One of the many specialities the public patent Library flourished and was only ousted from its premier position as sole or principal source for the patent searcher when digital and then Internet technology came in towards the end of the 20th century. The public patent library function covered the region and was fourfold: to provide an information and search facility; to act as a supplier of documents; to promote the use of patents as a source of technical and commercial information; and to be an archive. Today it remains as one of only 13 regional Patlib centres, accredited by the Patent Office to provide free advice and information for businesses and the public in the areas of trademarks, patents and design. This is now backed by business support processes and the longest established Patents Clinics in the UK, with free Patents Agents. The physical change is easy to see, we once had 15m paper patents that took up whole floors, we now hold more but on disk that barely take up a bedside cabinet in space terms.
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Original Report from Jan,1955 – American SLA study This is a report by an American industrial expert visiting the UK, comparing Birmingham’s service to services in America, with a view to copying best practice for libraries there, carried out in 1954 by AGNES 0.HANSON, Business Information Bureau, Cleveland, Ohio. “Since it is the main business library in the Midlands, a comprehensive collection is stocked, including an especially large number of American titles with over 500 periodicals are in the Commercial and Patents Library. The Technical Library receives a large number of research inquiries in person, by telephone, and by post, and has developed a comprehensive index to findings by subject. Cuttings, pamphlets, articles from periodicals, and bibliographies are arranged by Dewey classification in vertical files. Photocopy service is provided. The technical librarian and the commercial librarian collaborate in reviewing books "For the Industrialist's Bookshelf," a regular feature in the monthly, Birmingham Chamber of Commerce Journal. They lecture in the Birmingham Annual Summer School of Librarianship. Students from Aston Commercial School come weekly with their instructor to the library for practice in use of commercial materials. There is a book stock of some 10,000 volumes exclusive of periodicals and patents, with special strength in economics and in business and industrial practices, both British and American. Card indexes here include an information file listing translators in the Birmingham area or elsewhere, noting languages and type of translations, whether commercial, technical, or general. Also indexed are changes in place names; the chairmen of Government reports; trade names, listed alphabetically and giving owner, taken from weekly issues of Trade Marks Journal. Patent applications noted in the weekly, Official Journal (Patents), are recorded to show subsequent actions. This is the only British public library offering such service. Impressions Integration of materials is close but individuality and specialisation survive, in keeping with the nature of the clientele. Industrial information exhibits in cooperation with DSIR are distinguished for variety in concept and literature. Provision is made for excellent library publications, many of them involving much bibliographical work. Visible indexes and duplicating machinery are in common use. The work accomplished by these libraries is made possible through a remarkable spirit of work and service characteristic of the staffs everywhere. Juniors entering the library, usually with a university entrance qualification about the equivalent of an American junior college education, have a professional attitude. University graduates are becoming more common. In commercial libraries the largest demand is for trade directories, and for commercial, financial, and trade periodicals. There are many requests for cable codes, trade names, business law, shipping, patent, and financial information on a world-wide basis. Because of the vital and increasingly competitive export trade, a new marketing literature is being developed. In the commercial, scientific, and technical fields, there is a fruitful exchange of helpful ideas and practice. There is a strong spirit of progress in every field of commercial library activity”.
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Never Had it So Good In the late 1950s, the long-awaited post war expansion in public library services got under way and life in the commercial library went on, driven by their own enterprising zeal. As the report on page 8 shows the innovative staff established many services that survive today. They were not a reactive service by any means but proactive in every sector. • • • • • • • • • •
Book Reviews Contributing to Journals Exhibitions Own business publications to supplement gaps Schools education programme Patents clinics with free Patent Agents Press Cuttings service – first RSS feed Seminars on Business Topics Telephone enquiry service – first in UK, One of earliest fax services in UK
This was all part of the job over and above the sheer amount of hard, intellectual work that the staff had to do simply to make information accessible, something that has gone now with the advent of computers. The staff made Birmingham the main Business Library in the UK with their work being used throughout the country. The enquiry service was first class, dealing with postal and phone enquiries as well as physical visitors and using whatever technology came along with photocopiers, fax, duplicators and other new technologies for the benefit of the customer.
Just look at the index files at the enquiry counter needed to help furnish facts quickly.
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A very earnest school party – year unknown To aid enquiries huge files were kept and maintained on every conceivable subject and industry sector. Simply keeping up to date with company news meant scouring every paper, indexing results on cards, cross referencing with books, reports and official documentation and compiling in such a way as always to be accessible in whole or in parts for the customer. All staff worked hard at transferring the knowledge in their heads to others through classes such as the one illustrated, their own publications, monthly magazine articles and seminars. It was all seen as part of the job. This in turn gave them a UK wide reputation for bespoke research that was utilised throughout the country.
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End of an Era The 60’s saw usage soar as public needs developed with the rise of Business Studies, management courses, growing use of standards, growth of government regulations, and more government involvement with industry, but the challenge of the age of computers was on the horizon. Computers were the first driver of change for the commercial library. What databases and computers meant was that the “commercial” library lost its monopoly on business information. It was no longer the only show in town. Databases were brought into the library for customers but now business customers could access them directly at work or through commercial companies such as Dun and Bradstreet. This first computer revolution started the process of the demise of commercial libraries across the country with many councils amalgamating them into the main public library, or doing away with them altogether. For the first time it opened up commercial libraries to competition. This trend of falling usage by companies, easier access to information through computers, and the perceived exclusiveness of these libraries, meant looking hard at their finances as business information is an expensive game to be in and has to deliver value for money. While the library was adapting to technology change, library planners became strongly optimistic about the public library's "modern" future. In keeping with the principles of egalitarianism and universalism underpinning the welfare state, a radically new philosophy, known as "community librarianship," emerged in the early 1970s. Its aim was to encourage the public library to make an irreversible break with its perceived "conservative" past and to become a truly popular people’s institution that clearly helped all of society. This second driver coincided with Birmingham’s desire to “reinvent itself” and one of new works of civic pride that helped define the rebirth of the city was the creation of the Birmingham Central Library in 1973, amalgamating within its walls the Commercial Library. The economics of a new library with modern facilities, the largest public library in Europe, meant the council could no longer justify a separate business entity, especially as at the same time as the commercial library was beginning to see the first effects of databases and computers on its service usage. The economies of scale that could be achieved along with better services and facilities for the public ended any argument for separate premises and organisation.
