Whether studying cosmetology, welding, electrical engineering or massage therapy, many of A-B Tech’s students benefit from boosting their business skills. For years, the college’s Small Business Center (SBC) has visited classrooms to give presentations to students on business basics. Starting this fall, A-B Tech’s Locke Library has expanded on that practice by offering students a wide variety of new business tools. Offerings include a free business webinar; an eight-week in-person class; and access to NC LIVE’s wide array of online market research databases and business journals that would otherwise require a paid subscription.

The program is part of a state initiative powered by NC IDEA, a private foundation that aims to turn libraries into business hubs by utilizing resources there that may be overlooked. Program manager Carlo Diy said, “In North Carolina alone, public libraries are losing millions of dollars in federal funding. Now is the time for us to champion and invest in these critical institutions. Libraries are lifelong learning hubs and the foundational incubators of innovation.”

NC IDEA launched a new fellowship program in September of 2025 called the Libraries for Entrepreneurial Advancement Fellowship (LEAF), which has been training library staff across the state to become experts in business reference. A-B Tech’s Locke Library Director Susan Toole completed an eight-week fellowship after applying last fall. According to Toole, there have been five cohorts of about 15 people each so far.

Toole said that for several years the library has stocked A-B Tech Madison and A-B Tech Woodfin with business books available for checkout on the honor system. She’s excited to expand offerings beyond the printed page.

At the top of the list is a new business course offered for free to students this fall. The course, taught by both Toole and SBC Executive Director Jill Sparks, is based on the book “Who Owns the Icehouse? Eight Life Lessons from an Unlikely Entrepreneur” by Clifton Taulbert and Gary Schoeniger. It covers topics including branding, market research, the importance of recognizing opportunities, and acting and persisting through adversity.

Beginning this fall, students will also have access to new supports including a pre-recorded market research webinar that Toole created with SBC Associate Director Duane Adams and Sparks; as well as NC LIVE, a free online catalogue that includes access to databases with industry reports, forecast data, and startup tools.

Students may wonder why they should visit the library if they can find answers to business questions online, but Toole said it is more important than ever these days to have guidance from a real person.

“Our librarians have a master’s in library science, and they have lots of experience in research,” she said. “It is harder to vet info online these days and to tell what is real and what is AI. Librarians can help people get through the information and figure out what is legitimate.”

Another benefit to NC LIVE is that users can surmount publications’ internet paywalls. NC LIVE boasts big-name titles, including The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, and Financial Times. 

Toole was recently nominated and elected 2027-28 Vice Chair of the North Carolina Community College Library Administrators Council (NCCCLAC), which includes library directors from all 58 community colleges. In that role, she’ll help to plan the annual two-day Directors’ Conference, a chance for librarians to hear various speakers and participate in information sessions and networking opportunities. In 2028, A-B Tech will host the Directors’ Conference.

In the meantime, Toole is enjoying being a LEAF fellow and has been busy traveling the area to speak about the benefits of the new program. She’s given presentations about LEAF to local community organizations such as Hatch Co-Working and spoke at the American Library Association’s (ALA) annual conference in Chicago this summer.

She also reached out to Buncombe County’s Pack Library to set up a new policy that will give A-B Tech students continued access to NC LIVE’s market research databases as public library patrons after they graduate.

“NC IDEA (officials) are hoping that other states will model programs after it,” she said. “They were excited about the success of the first (fellowship) cohorts and saw growth and interest in small businesses. This is groundbreaking and has never been done before to this level.”

Toole, along with four other LEAF fellows, recently spoke about the program at the North Carolina Community College System’s (NCCCS) conference this month. Being part of LEAF, Toole says, has connected her with entrepreneurs and community leaders across the state and opened her mind to different ways libraries can support local economic development. She hopes that LEAF’s benefits will ripple through the community and help libraries expand their reach.

“We get isolated,” she said. “We see the same kind of patrons. This is a way to reach a new audience. People don’t realize libraries can help with a variety of things.”

To access the free business webinar on YouTube, visit .

Pictured in photo: LEAF fellows.