Blog Post
New Source for Nonprofit Information
by Jim Rust
The Nonprofit Resources Center is a new collection at AADL that focuses on nonprofit organizations. Nonprofit expertise in the areas of fundraising, governance, administration, and employment is now collected together and available for circulation. The Nonprofit Resources Center contains approximately 400 items and is located on the 2nd floor of the Downtown Library. The Nonprofit Resources Center is a collaboration between the NEW Center and Ann Arbor District Library to facilitate the use of these books and to make them available to the widest audience possible. We wish to thank Borders which generously made these materials available.
Blog Post
Starting a home-based business?
by ulrich
If you're thinking about starting a home-based business, you might wish to sign up for the 'Starting Your Home-Based Business: What You Need to Know' workshop being offered by the Washtenaw County office of the Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center. The workshop will provide a step-by-step approach to planning, opening and growing a new home-based business. Call the MI-SBTDC office at (734)547-9170 to preregister [there is a small registration fee]. The program will be held at the MI-SBTDC office at 301 W. Michigan Avenue, Suite 101, Ypsilanti, on January 31, 2007 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. In the meantime you can also prepare using some of the library's home-based business books.
Blog Post
Buy Local Week, December 4-10
by muffy
Organized by Think Local First of Washtenaw County, Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti will celebrate Buy Local Week, December 4-10 along with many other communities across the country. Click here for a list of events.
During Buy Local Week,, you'll have a chance to win a $250 gift certificate to ANY of the independent, locally-owned businesses in Washtenaw County, as well 10 runner-up prizes.
Why buy local? Here are seven reasons to Think Local First.
While you are shopping at one of our wonderful independent, locally owned bookstores, don't forget our local authors. Happy Shopping!
Blog Post
Open for Business
by Debbie G.
Hurrah! West Stadium is back – no more cones or detour lanes. Cranberry muffins at the Portofino Coffee House, grandbaby books at Nicola’s, fresh peanut butter at Arbor Farms Market, door knobs to die for at Expressions in Hardware, gourmet stoves at Big George’s, down home meals at Zingerman’s Road House. Ace Hardware (best tablecloths in town), University Aquarium & Pet Shop (love those crazy cats), too many merchants to list. Take a drive down beautiful, smooth, West Stadium Boulevard and shop ‘til you drop.
Blog Post
Starting a New Business? The MSBTDC may be able to help you
by ulrich
If you're thinking of starting a new business and are looking for information, counseling, resources and other help, the Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center may be able to assist you. The organization, part of a national and state network, has offices in Ypsilanti and at Washtenaw Community College. Their knowledgable staff presents regular workshops on starting a business called 'Vision to Reality' at several area locations, as well as other special programs on topics such as marketing, business planning, home-based businesses, business taxes and financing. Some programs are free of charge, for others there is a small fee. Just click on the 'Calendar of Training' button to see details about their upcoming schedule.
Blog Post
Marketing Research: Key tool for entrepreneurs
by ulrich
Robert J. Kaden's new book Guerrilla Marketing Research provides an accessible introduction to all phases of marketing research for prospective, new and established entrepreneurs. Presented in a clear, easy-to-read format, the book examines topics such as how to get started, how much it costs, how much research should be done, how to develop a research plan, and the various methods of getting information such as surveys, focus groups, sampling, brainstorming, etc. The subtitle of the book says it all: 'Marketing Research Techniques That Can Help Any Business Make More Money.' It's a great place to start for all business people.
Blog Post
Recent Notable Business Books
by ulrich
New business titles at the library include three books of particular note. Lawrence G. Hrebiniak's Making Strategy Work: Leading Effective Execution and Change analyzes how to translate business strategy into actual change. The author, a professor of business management at the Wharton School argues that while many executives know how to formulate a business strategy, they frequently lack the skills to execute it effectively. This book aims to show how to implement a plan successfully. In Why Some Companies Emerge Stronger and Better from a Crisis, Ian I. Mitroff, a specialist in crisis management, outlines 7 methods for businesses to prepare for, manage and overcome potential crises. Finally, a new study on employee motivation and satisfaction by David Sirota and others, The Enthusiastic Employee: How Companies Profit by Giving Workers What They Want uses case studies, surveys and in-depth research to show how managers can develop high-performace, loyal, enthusiastic employees.
Blog Post
The Library's CPI Table
by amy
The Consumer Price Index [CPI], published by the United States Department of Labor, is the most widely used measure of price changes and inflation. It represents a weighted index of a fixed market basket of goods and services and is published monthly for the Unites States and bi-monthly for the Detroit-Ann Arbor Area. There's a lot more information about the CPI at the government's Bureau of Labor Statistics website. For your convenience, the format of the CPI table on the AADL website enables users to compare price changes over a ten-year period in an easy-to-use one-page format.