Workforce Innovations: CONNECT! Partner

CONNECT! Partner

Sunnyvale Public Library

Success in business relies upon remaining informed of current economic conditions and understanding the shifting complexities necessary to compete and thrive in the expanding global marketplace. The staff, services, and resources of the Sunnyvale Public Library can therefore provide excellent information for members of the regional business community.

Sunnyvale's Library, one of the few public libraries within Santa Clara County operated independent of the county library system, has a diverse range of books, periodicals, and other resources collected specifically with the Silicon Valley businessperson in mind. (See sidebar for a list of recommended resources.) According to Joan Jackson, adult services reference librarian, library patrons have access to several company and industry research databases and can pose questions to knowledgeable and highly trained staff.

The Sunnyvale Public Library is also home to the Sunnyvale Center for Innovation, Invention and Ideas or Sc[i]3, which is a unique partnership between the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) and the City of Sunnyvale. Established in 1994, Sc[i]3 extended the PTO’s comprehensive information resources beyond the Washington, D.C., area for the first time to inventors, researchers and corporations in Silicon Valley, the Western United States and the Pacific Rim. Additional information on this unique local service is available online at http://sunnyvale.ca.gov/Departments/Library/Sci3.

The library is tentatively planning to host entrepreneurial and business-related classes within the next year. Resources can also be found in the regular "Small Biz Corner," written by Jackson, which is available in the library's bimonthly Between the Lines newsletter available at the library and online at http://sunnyvale.ca.gov/Departments/Library

Becoming a member of the Sunnyvale Public Library is easy, the only requirement being permanent residency in California. For more information about business resources at the Sunnyvale Public Library, please visit their Web site or contact Jackson directly at (408) 730-7818.