Moving to our new home 1973
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Central Library
In 1973 the Edwardian outlook of Great Charles Street was left behind and the Business library became part of Birmingham Central Library in Chamberlain Square, with its state of the art facilities and its status as the largest public library in Europe. As with any change there were pluses and minuses with the service’s holistic approach being split up by the new geography of the building and adherence to the needs of a wider library service and its audience. So Business became just that – business information resources as determined by the Dewey cataloguing system. Patents and business studies material were located elsewhere in the building but the service gained access to a much wider subject resource and library support than previously possible. Frontage of Business Insight Renamed Quick Reference & Commercial Library, then Business information and finally Business Insight in 1998, the service has remained in its ground and lower ground premises within Central Library until the present day. The traditional standards from the past have been retained but the service has moved with the times to meet new demands and challenges. The last thirty years 1978 - 2008 have seen unprecedented challenges from new competition, economic and political change, new technology, and the needs and expectations of our customers, well beyond what our predecessors faced.
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Challenges The next fifteen years into the late 80’s saw the Business library striving to continue its traditional role within a changing market and adapting to technological change by providing an ever increasing number of free databases to customers. Customers However the customer base was changing and becoming one much more of individuals, potential start-ups, self-employed and a large influx of the general public using information for all sorts of new purposes, rather than established businesses. There was a gradual decline of student numbers as college, school and university libraries had their own databases and utilised their own resources, with the business library no longer the draw it had once been. Being part of a larger entity also meant a loss of marketing identity with no separate focus for customers. In addition there was a direct loss of customers through splitting the service as Patents for example were now separate. Over time, larger then medium and smaller businesses ceased to visit the service as business enquiries moved more to the phone service while desk enquiries became more and more for the SME’s, self employed and the interested public. This trend was fuelled by pressures on time, decline in manufacturing industry, tendency for larger firms to buy in their own databases, new commercial competitors along with information suppliers selling direct to the customer and increase in business support services elsewhere. There were still plenty of customers but their make-up had changed. Services The strengths of the free service were still there – a dedicated and skilled staff, a wide range of free business resources including databases, but the external world was changing more rapidly than what was then a reactive service could deal with quickly. The staff continued to follow the traditional commercial library model but for a new audience as the old commercial audience declined. Catering for a different customer did lead to a general move away from the view of what overall business information was. Although this was slow. It was no longer all about companies themselves, or providing for multi-nationals as defining what business was, or of stocks and shares and company movements as being what business information was. This information was still provided but the marketplace for this information was increasingly elsewhere, as was international information which had once been the lynchpin of the commercial library service serving the import/export drive. Computers and databases meant less clerical and indexing work with better information management and despite a gradual decline in book stock, a massive increase in the amount of information available. Changes of information format was something the service took in its stride introducing databases, CD’s, micro fiche for share prices, fax and so on. All of which meant that while superficially the service may have looked smaller, the reality was that the resource base was expanding exponentially, with access through databases to worldwide resources.
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Background Trends The late 70’s was the decade in which physical visitor numbers and enquiry figures, judged by our old standards, reached their peak. Some might say that since then our story is one of gradual decline as we are no longer the great commercial library that once was, but this is only if you view the world through a single lens, in reality it is one of growth and development over a period of change. We do more now than the old library ever could. The market for a traditional commercial library as a single entity simply does not exist anymore, anywhere in the world, given the dramatic changes in knowledge and its dissemination that have taken place since the late 70’s. What we have now in 2008 is an international audience in millions through our web services and real outputs in economic regeneration and learning that make evidence- based differences in people’s lives. The world has changed and moved on and we have changed with it, not stood still and become extinct. The 80’s and the 90’s are the period of making this transition. Just as in the same decade Birmingham began to transform itself into a city worthy of being the second city in the UK with an international outlook. This new wave of urban and economic development became the major theme for the 80’s but one that took another ten years before the business library really became a part of it through embracing change. The story of the 80’s and the 90’s is one of the library service as well as the business library facing a decline in customers, shrinking budgets in real terms yet rising costs as technology began to play a major part of library work. During this period there were a lot of adjustments made to services but demand always outstripped supply, resources were never adequate and expectations were unrealistic for a stretched service.
Birmingham Architecture of the Time
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Enterprise Revolution The 70’s witnessed the beginning of a massive boom in business support agencies and services all claiming to serve small business needs that has spawned a new “business support” industry with around 2,000 publicly funded agencies and sub-contractors in the UK delivering services direct to small businesses in 2008. This figure is the only a fraction of the real number operating in this area as any simple web search shows. Enterprise Agencies originated in the late 1970s, usually established as a partnership between business and local councils in response to high levels of unemployment and the demise of large sections of traditional industry. There are now more than 130 LEAs operating across England. There have been innumerable changes in government structure and policy since that time, producing more groupings such as the 80’s boom in TEC’s leading to Business Link in the mid 90’s, with the introduction of regional development agencies in 1999 and the Small Business Service (now Enterprise directorate) however agencies have remained adaptable to their ever-shifting market and there are now more than 130 LEAs operating across England. The election manifesto of every incoming Government since 1979 has made explicit statements about the importance of enterprise and the role of small business and announced a range of small business support schemes and initiatives, with a fivefold increase in funding since 1980. The Business Library was caught in this enterprise explosion which while taking away some of its customer base, also represented an opportunity to provide support services via information to these new bodies and entrepreneurs. This accelerated the move away from the higher stratosphere of business information to being more small business orientated.
The library promoted itself as a source of free support and information for enterprise, backed by the creation in 1989 of Information Direct, that celebrates its 20Th anniversary in 2009. ID was set up on a new self-financing Business Model as a fee based service providing bespoke research on any business topic, available to anyone in the country. At the time it was a revolutionary concept for a public library, and was the first of its kind in the UK. Customers could call, receive a free quote for the work they required and then get a same day delivery. Information included credit checks, market research, benchmarking, mailing and marketing lists, company financials, and act as a broker for other business intelligence using worldwide databases and our staff expertise. Its successful formula was copied by many but unlike many it has survived and continues to provide an excellent service, as it has adapted to the competition brought by the arrival of the Internet in the 90’s. It is this service and its spirit of entrepreneurship that has provided the foundations for much of our modern service delivery.
