The Loveland community welcomes Jack Dorr, new business librarian at the Loveland Public Library. Jack started at the library in late September, taking over the role previously held by Amanda Armstrong.
Loveland Public Library services are spotlighted at each “So You Want to Start a Business” workshop, provided monthly by the Loveland Business Development Center (LBDC). Jack stops by the workshop to kick off the class and introduce the attendees to a wealth of business research tools offered by the library.
Jack works with entrepreneurs and small business owners who want to expand or take their companies in new directions, by using databases and other reference materials to gather the statistics and information they need. The library has subscriptions to several databases and can access information generally not found on the Internet. They provide market and industry analysis, generating information on market sizes, target audiences, competitors and demographics, i.e., data that can help with business and other planning documents.
A portion of Jack’s work at the library includes community engagement. He has a mission to change the community’s perceived view of a librarian. His goal is to move away from working with books and instead work with people. Working with projects and engaging with people is his foundation.
“Jack connects the library to the Loveland community,” said Amy Phillips, head of adult services at the library. “He reaches individuals who may not be aware that the library offers something more than books. His work helps to move the library outside of its doors and into Loveland.”
The LBDC will be having a Business Before Hours event on Friday, October 20th from 8:00 am to 9:30 am. Jack will be featured at the event to chat with LBDC clients and community partners.
Jack serves as a bridge between the Loveland Public Library and entrepreneurs, startups, business owners and the organizations that serve them. The position of business librarian has been in place for about seven years. Jack dove in to involvement in the community. He has recently joined the organization team of Loveland Startup Week, of which Amanda was previously a valuable team member. Many have expressed excitement that Jack is continuing to serve with this important event in Loveland.
Jack moved to Loveland from Madison, Wisconsin, where he worked for several campus libraries at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He earned a Master of Library and Information Science in May 2017 at UW-Madison. He has a bachelor’s degree in history from Northern Michigan University and a business certificate in Strategic Innovation from the UW-Madison.
Jack is scheduled to speak at the Business Alliance Breakfast on Friday, October 27th. The breakfast begins at 7:30 am and is held at the Loveland Downtown Partnership office at 350 N. Cleveland Avenue in downtown Loveland. For more details call the LDP office at (970) 541-4333.
If you miss Jack at the events mentioned above, we welcome you to stop by the Loveland Public Library to meet him.
