Business Resource and Innovation Center (BRIC) at Parkway Central Library in Philadelphia (Quinn, 2025)
What do you see when you look at the image above? If you said a lounge at a tech company, you would be wrong. This is the Parkway Central Library in Philadelphia. The image above reflects what I envisioned a library that “thinks like a startup” would look like. As you can tell, Brian Mathews’s (2012) white paper Think Like a Startup has planted itself in my mind and taken root. Upon reading the paper, my first reaction was to ask, “How does thinking like a startup help with the current library issues that we have today?” In the text, a startup is defined as “creating something new under conditions of extreme uncertainty” (p. 4), and right now, uncertainty is exactly what libraries in the United States are facing.
Startups are known for facing uncertain circumstances. As someone who has worked at a startup, this is not unfamiliar to me. In fact, Mathews (2012) states that studies suggest as many as 90% of startups fail (p. 5). However, we can learn invaluable lessons from the ones that don’t. Lean Startup methodology helps us understand the startups that succeed, which Mathews (2012) breaks down into seven principles (p. 5). The following six stood out to me:
Fail Faster, Fail Smarter: Startups build failure and adjustment into the process because they know failure is inevitable. By having libraries embrace the thought of failure and learning from our losses, we can shape our new programs or services accordingly. This is particularly useful for new libraries trying to find their footing and older libraries trying to reinvent themselves.
Good Enough is Good Enough to Start: As I dive into the hyperlinked library, I am learning that new ideas are encouraged. In The Heart of Librarianship: Attentive, Positive, and Purposeful Change, Michael Stephens (2016) notes that library directors want librarians who aren’t afraid to take risks, are innovators, and think creatively (p. 3). This is no different in a startup. We should facilitate an environment where all staff members feel comfortable coming up with new ideas while accepting that not everything has to be perfect to try something new. As Mathews (2012) puts it, “everything is beta” (p. 5).
Feed the Feedback Loop: This principle is one that I believe all libraries can benefit from. Receiving and applying the feedback that we receive from our patrons should be a habitual practice in our libraries. By testing our ideas out in the library and letting our users’ feedback refine how we apply them, we can integrate our patrons into the process and discover early on what works and what does not.
Pivot Toward Success: Libraries have to be willing to pivot when a program no longer meets the needs of the community. According to Stephens (2016), this is an obstacle many libraries face due to the “we’ve always done it this way” mindset that many librarians have adopted (p. 14). By not pivoting when necessary, we can potentially stunt the growth of our library and our patrons.
Plant Many Seeds: This concept is about not waiting for the “perfect” idea to come and instead testing or “planting” multiple viable ideas to see which ideas will sprout. This principle is beneficial to libraries that may have a new demographic in their community and have several great ideas but are unsure which ones will benefit the community most. Using this concept, libraries can “plant” their best ideas and allow the patrons to tell them which ones have bloomed.
Seize the White Space: This principle is my favorite of the six because it centers around librarians actively looking for the unmet needs of their users. By taking time to ask ourselves what opportunities exist to help people in ways we have not thought of, what skills our patrons are trying to learn, and what resources we need to provide to allow them to teach themselves, we can focus on what the hyperlinked library is all about: thinking of innovative ways to serve our patrons outside of the traditional library boundaries.
Overall, thinking like a startup does not mean that libraries must operate like businesses. Instead, it means that libraries should embrace change, experiment with new ideas, learn from their failures, and be receptive to feedback. As an aspiring children’s librarian, this model has helped me understand how to approach the growing needs of a community that will undoubtedly keep me on my toes.
References
Quinn, H. (2025, October 6). Building a startup, in this economy? Here are 6 free library tools that can help you cut costs. Technical.ly. https://technical.ly/entrepreneurship/free-library-resources-entrepreneurs-philadelphia-delaware/