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Internet Revolution The internet brought a whole new challenge for the business library. It was no longer a case of adapting to customer needs or changing to new formats as it had always done. The format itself was now also the provider, delivering direct to the customer 24/7 on a global basis, superficially almost any business information they wanted for free or low cost. This posed a whole new series of questions and the need to innovate that continues today – “disruptive innovation” with a vengeance. To say there was seismic shift is an understement. Traditional information sources simply disappeared within a short span of time. For example a mainstay service had been international phone directories with the Business Library having one of the most comprehensive collections in the UK. Directories became available for free via the web resulting in reduced print runs and ultimately ending with no print suppliers for them in the UK as no-one could make it pay. Dial Up databases and CD formats were redundant very quickly as they became web based but this took away enquiry work as businesses in particular could access everything they wanted online direct. Even the fact they had to pay while our service remained free was not a factor as they felt it was easier to pay online than costs of coming to the library. The web also meant that anyone could be a competitor in information provision. All you needed was a web site from which you could deliver factsheets, news, link to other sources, and deliver information. This has created an information and communication explosion that continues today with eve increasing momentum, change now happens quicker than ever. The web also became the deliverer via e-mail and raised customer expectations as they now expected company information instantly, for what once had taken a day to compile. The arrival of the web allied to the growth in enterprise bodies, supported by new, direct information providers spawned a whole new business information industry that was alien to all that had gone before. In its wake most traditional services vanished as they failed to adapt and compete to meet the challenges these trends represented. The Business Library adapted to the changes by integrating the Internet into its mainstream business information services, making these directly available to the public, with particular reference to the provision of company information, market research, British Standards information, press cuttings and articles from specialised trade and scientific journals and patents information. From 2001 it also provided free internet access for any purpose in common with libraries across the UK.. However by the end of the 90’s it had become obvious that simply adapting and using the web as another tool was not enough and a new direction needed to be taken.
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Policy Change The business library had to evolve to meet the challenge and the opportunity of the revolutionary impact of the Internet and the enterprise economy in the 1990s, if it was to continue to play its part in regenerating the city’s economy. The traditional business library model for delivery had run its course. The web was the final nail in the coffin for most comparable services. Local authorities closed down most business services, reducing them to small parts of their reference libraries, if that, in the belief that between Business Link and the web – expensive business information services were not needed. This was reflected by a flurry of reports from 1998 about the decline of the public library and closures around the country. (All of which have been proved wrong). However the need for and the role for the business library had not changed, in many ways it had increased, what needed to change was the way that services were delivered and the means by which the service engaged with its customers and partners. The traditional service model was no longer an option as external changes had diminished the value of what it was providing and how it was delivered. Specific Challenges • • • • • • •
Decline of traditional customer base Enterprise role lost to external agencies Increased costs for print and online with new business models Loss of traditional services – international directories, press cutting, research Higher customer expectations Reduction of traditional print sources Sheer number and scope of competitors
The conclusion of the Central Library management team was to take these challenges head on and seize the opportunities available to deliver a business service model geared to the new circumstances and needs of Birmingham. This involved a redefinition of priorities; marketing; a refocus of resources; and embracing the use of information technology (IT) to its full potential. This analysis went beyond traditional boundaries with a wide consultation throughout the region including small business groups, Birmingham Chamber, Colleges, Adult education, Business agencies and other stakeholders to ensure there was a real role for the service to play. The new model strategy embraced providing: • • • • •
Proactive Services Delivering on council policies Outreach to communities of interest and customers New business skills learning Focus on small businesses and individual entrepreneurs
Above all it was about utilising staff and resources as a dynamic development force, that went out to customers, delivered real outputs for the city and whose aim was generating wealth for individuals within Birmingham and thus regenerating the city’s economy. This meant and end to acting in a repository role but actively working at providing services from its resources that were business relevant and taking resources to where they could be of the most benefit to customers. 17
Business Insight Armed with its new strategy the Business Library was launched as Business Insight in 1998 backed by external funding through its first contracts and project work obtained under its new strategy. The first three years of Business Insight saw it deliver: BIRMINGHAM BUSINESS INFORMATION AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SERVICES (BBIPS) (1997-2001) (European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Funded Project) Business Insight was created through this project to provide business and Intellectual Property support to Small and Medium Sized Enterprises in Birmingham. This earned the service nearly £250,000 in total funding encompassing a massive marketing campaign for the first time ever and a wide range of new business services direct to companies. FABRIC (2000-2001) (ERDF) Funded Project) BI provided an information centre project for the textile industry in the West Midlands that created 40 jobs and safeguarded 100 as well as delivering business support through seminars and coaching for textile companies, and exceeding all the targets set. INTER-ALL (2000-3) (ERDF) Funded Project) BI headed up a partnership with twelve other West Midlands Authorities to establish a regional business information network with Business Insight as the hub dealing with over one million enquiries over that time. Sadly although successful the network broke up due to political and finance issues. These three projects enabled the staff to develop new skills, built new partnerships and brought in much needed external funding to maintain services. They epitomised what the new strategy was all about and clearly demonstrated the real role that still existed for the service. Business Insight was no longer in the comfort zone as a repository library service but was now a proactive, fully fledged business support service that had to make new services self –financing and produce positive outcomes. This finance model was based on the ten years of success for its “Information Direct” service and enabled BI to: • Continue a free business information service for Birmingham • Innovate without being a drain on library or BCC finances • Support services that were valued but not economic (free business phone enquiry service) as part of an overall package. However although Business Insight had halted the decline in the service and was now an active part of the wider business support network it was still constrained by its transition from a traditional library service to business support by outmoded practices, too few income streams, lack of specific marketing and the need to be partners within the work of other agencies. It was also still subject to external forces so despite the progress and the hard work that had been put in a further review of what more was needed to create a critical mass for Business Insight was carried in 2002.
