SIBL Wins Center of Excellence Award

The New York Public Library’s SIBL (Science, Industry & Business Library) was the winner of the Special Libraries Association’s sixth annual "Center of Excellence" Award. The award is presented by SLA’s Business & Finance Division. Kristen McDonough, John Ganly and Madeleine Cohen talked about their winning programs at the awards ceremony. They showed a short video clip from a small business owner and client, Sean Sabol, who wrapped up their story nicely when he said, "I got my MBA in research at NYPL."

The press release from SLA said:
In the past decade more than 64,000 people have taken SIBL’s training classes to learn how to locate, evaluate and apply information from its rich print and electronic resources.
SIBL uses carefully cultivated partnerships to fulfill its mission. Groups as diverse as the Workshop in Business Opportunities, Accion, and the Industrial Technology Assistance Corporation refer clients to SIBL who in turn promote Library resources to other start ups. Counselors from the SBA affiliate Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) and the New York City Department of Small Business Services, provide on-site business advisory services that make SIBL a unique "one-stop-shopping" destination. According to the judges, the Science, Industry, & Business Library of the New York Public Library earned the Centers of Excellence Award for Service for its commitment to service excellence demonstrated by its ability to engage customers and the community-at-large, as well as building strategic alliances with their partners.

To see what SIBL has been doing go to their NYC Small Business Resource Center. Have a look at their videos and podcasts and check out their SBRC Forums, the one on Marketing Research is moderated by a SIBL librarian.