Hello all,

This is another reminder to consider signing up for the Entrepreneurship & Libraries Conference (ELC) pitch competition. The deadline is this Friday.

The winner will receive $2,000 (with second prize and an audience choice winner receiving $500 each) to turn an idea into a reality to better serve business owners and entrepreneurs in your community.  

If you have questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.  I am on the planning committee for the pitch competition (though I will not be selecting the winner), and I am happy to tell you more.

Best,

Andrea

Is your library a player in economic development? Or do you have an idea on how your library could contribute to job creation, entrepreneurship, and nonprofits -- but you could use a little funding to get started?

@ the Table is the inaugural pitch competition of the Entrepreneurship & Libraries Conference (ELC). Libraries will be invited to pitch ideas or initiatives to stakeholders in economic development. Public, school, special, and academic librarians are encouraged to apply. The focus of the pitches is how a library can support local economic development, job creation, workforce development, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, small businesses, or innovation in general.

Submissions should be specific about the target population, the problem addressed,  resources available or needed, and the service provided or value added. Submitters should pretend their audience is local community partners, not fellow librarians.

Five finalists will have up to five minutes to pitch their idea or initiative live and online to a panel of economic development professionals and the ELC 2020 attendees. The first place library will receive $2,000. $500 will be awarded to both the second place winner and the audience choice winner. EBSCO is the generous sponsor of this competition.

Jennifer Hensel at Launch Greensboro will be providing pre-recorded best practices for all contestants, as well as one-on-one consultations with the five finalists before the live pitching takes place.

The competition will take place live online on Thursday, November 12, 2020 at 3pm Eastern. Registration for the ELC will be free.

Apply by: Friday, September 25, 2020 at 5pm Eastern. (https://forms.gle/pC7YjdBdhrfdAmKi7) 

Andrea Simzak Levandowski (she/her/hers)

Library Consultant for Small Business Development & Technology

New Jersey State Library

P.O. Box 520

Trenton, NJ 08625

(609) 278-2640 x190

alevandowski@PROTECTED