ELC International 2025

The theme was “How Libraries and Librarians around the World Support Entrepreneurship in their Communities and Campuses”.

Recordings

Day One of the Conference (click on the links below to jump directly to the individual presentations)

The Importance of Digital Equity in Entrepreneurship

Making Space: Supporting Food Entrepreneurship Through Community Taste Testing Events

Empowering Entrepreneurs: The Role of librarians in counselling and Mentoring persons with special needs

Don’t Go It Alone: Libraries Connecting Entrepreneurs to Local Expertise (like SCORE)

Empowering Entrepreneurs through Library Innovation: The Role of Academic Libraries in Supporting Campus-Based Startups in Nigeria

Dataweb.ai – better market intelligence for supporting entrepreneurs

Reframing Library Resources for Entrepreneurs

Day Two of the Conference (click on the links below to jump directly to the individual presentations)

Legal Consults 1:1 learning from legal experts

Synergizing Entrepreneurship and Librarianship: A Novice2Expert AI Research Framework Approach

Africa-Inspired Entrepreneurship: A Librarian’s Journey Across Five Countries and Countless Ideas

Designing the Medical Metaverse Library: A Vision for Supporting Health Entrepreneurship through Virtual Libraries

Cannabis Entrepreneurship & Libraries Panel: Update to 2021 ELC Conference


The theme was ““How Libraries and Librarians around the World Support Entrepreneurship in their Communities and Campuses”.

Public, special, and academic librarians from four countries shared their insights, and attendees participated in two moderated networking discussions. Entrelib 2025 also included a panel of specialists on how libraries continue to support cannabis entrepreneurship,

The planning team included public, special, and academic librarian friends from eight countries, representing five continents. Thank you to SimplyAnalytics and PrivCo for sponsoring.

Wednesday, November 19:
9:00AM to 11:50AM Eastern/New York (2:00PM to 4:50PM GMT)
Thursday, November 20:
2:00PM to 4:35PM Eastern/New York (7:00PM to 9:35PM GMT)

Schedule

Wednesday, November 19
9:00AM to 11:50AM Eastern/New York (2:00PM to 4:50PM GMT)

Time (New York)TitleSpeakerLength
9amWelcome, introductions, & code of conductPlanning team10 minutes
9:10am“The Importance of Digital Equity in Entrepreneurship” (presentation)Jennifer Byrnes (Central Library of Rochester & Monroe County, New York, USA)20 minutes
9:30amMaking Space: Supporting Food Entrepreneurship Through Community Taste Testing Events” (presentation) [slides]Victoria Sun & Lauren Gaudite (Lippincott Library of the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, USA) 20 minutes
9:50am“Empowering Entrepreneurs: The Role of librarians in counselling and Mentoring persons with special needs in Oyo state, Nigeria” (presentation) Temitope Aramide Adaramola & Kareemat Oluwakemi Azeez (College Library, Federal College of Education (Special) Oyo, Oyo State Nigeria)20 minutes
10:10amBreak10 minutes
10:20am“Don’t Go It Alone: Libraries Connecting Entrepreneurs to Local Expertise (like SCORE)” (lightning talk) [slides]John Savercool (San Jose Public Library, California, USA)10 minutes
10:30am“Empowering Entrepreneurs through Library Innovation: The Role of Academic Libraries in Supporting Campus-Based Startups in Nigeria” (presentation) [slides]Ifeakachuku Osinulu (Centre for Learning Resources, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria)20 minutes
10:50am“Dataweb.ai – better market intelligence for supporting entrepreneurs” (lightning talk)HD McKay (Vanderbilt University, Tennessee, USA) & Michael Groenendyk (Concordia University, Montreal, Canada)10 minutes
11:00am“Reframing Library Resources for Entrepreneurs” (presentation)Aisha Mohammed (Plano Public Library, Texas, USA)20 minutes
11:20am[not recorded] “Creating Job Makers, Not Job Seekers: Rethinking LIS Curricula for Entrepreneurial Empowerment” (lightning talk)Dr. Sophia Adeyeye (Department of Information Management, Lead City University, Ibadan, Nigeria)10 minutes
11:30amnetworking discussionplanning team20 minutes

Thursday, November 20:
2:00PM to 4:35PM Eastern/New York (7:00PM to 9:35PM GMT)

Time (New York)TitleSpeakerLength
2pmWelcome, introductions, & code of conductPlanning team10 minutes
2:10pm“Legal Consults – 1:1 learning from legal experts” (presentation)Jay Lyman & Ross Zimmerman (Seattle Public Library, Washington State, USA)20 minutes
2:30pm“Synergizing Entrepreneurship and Librarianship: A Novice2Expert AI Research Framework Approach” (presentation)Dr. Oluwabunmi Dorcas Bakare-Fatungase (Library and Information Science, Department of Information Management, Lead City University,
Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria)
20 minutes
2:50pm“Africa-Inspired Entrepreneurship: A Librarian’s Journey Across Five Countries and Countless Ideas” (presentation)José Rincón (Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, California, USA)20 minutes
3:10pm“Designing the Medical Metaverse Library: A Vision for Supporting Health Entrepreneurship through Virtual Libraries” (lightning talk) [slides]Sajedeh Akbarzadeh (Ghaem Hospital, Center Library, Iran)10 minutes
3:20pmBreak10 minutes
3:30pmPanel: Cannabis Entrepreneurship & Libraries (update to our 2021 conference)Zara Salmon (President, Cannabis Policy Coalition, Rhode Island), Tim Tully (San Diego State), Patricia Sherbaniuk (University of Alberta), & Jennifer Byrnes (Central Library of Rochester & Monroe County, New York); moderator: Orolando Duffus (University of Houston)45 minutes
4:15pmNetworking discussionPlanning team20 minutes

Formats:

  • Presentation (15 minutes including audience interaction, plus up to 5 minutes of questions/answers)
  • Lightning talk (7 minutes plus up to 3 minutes of questions/answers)
  • On Thursday, a cannabis entrepreneurship panel discussion, as an update to our Spring 2021 conference on this topic.
  • Networking discussions moderated by the planning team

Co-chairs:

Khamry Varfley (Gather RI [Rhode Island]): [email protected]
Leili Seifi (University of Birjand): [email protected]
Ophelia Chapman (UNC Wilmington): [email protected]
Steve Cramer (UNC Greensboro): [email protected]