How business librarian at Gail Borden can help you

If you're a business owner and want to find out about, say, available resources for direct marketing, look no further than Amanda Gardner, the new business liaison librarian at Gail Borden Public Library in Elgin.

Gardner, who's been on the job since early November, will provide classes on topics relevant to business owners, such as how to use business databases to research household demographics, legal forms, public records and more.

Her overall goal is to increase the library's reach into the business community — and she'll be happy to give business owners individual attention in the process, she said.

“I will meet with them to learn about their needs and tell them about all the resources the library has,” she said, adding Gail Borden has business databases with millions of records. “If the business says they need expertise in this (or that) area, I could possibly help teach the class or put together a class (taught by others).”

Gardner is also a resource for individuals with everyday financial concerns such as learning how to budget. While she's not a financial expert, she points out, she is an expert at connecting people with the resources that best fit their needs.

Her duties also include maintaining the library's career and education section and updating postings about job openings, and working with the Kane County Office of Community Reinvestment, which provides help for jobseekers.

Her job perfectly merges her educational background, said Gardner, who has a master's degree in business from Arkansas State University and a master's in library and information science from Dominican University.

She worked until 2010 at the Rockford Public Library, where she was the manager of the financial opportunities center, and served on the board of the Literacy Council of Rockford. She most recently worked as adult services librarian and adult program coordinator at the Carol Stream Public Library.

Gardner said she regularly attends meetings of organizations such as the Elgin Development Group's workforce development committee, the Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce and the Elgin Area Small Business Network to stay plugged into the business community.

“I feel like Elgin does have a lot of resources,” she said. “It's coming back from the economic downturn, and it's a vibrant community that has a lot to offer.”

Gardner can be contacted at (847) 289-5843 or agardner@gailborden.info.