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Permanent Evolution The BI review of 2002 resulted in a ten year plan being constructed for the transformation of the service into a key agent for “Enterprise, Creativity & Learning”, primarily for Birmingham but with a West Midlands remit and a global range. The results of the review became known as “permanent evolution” where business support and enterprise were stretched to their widest possible definitions and a range of new services were introduced and then built upon every year. It is to the credit of all the Central Library management who backed the business concept and the staff involved that most of this strategy has been accomplished in five years, half the time, and self generating growth has enabled new services for a wide range of customers. BI now runs within a true knowledge and innovative cycle, able to seize opportunities as they appear, experiment with new ideas, yet continue to deliver free services, attract external finance and remain true to its traditional values. The Knowledge cycle simply demonstrates that BI acquire knowledge, then disseminate it to those who need it and by implementing actions, generate more knowledge and so the cycle continues. In effect this illustrates the core of our policy, that we practice what we preach through projects, business support and learning. The innovation cycle is where we evaluate a new idea, trial it and then work it as part of our operational processes until it runs itself. Then we use it to build the next step or inform new innovations. These new services have to be self financing or income generating as this gives us the freedom to develop new ideas and experiment without placing any strains on the library, BCC budget or risking existing services. All services tie into our overall plan as part of flexible packages which can be adjusted to suit the industry, customer, or needs of the moment. Each service supports the other and helps provide a range of income streams that reduce the dependence on single projects for future development, enabling permanent evolution.
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Service Development Within a year of adopting this policy, BI became the most successful public business information service in the UK, making a major contribution to the economic regeneration of the city and establishing itself as the most comprehensive business service in Europe. Business Information Review report described BI as “There cannot really be a better summary of how to take business information services forward in the UK than the Business Insight resource at Birmingham Public Library which demonstrates a versatility and market awareness of how to reposition skills and services to deliver customer needs.” BI used business models and principles to achieve our aims, based on the idea of practising what we preached. It was no longer enough to just hand out information but we would use the information to provide learning, to start new businesses, to run our own services, to show customers that we were not all talk but doers working with them. The first objective was to create a holistic service – a business service that catered for every need, up to date and relevant for all our customers. The traditional information base and staff skills was the backbone for all new initiatives, strengthened by amalgamating all business stock and related subjects from the rest of Central Library within BI over 2002/3. This included integrating the patents service back into BI after an absence of thirty years enabling Creative Insight to be established dealing with innovation, all IPR issues, inventors and creative industry needs. Funding was found by the library management team to set up business information points in every library in all 40 libraries in the city, generating some 36,000 enquiries in the first year of operation, and giving BI a presence in every community. The following year (2004) we started through external funding (LSC) a business learning service Learning Insight, which provided the capability to launch Jobs Insight, in 2005. This service was created in response to Rover’s demise in Birmingham but is now a main player in the drive against worklessness and helping people find the work they want, either through new skills, CV’s, self employment or career change. Creative Pathways was launched in 2006 based on our creative project work and run as a function of our IPR service and has been phenomenally successful. It truly shows the innovation cycle in full swing and has spawned a range of new ventures and services for the city, its creative industries and UK wide. All our new services are self financing, requiring no library funding, and enable BI to tender for more contracts, develop new customers, enhance services and deliver output results. Enterprise Agency In late 2006 BI became an Enterprise Agency in its own right as a result of our work in starting new businesses, with 16 of the staff gaining SFEDI business adviser qualifications. This enabled us to deliver one to one business advice clinics everyday and greatly enhanced our operational scope and partnerships as we became part of the Business Link network as a paid provider of services. We had finally met the “Enterprise” challenge by becoming an agency, embedding ourselves within the business support network and not as the “free, peripheral service” of last resort that some perceived us as. Now in our third year we are the largest single Enterprise Agency in the city delivering services to every community under our “Enterprise, Creativity and Learning” banner and it is all self financing, with no strain on the library or public purse. 20
Outcomes Has “permanent evolution” and changing the traditional role of the library been worth it? Some of the yearly outputs for the past four years are listed below, a mixture of activity and results. Library services have always found it difficult to prove the value of what they do as they can rarely offer hard data that evidences outcomes as opposed to numbers of issues / members. For the first time we are able to provide quality data on the results of our work, something we have never been able to do in the history of the service. HEADINGS
2004/5
2005/6
2006/7
Business Advice
3,457
5,010
5,707
Business Assists
110
106
n/a
n/a
Business Ready
n/a
1,070
865
65
Business Seminars
6,800
7,711
Business Start Ups
475
790
Business Sustainability
n/a
n/a
Creative Enquiries
15,103
Phone Enquiries
7,984 805
2007/08 3,685
1-1 booked (45mins av) 30 hrs support Individuals mentored
4,500
Numbers attending
438
New Companies evidenced
75%
81%
Survival rate after 12mths
24,000
22,100
14,250
Creative Industry work
34,798
35,102
28,000
21,500
Business information
Visitors to BI
230,706
235,104
232,000
182,000
Business Library users
Learning Centre Users
n/a
n/a
70,000
50,000
Nos using LC services
BI Web sites use
1.3m
2.5m
3.5m
4.5m
Page view figures
Cobra users
n/a
n/a
12,500
11,005
Database Downloads
Email College Students
n/a
400
6,304
23,456
Course completion
Service Value
£50
£74
£77
£52
£ generated per £ invested
Money generated
£35.22m
£52.15m
Jobs created
2,062
2,965
n/a
n/a
Unemployment
£54.3m 3,117 2,503
£38.96m
Local Wealth generation
1,966
EU/DTI/SBS Model
1,059
Unemployed gaining work
Four Year Aggregations • 2508 new companies created generating an est £253m for the local economy • 879,810 physical customers visited our premises • 17,859 customers have used one to one business advice sessions • 12% of UK Library Authorities pay to use our business outsource services • 11.8m global users of our free web site information • 26,995 customers have attended business learning seminars • 10,113 new jobs created, 3,562 unemployed people started work These statistics are only a snapshot of some of our work and do not show all the outputs the service generates, while providing a free business information service for the city.
