Any entrepreneur will tell you that getting a business off the ground is neither easy nor inexpensive. But if you know where to look, there is a wealth of free resources out there, and many of them can be accessed with nothing but a free library card.

Public libraries like the Free Library of Philadelphia and Delaware Libraries offer a dense menu of no-cost tools for entrepreneurs and nonprofits: research databases that would otherwise cost $1,000 a month to access, one-on-one help, meeting space, partner clinics, classes and workshops. With the exception of a couple of partner programs, it’s all completely free. 

“When I do one-on-one appointments, entrepreneurs are like, ‘I can’t believe this is free,’” Sharontina Huzzy of the Free Library of Philadelphia told Technical.ly. “Especially after showing them the information they can capture to propel their businesses.”

Here’s how to get the most out of your local library.

➡️ Jump to a section:
• Coworking on a budget
• Research firepower
• One-on-one help
• Intellectual property and legal pathways
• Classes, workshops and office hours — including AI upskilling
• Other entrepreneur boosts

Coworking on a budget

The Free Library of Philadelphia’s Business Resource & Innovation Center (BRIC) at the Parkway Central branch was renovated in 2019 to include a coworking zone where entrepreneurs can work, hold meetings and network. 

Features include two reservable meeting rooms, communal tables, lounge seating with outlets, private phone booths for business calls and a curated business collection.

“In most other departments of the library, you’re expected to be really quiet,” Huzzy said. “In the BRIC we encourage entrepreneurs to come work in our space.”

Delaware Libraries has its own amenities, offering open computer labs and classrooms, as well as a state-of-the-art maker space at its Route 9 Library and Innovation Center in New Castle that offers access to tools including 3D printers and laser cutters and a media lab for recording podcasts and music, after a free orientation.

The media lab at Route 9 Library in New Castle. (Technical.ly/Holly Quinn)

Research firepower 

Good entrepreneurs do their research. 

Deep-diving into market/industry analysis, demographic targeting, competitive scans and B2B/B2C lead lists requires strong databases that are not cheap to access — except at the library, where your card can give you access to premium business data resources like Data Axel.

BRIC has more than 17 databases systemwide, with 13 specifically for business.

These databases are extremely robust, but they can be challenging to navigate without learning how to use them, Alta Porterfield, statewide social innovator at Delaware Libraries, told Technical.ly. 

Fortunately, both library systems offer help for free.

One-on-one help

One of the most valuable resources offered by BRIC are its 45 to 60-minute Business Research Appointments, which may be done virtually or in-person. Entrepreneurs may choose up to two topics per session, including market, demographics, sales lists and competitive analysis. These appointments, Huzzy stressed, are research coaching, not business consulting.

“We can do research, but we don’t consult in terms of telling people, ‘Here’s what you do for your business,’” Huzzy said. “In that case, we refer them to partners like Temple Small Business Development Center or Widener Small Business Development Center.”

Porterfield recommends that entrepreneurs with just one or two database searches use its “Ask a Librarian” feature on Delaware Libraries’ website. It also offers Open Labs where people can get assistance with applications, LLC steps and basic tech. 

For business advising, Delaware Libraries routes entrepreneurs to the Delaware Small Business Development Center (SBDC), SCORE Delaware mentors and the Division of Small Business.

How to use the libraries like a founder

BRIC has one of just three Patent & Trademark Resource Centers (PTRC) designated by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in Pennsylvania. The center provides guidance on how to research patents and trademarks, plus teaches entrepreneurs to check whether a trademark already exists, where to find applications and how to use USPTO research tools.

“[The PTRC librarian] can give information about how to research trademarks to see if one already exists, where to find the applications,” said Huzzy. “She cannot advise or do the application, but she can guide and inform.”

BRIC partners include Philly VIP, which has free legal help for small businesses and nonprofits, and the Penn Law Intellectual Property Clinic, offering virtual office hours and free consultations by appointment.


In Delaware, entrepreneurs can access legal information through partners including SBDC, SCORE, Launcher and the Division of Small Business, as well as routing to appropriate outside clinics and resources.

Classes, workshops and office hours — including AI upskilling

Free classes and workshops, usually provided by expert partners, are another valuable library resource for entrepreneurs, and one that depends on attendance by entrepreneurs, said Porterfield. 

“Libraries really depend on our partners,” she said. “They create a lot of our workshops.”

You can find workshops on topics like finance, marketing, and, increasingly, AI.

BRIC is offering the Google for Small Business series, including the new “Grow your business with AI-powered tools” workshop slated to begin in October. Also planned for October, Delaware Libraries will offer a virtual ChatGPT session with the Delaware AI Commission, and an in-person AI series is set to start in January.

BRIC also offers a monthly Mayor’s Business Action Team office hours on doing business in Philly, including information on licenses, taxes and zoning. 

The best way to find workshops and classes for entrepreneurs through Delaware Libraries is to go to the website’s statewide calendar and filter by “Entrepreneurship.”

“People can just come in and ask questions about how to do business in Philadelphia,” said Huzzy.

Other entrepreneur boosts

One of BRIC’s most popular offerings is free professional headshots every first and third Thursday of the month.

“You just show up, scan a QR code, and a week or two later you get your headshots,” said Huzzy. 

At Delaware Libraries, LearningExpress gives free computer, career and software classes, from beginner basics all the way up to expert level.

Both library systems offer Kanopy, a streaming video platform that public libraries and academic libraries provide to their patrons. 

With a library card, you can stream films, documentaries, foreign and classic cinema, educational videos and curated content. Among the business and entrepreneurship documentaries available on Kanopy are business courses about things like negotiation skills and financial literacy.

Delaware Libraries also offers Flipster, a digital magazine distributor, also accessible with your library card. Entrepreneurs can search trade magazines and the business and finance category, including back issues of all available titles.

This story is made possible thanks to support from Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania, a nonprofit that leads the Philadelphia region’s equitable economic growth by nurturing and investing in innovative, early-stage companies, and through purposeful involvement in regional and national initiatives.