Name: David Hanson Title: Business & Reference Services Coordinator Organization: Johnson County Library Contact Information: 9867 W. 87th St. Overland Park, KS 66201 (913) 495-7554 www.jocolibrary.org
David Hanson has brought a rich background to the Johnson County Library. He worked in the government documents library at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, while earning his bachelor's degree in English. He also worked at the social work library at the University of Southern California, the New York Public Library and the Kansas City, Kansas Public Library.
In his current position, he coordinates business and specialty reference services at the Central Resource Library. His duties include managing a team of information professionals focused on business research services, facilitating programming to support the library's services and outreach to local business groups and individuals.
"I spent most of my life in libraries one way or another," Hanson said.
He decided if he was going to be serious about library science, he needed to take it to the next level; so two years ago, he went to Emporia State University to get his master's degree in library science.
"At ESU, there were a lot of great discussions that opened my eyes to what the future of public library service could look like," Hanson said.
He said many corporate and academic libraries are scaling back as the way people seek information has changed. This has created resource gaps, and many citizens who need to look up health, legal or business information don't know where to go. He said this shift provides a great opportunity for public libraries.
"We buy materials, both print and electronic, in support of small business," Hanson said. "We are constantly marketing our services, trying to get small businesses to understand that we have spent money on these databases and materials so they should take advantage of that."
The library offers a wide range of services for small business owners and entrepreneurs. For example, he said, the library has a number of print and online sources of information that help business owners with the creation and support of a business plan. It also has a host of small business resources designed to help companies research and answer questions ranging from developing a marketing plan to basic answers for accounting and payroll issues.
The library's business and specialty reference group is a team of information professionals committed to meeting the needs of the business community, Hanson said. The group assists patrons in finding information on a wide range of topics.
"In a typical research question, we might assist individuals looking up demographic data for business plans," Hanson said. "We could help someone look up salary statistics in preparation for negotiating pay during the interview process, or we might have to find out the price of a certain stock on a certain day in 1960."
The business services group presents programs that range from "how to invest in the stock market" to tours of the collection for potential entrepreneurs and classes for small business owners.
"Although I'm fairly new to the position, even at this early stage, the thing I enjoy the most is when someone comes to us with an information need that really does impact his or her ability to achieve success," Hanson said. "It's awesome to be able to offer resources to help that business get stronger and see the appreciation those people have for our services."
Hanson said the library is examining its core services and hopes to launch the next stage of business services in the near future. The library is trying to create a roadmap that helps leverage its collections and people to support business owners' success.
Hanson said that in the small business arena, there are many organizations that offer business advice to entrepreneurs, but it's also important to have support resources collected in one place.
"That's the future of public libraries," Hanson said. "We buy resources for the whole community to use, and that's exciting."
Ellen Jensen is the managing editor of Kansas City Small Business Monthly magazine.