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Web Services
Our “permanent evolution” policy enabled us to take on the challenge of the web alluded to earlier and not only utilise it as a format of information for customers but deploy it as a tool for new services and reach out to a UK and global audience. In this way the web has become an ally and not a threat or challenge to our work. The internet has enabled us to vastly increase the range of databases and information we have available to customers, deliver information more quickly, develop new services such as “company formation” “business simulations” “Learn Direct”, providing a more holistic service than was ever possible in the past. As a tool we have fully embraced the web and not been devoured by it. Web Sites In 2002 our sole web site was our presence via the library pages on the Birmingham City Council corporate site, a mix of information about us and links to business information sources. With £102 external funding we created www.bestforbusiness.com as a business information portal, showcasing our 750 in house factsheets as well as linking to the best evaluated business sites we could find. In July 2003 this site had over a million users and was amongst the top ten UK business sites as judged by the Guardian newspaper. From this base we continued to develop new sites alongside new services, as well as work for others providing content and design for their sites. This has all been self financing with site involvement in any one year varying from 10 – 25. Example Sites Birmingham Music – www.birminghammusic.com Creative Insight – www.creativeinsightuk.com Email College – www.emailcollege.co.uk Jobs Insight – www.jobsinsight.co.uk Publishing Birmingham – www.publishingbirmingham.com Statistics Insight – www.statisticsinsight.co.uk
These sites have been used to give us a truly global audience and advance our principles by providing free information and linking to sources that customers not only get information, but understand it and then use it to take actions. Utilising web sites has brought us a new virtual market, working with millions of people, by bringing together diverse information sources to provide for every need. Something our predecessors could only dream of. Staff exercise their traditional skills in new ways, publishing through the web, delivering services, providing information. The book stock has diminished compared to the past but the audience now being reached is in millions, global and 24/7 22
Direct Services The web also means we now pay for commercial databases that anyone can access via the internet from home, school, work or any location 24/7 by using a library card number as a password. 12,000 people a year use COBRA for business startup information. This database provides more information and support for start-ups than the original commercial library held. This gives us direct provision to every individual in Birmingam regards running or growing a business. Being part of Central Library also means that we benefit from the broader range of web databases that other departments provide so delivering a better service for customers. For example our customers cannot only access COBRA from home but also Credo Reference (formerly xreferplus ) - 100 reference books on one web site Gale newspapers and journals recent national papers & 50 popular magazines Naxos Music Library - a collection of music available for online listening. Oxford Reference Online - a cross-searchable database of all OUP's top reference books searchMuze comprehensive listing of UK recorded music, plus videos and DVDs. These all have business applications and help illustrate the strength we have being part of the library, with its vast resources and facilities.
UK Services The web has also meant that we can operate on a UK wide basis providing low cost services to any business or individual on topics such as intellectual property, company formation, bespoke research, company information, market research, marketing lists, international data and credit checks. Such is the cost of service provision and the competition, that the income we obtain from charging people outside Birmingham for added value services is essential to maintain a free service for Birmingham. Utilising our knowledge and web databases is the backbone of our business information outsourcing package that is used by library and information units across the country. As a matter of policy we continue to make as much of our knowledge and expertise available via our range of free web sites, online publications and talks.
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Projects and Contracts The proactive enterprise model enabled BI to find new ways of funding services through external contracts, projects and outsourcing to others, including our internal market within Birmingham City Council. We sell our information services to nine BCC departments via outsource contracts and look after 12% of UK public library authorities business enquiries and information needs via outsource contracts. Since implementing this strategy, BI has gone onto successfully complete eighteen major European funded projects by the end of 2006, and six provider contracts over 2006 – 08 generating a self sustaining income for new services to customers without being a drain on the library, the council or the public. What is different from our earlier project involvement is that an exit strategy has always been in place before starting a project to ensure sustainability and that Bi or the library will have new services when the funding ends. Projects in reality are good for benefiting customers activities but not for direct funding for BI, but do generate income for the city, with budgets in the millions. Their main benefit for BI has been in developing new staff skills and experience that boosts our credibility as a major deliverer of business support services. They have also enabled us to broaden our definitions of enterprise to embrace a wider audience particularly in the creative industries, digital, and learning services. For the past two years we have followed a course of concentrating on contract income, where we are paid directly for what we deliver, rather than projects as this diversifies our income and we can use the income as we wish, rather than designated project ends. Snapshot Listing Contracts Enterprise generator – (2008) – start 50 business in deprived ward Enterprise catalyst – (2008) - support for 400 businesses in deprived wards Enterprising Communities – (2008) - 20 businesses in 3 months in deprived wards Business Link – (2007 – 2009) engagement provider Libraries mean Business (2007) – 20 new business in 3 months in South Yardley Barclays Workshops (2006 - ) – weekly business seminars Creative Industries Projects (2006-7) MUSLIM WRITERS – support 3000 writers into self employment and sales MUSIC BUSINESS– help 20 starters produce music products and sales ART WITH A PURPOSE (3 projects) help 110 artists hone their business skills TIC - Partnership to assist 300 media businesses to improve their business skills SKILLS AND COMMISSION READY - Help 40 designer makers develop their business skills CREATIVE PATHWAYS (2005-07) – provide new pathways into business for individuals CREATIVE CITY (2004-07) - Content provider for the five Creative City web sites BITE SIZE (2004) – business learning courses for the public BUSINESS ASSIST (2003 – 05) 4 projects - providing 30hrs support to 106 new companies KNOWLEDGE SUPPORT FOR BUSINESS ( (2002-03) – business support for 80 companies Start a Business Service (2002) – 41 business information points across the city These show the move from information style services to creative expertise to active business support and start-up creation. 24
Creativity Role The library services and Business Insight had always assisted creative industries and individuals but not in any concentrated way until recently, as part of our creative projects and then the new services we developed from those projects. Development of these new services is based on our policy philosophy: The cultural enrichment of individuals and cultural development of communities is a fundamental role for the library service. Cultural activity enhances the experience of the individual, develops intellectual and emotional response and encourages greater selfknowledge and awareness. This adds not only to the quality of life but to the confidence and self-esteem of the people involved. In turn this fosters the development of life skills, encourages lifelong learning and empowers wealth creation by unleashing the potential of individuals and the communities of which they are part. The growth of the creative industries sector is a cornerstone of any Knowledge Economy and a key factor in providing the right environment where enterprise thrives. Creative Insight was established as a BI service in 2003 bringing together the Patents service which covered all IPR (Intellectual Property Right) matters allied to our business support so that we could provide a complete service for any company, individual or inventor. CI offer advice, training and information to help connect business expertise with creative talent backed by a range of professional services, grants and marketing information, help with business plans and every aspect of running a business. As a Pat Lib their remit is the West Midlands and they are the sole accredited agency by the IPO for providing free advice and resources in patents, trademarks, copyright and design. The team provide one to one advice, expert analysis, run innovation seminars Projects This service then took up the challenge for three years ( 03 – 06) of looking after our EU funded creative projects with a budget of £1.5m to provide business support and create as many new enterprises as possible in that time across the creative spectrum. This was based on being the sole free source of IP in the region. This is just some of the results: • • • • • • • • •
3000 writers assisted and made business ready – (target was 120) Started First Muslim Writers awards in UK, now international and a CIC 805 new creative companies set up (target was 150) 220 musicians recorded and marketed worldwide with 27 record deals made 2 new Art galleries established 40 artist gaining commissions in the city, 110 artists started as self employed Generate average of 21,000 enquiries per annum 4 new plays performed and supported 140 local film makers work showcased.
Creative Pathways was so successful that in 2006 it became a permanent function of CI as the name for our support service for the creative industries and looking after the many spin offs from the work as part of our own and the libraries service development process. These are developed via a business model based on our experience in creative work that serves our enterprise, creativity and learning functions. 25
Creative Services These new services are self financing and enable BI to tender for a wider range of contracts, develop new customers and businesses and enhance other library services but above all deliver on our aims. Example: The Music Business (now in its third year – (started 2006)
AIMS - Expand range of music services for the public and build infrastructure Develop and support new talent into the music industry inc showcase Musicians Broaden business skills within the music industry
All our new creative services follow this model – the traditional resource base utilised by our staff and partners know how to provide a range of services such as advice sessions, seminars, business support and so on. These services generate spin off activity within different communities of interest that deliver new activities and resources, which regenerates the cycle again. This process enables new businesses to start, creates public participation, new resources, and skills and provides self financing. The Music Business example shows by using our resource base our partner BTMG provides free music advice classes every week and markets musicians via compilation CD’s where we sell them or their song direct to international record companies. They keep 75% of the revenue and always retain ownership of their music rights, the 25% we retain keeps the service in being. We can also release all records via I-Tunes and have a free image consultant to advise musicians on their appearance. CI support this by enabling all musicians to protect their music rights and ensure they are business ready for self employment or forming a company.
Some of our album covers 26
The spin offs are then the music events that enables us to be part of the local community as a facilitator, finding gigs, venues, recording studios and working with the local music scene. This includes local festivals such as Artsfest, Digbeth and Music Live. This brings us new resources such as the Birmingham Music Collection for the Music Library (Local musicians CDs for loan that are not in the shops) providing a free resource for all with a living history of the music scene in Birmingham. We even published our own book on industry jargon, selling 2000 copies, as well as compiling a Music Directory for Birmingham. This model helps ensure that we practice what we preach, not just telling them what to do. The beauty of it is that each service builds itself – keeping up is the problem. Art Galleries The Creative Pathway team run two Art Galleries – Hanging Space and Art in a Window for new artists work which we publicise and sell over a one month display period for a commission, and in the process make artists business aware. Space is booked out until 2010 and we are working on spreading the concept throughout the council. The art work is given a launch night, some marketing and is promoted to the public on open view for artists who find getting their work displayed difficult. The commission is low as it is not about making money but helping artists flourish. Birmingham Library Theatre Company (started 2008) This innovative company delivers Enterprise, Creativity and Learning in one package by exploring contemporary relevant issues for young people through theatre. They train young adults as actors for national accreditation (first 15 recruited) and by giving performances in our theatre, they gain their equity card. The company run apprenticeship schemes offering training and further skill development through an accredited year long Theatre in Education Diploma. Curriculum based work for schools is carried out to enhance pupils creative, English and social skills. The theatre also provides performances for Artsfest and library events and has just featured at the Edinburgh Festival . Business Insight’s performing arts support includes collaboration with the Rep in business development, rehearsal and audition space provision, screen play readings, and generally trying to assist performing artists as best as we can, backed by our creative business services. 27
Film First started in 2006 and acts primarily as a co-ordinator and facilitator for the range of services that it offers. It has no direct funding of its own, operating through a community of interest, utilising the resources, staff and service base we have in Central Library. Independent Film makers run our/their monthly events while we provide marketing, admin, venue, library resources, business support, training and IPR services. We are able to offer match funding for our partners which helps them gain funding from others. In 0809 Screen West Midlands awarded grants to both Local Shorts and International Cinema for their work with us. Our main facility is Central Library Theatre where we run events and we have full public viewing and performance licences. We provide events every month through four main avenues –
Feature Nights – 10 a year showcasing feature films with a regional connection International Cinema – films from around the globe Local Shorts – quarterly showcase of short films made in the region Music Nights – 6 a year blending film with live music with a local flavour Audiences average 100 per evening that help bring together public, writers, actors, film makers and technicians. This is supplemented by Premiere Nights and Special Showings based on requests from individuals or companies who need suitable viewing premises. Last year (07/08) we ran 44 separate film events, showcasing over 100 local film makers creating new business starts and employment opportunities. Spin Offs in 2008/9 will be a UK first with a local film makers library of short films made in the region housed in Central Library – a living history of what is being made that the public can access both physically and online. We plan to create a small cinema area that ties books to films as a way of people learning about classic films and books. We sponsored the first Black International Film Festival in the UK last year with over 2000 people participating and we are doing the same again in 2008, followed by helping to publish a Film History of Birmingham.
Writing Business We already have an embryo service for writers with information packs, 50 online courses and the www.publishingbirmingham.com web service. The aim is to make writers business aware and able to make money from their work with a full service launching in 2009 that can cater for the UK market. We believe this vision is a first for libraries. 28
Learning
Libraries have always been a centre for learning, it is their fundamental role but until recently this was mainly non-accredited learning, homework clubs, research, and so on, where the library imparted and supported learning but did not run accredited courses. Birmingham Central Library changed all this in 2002 when through external contracts it created the Learning Shop and the Learning Centre, both services starting during Business Insight’s policy review, with a very similar ethos to BI and a close affinity thereafter. The Learning Centre began in 2001 providing the first Learn Direct service in Birmingham, along with basic skills learning, Job skills, ESOL, Skills for Life and self study distance learning, assisting over 68,000 people in the first year. The centre provided drop in learning facilities, CV clinics, jobs and skills library and assessment services, lending material on self employment and small business financed through external contracts. The Learning Shop began in 2002 funded by the LSC to act as a signpost service to learning on any topic, anywhere in the city, directing people and businesses to the most appropriate provider for them. They identified a clear gap in the provision of free business learning – how to do cash flow, legal status, market research, ideas, finding finance, which Business Insight filled with Learning Insight, funded initially by the LSC through a joint “Bitesize” programme with the Learning Centre. Learning Insight specialised in basic business learning for individuals and small companies with free seminars every week, factsheets, online courses, advice clinics and major business fairs. It has held a contract from Barclays Bank and Business Link for the last three years for learning provision which is free to the customer. This work lead to the creation of Jobs Insight in 2005 where we provided joint provision of the jobs service through CV clinics, self employment advice, careers library, basic skills and so on with the other learning services. All business contracts and bids included a provision for learning such was the benefit of sharing resources, seminars and services. In late 2006 following a reorganisation due to funding changes, BI and the learning services were brought together as one service called Business & Learning.
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Business & Learning Reorganisation as a new unit meant Business Insight continued as before but ceased delivering Learning Insight as a separate service, simply merging it into the overall learning portfolio. The Learning Centre took over the provision of Learning Shop services, with the physical Learning shop being closed to make one coherent service, delivering accredited and non accredited learning on business, vocational, basic skills, IT training and Learn Direct. These changes meant that for the first time the Learning Centre and its staff were fully funded by the library, allowing contract income to go back into improving l services. This new focus enabled an expansion of services with over 86,000 people a year benefiting from the different training provided, including the addition of the Matthew Boulton suite in Central Library which provided exam invigilation, tutor lead courses, City & Guilds work and provided a clear ladder system for learners. For Example – Business Learning The customer can choose to enter training at our free business seminars or Barclays talks and have their problems dealt with there. If they feel a course or accreditation would be better then the Learning Centre can assess their needs and abilities and sign them on an appropriate online learning course – such as Learn Direct, City & Guilds, or signpost them to more appropriate courses. The Matthew Boulton suite delivers tutor lead College courses on various business topics that are Intensive, up to 16 weeks and with a nationally recognised qualification Within this process is the ability to switch to partners courses such as Business Link, have one to one advice on problem areas, attend external expert clinics, utilise the libraries rich resources of books, periodicals, databases and online resources for home. All of this is free, 24/7 backed by practical support to then put the knowledge gained into action through getting a job, improving career prospects, starting a business, developing a lifelong skill and generally improving individual lifestyles. No matter the topic the learning framework is the same whether it be ESOL (44% of learners) or Jobs Insight ( 3,562 unemployed into work in last 2 yrs). The customer gets what they need, when they need it, delivered in the format and style that suits them best and without giving up work or losing benefits as we are not full time education. The learning service has blended in seamlessly with our Enterprise, Creativity and Learning model without neglecting its wider learning role in other spheres. 30
What Makes Us Different?
Some ask why should we survive? Would it not be better for others to do the work? There are numerous bodies within the region that cater for entrepreneurs and SMEs – many of them are our partners – but we are the only source of free business, creative and IPR information in one place in the Midlands, with impartial experts, who not only guide users through the resources but actively assist them to start a business, learn a new skill, protect an innovation, develop a product, enter the creative industries or find work. We literally take people from the germ of an idea or aspiration to where they want to go, no matter what point on the map they start from. Our staff are fully accredited and experienced experts in their fields working to the highest national standards (Matrix, Customer First, Investor In People). We have no axe to grind or hidden agenda, our sole role is to help people be all they can be and realise their dreams. We provide a service that combines excellent facilities, information and expertise with an open access policy that brings social capital to those who use our services, including the opportunity to hear and meet well-known entrepreneurs and to make new connections. Surveys show we are trusted by over 85% of the population and have a 93% satisfaction rate as well as serving all sections of our diverse communities. As part of the Central Library we act as a gateway to the library’s wealth of resources for entrepreneurs to access other relevant information for their business from the millions of items in the Library, such as: arts and science information and content; newspapers; legal issues, standards, skills training, and images and sound. They can also gain inspiration from the numerous exhibitions and events. Having the strength and resources of the largest public library in Europe around us enables us to provide a truly holistic service for all our customers. We provide unrivalled free business resources to Birmingham that are all open access, you do not have to join, you do not even have to speak to staff if you do not wish to, yet have access to over 40 high value databases, containing the very latest company, business, market research and industry information as well as weekly seminars, free accredited learning, career support, IPR services, legal clinics, tax advice and much more. We are the premier service for businesses seeking IP information and advice, recognised through our Patlib accreditation by the IPO, with free access to the most comprehensive collection of business and intellectual property (IP) information, including some 15 million patent specifications, searchable databases on patents, trademarks and registered designs.
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On the back of IPR we provide the most dynamic creative support service in the country that participates fully within the creative sphere. We can help get you a record deal, gain acting experience, display and get art commissions, get ready to publish, showcase your film making, perfect your design, protect your ideas, find you that artistic space, join up with networks and much more. We deliver resources to every community in the city through 40 information points, our partnership network and our website strategy, where we try to give out as much free information and coaching as possible to over 4.5m users last year. We are totally not for profit with all income going back into the service for the benefit of the customer enabling us to deliver the full value of every pound we earn. Service ethos and Continuity Above all we are here for the long haul, agencies and fads come and go as policies and funding shifts, we are constant and always building. No other business support service in the city has our longevity, or our experience. No other service would work with the range of customers we see or spend the time with those customers that we provide or deliver the range of services and resources for free that we do. Continuity means we can plan ahead, build services, develop strong staff skills and retain them. All the resources in the world are useless unless you have staff who can use them to maximum potential, who understand customers, who can give seminars, are prepared to learn new skills to help customers, who are dedicated to public service and helping people make a better life for themselves and their families. Continuity means staff can grow with the service and experience and knowledge is retained. For this continuity we are thankful for the vision and support of the Central Library management team over the past 35 years who have always supported us in terms of staffing, budgets and encouragement to do more, despite examples from other parts of the country which suggested downsizing was a better option. It is always easy to break up a service but almost impossible to recreate it once lost as every UK example clearly shows. We cater for everyone and are not driven by money or targets. Want a lifestyle or hobby business? We will help but others need to turn round Full time businesses to earn their income so cannot. Want to be a creative but not run a business we will help. Need some time and support to write your business plan, we will work with you – we are not on a quota treadmill so we can spare you the time. Only want to earn a little extra income we will work with you. For us the customer is always worth the extra mile even if it does not show up on the statistics. Our focus is not on the old fee based service model which has had its day but the managing, packaging and dissemination of information intended for use by SMEs and entrepreneurs. This can be informative or discursive, and carried out in collaboration with commercial suppliers and regional bodies or as a dedicated service with advisers. Our holistic service provides for everyone whatever their needs are, where, when and how they want these needs met, with technology enabling this 24/7 and on a UK/Global basis.
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Back to the Future Looking back the past ninety years the phrase “Everything changes but remains the same” comes to mind, with the cycle of time taking us right back to where we started from. In our story we have come from being a holistic business centre from 1919 till 1973, then being broken up in 1973 for 30 years, till reforming all the parts in 2003 and beyond to once again be a holistic centre for all business information in Birmingham. Our role remains what it always was: • To improve the economic regeneration of Birmingham • Create and support Small Businesses • Encourage self employment and individuals to prosper • Deliver on council policy objectives. We now operate within Birmingham Central Library as the Business & Learning service, utilising all the library’s resources to achieve collective aims, delivering services to the city through the 40 strong public library network and as active partners with other agencies in the city operating in the same spheres. Business Insight is our enterprise agency identity (reality is that it is all one) for our proactive programme to create and help small businesses through specialist services such as: Creative Insight (Intellectual Property), Creative Pathways (Creative Business Support), Information Direct (fee service for business research), Jobs Insight (careers and employment) Learning (business and vocational skills), All the Enterprise work is self financing with Central Library funding ensuring Business & Learning core services are provided for all. All income goes back into the service to maintain a free facility for Birmingham and as a matter of policy we make as much of our knowledge and expertise available via a range of free web sites, online publications and talks. Our remit goes beyond Birmingham as a consequence of the rise of technology with services to other libraries, businesses anywhere in the world, and to external agencies as partners in the Enterprise, Creative and Learning network. The web gives us an international audience. While some activities might look exotic to our predecessors in reality, service work has not changed. As in the past it is not resources that make a service but staff, without staff skills and enterprising attitudes little would be achieved no matter how many databases we had. The librarians that went before did almost everything we think of as new today. • Where they published via print we use the web • Seminars and business learning has always been carried out • Phone enquiries were a mainstay as were “Business services” • Did original research and disseminated widely • Formed partnerships to spread knowledge • Worked tirelessly to improve companies and the city’s wealth • Used resources to the fullest advantage of the customer But they would be relieved to see so much of the clerical burden removed from information work, which has allowed staff the time to be more proactive.
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Values Unlike the heyday of the Commercial Library we are no longer the only source of business information and BI has to keep changing to continue to make a contribution to the life of the city. Business staff are more resilient, more skilled and more adaptable than they give themselves credit for. Skills in enquiry analysis, researching, dissemination of information, people management, current awareness, technical skill and selling the role and value of information are highly transferable. These are key elements of the role of the professional in delivering business information and it is these attributes that has led to some of the more exciting services in the provision of business information services in the UK. BI has to go to the customer by whatever means it can and engage with them to ensure that it stays relevant for their needs in a diverse society. We do this while preserving the values of the first librarians in 1919 who felt they were part of a new world, building a new fairer, wealthier society for all through their work. Like us they believed in free public services, freedom of information, right of anyone to be able to progress to their full potential regardless of wealth, religion, colour or background. All values we still stand by today. Future Challenge Another full circle is on the horizon for 2013 when we move to the new Library of Birmingham in partnership with the Rep Theatre, exactly 40 years after we moved into Central Library. We will be able to provide all our services from one floor, with state of the art facilities for the 21st century delivering information in line with our knowledge cycle strategy building the enterprise culture in Birmingham. The challenge is to build a new service that continues to deliver for the city and can provide innovative thinking to keep up with an ever changing world. We are already working on Web 2.0 services to deliver to a wider audience, Developing more community based programmes to ensure we reach people with the most need, Planning new means of providing online accredited learning to every home in the city, Trends Business libraries globally and in the UK are staging a revival with most public libraries now having some type of service. The British Library has over ÂŁ1.4m a year to fund its business services that follow our model. In other regions authorities are banding together to provide information services through libraries. Why? because proactive public services are the most efficient way of informing and building new businesses, encouraging enterprise and developing skills. In America the first move in a regeneration project is a business service operating from the library as the community hub. The Japanese Local Government Board adopted the Business Insight model after an in depth study to roll out business support via libraries throughout Japan. We hope to be at the heart of this revival in the UK for many years to come, helping others learn from our experience and develop their own services. 34
Want to Know More? If you want to find out more detail about Business Insight, particularly since 2000 and our present work you can consult any of the undernoted or contact us direct on 0121 303 4531 or email businesslibrary@birmingham.gov.uk
Articles / Reports Getting Down to Business – review on BI year of transformation 2002/3 CILIP November 2003 issue of Update ONLINE VERSION - http://tiny.cc/kAkym
Delivering Business Services For Libraries – Outsourcing CILIP March 2004 issue of Update
Insight into blended Learning – Business Learning CILIP April 2004 issue of Update
Getting Creative In Birmingham – Creative Insight CILIP June 2004 issue of Update
Doing the Business – Permanent Evolution Business Information Review, Vol. 23, No. 3, 181-188 (2006)
Video casts on You Tube (cut, paste and view) Business Service http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=XXs1scj9Xx4 Creative Insight http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=UVbg9Wx_5uM Websites
www.birmingham.gov.uk/businessinsight www.bestforbusiness.com www.creativeinsightuk.com (service) www.emailcollege.co.uk (Content provider) www.jobsinsight.co.uk (service) www.publishingbirmingham.com (creative service) www.statisticsinsight.co.uk (service)
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