Keynote presentation from the Entrepreneurial Librarian Conference, October 17, 2014. Wake Forest University. Dianne Welsh. UNC-Greensboro

1. Cross-Disciplinary Entrepreneurship: Opportunities for
Librarians in the 21st Century
DIANNE H.B. WELSH, PH.D.
HAYES DISTINGUISHED CHAIR IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP, PROFESSOR OF
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
FOUNDING DIRECTOR, ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAMS
DIRECTOR, COLEMAN FELLOWS PROGRAM
THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT GREENSBORO
© DIANNE H. B. WELSH, DO NOT USE WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.

2. Major Themes
1. Need for cross-campus support of innovation and
entrepreneurship
© DIANNE H. B. WELSH, DO NOT USE WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.

3. Major Themes
2. How libraries too (both public and academic) need to be proactively
involved with entrepreneurship programs and efforts on campus, with
staffing/expertise as well as resources/its collection budget.
© DIANNE H. B. WELSH, DO NOT USE WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.

4. Why Do We Need Cross-Disciplinary Innovation
and Entrepreneurship?
Major Changes in the Education Environment
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5. Need for Cross-Disciplinary Program
1. Continued increase in online college and university offerings
2. Changes in the advanced online education marketplace are monumental
and daily
3. Explosion worldwide of start-up ventures by new and existing organizations
4. Greater personal access to knowledge
5. Higher levels of Psychological Capital (PsyCap)
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6. Need for Cross-Disciplinary Program
6. Higher levels of organizational confidence that leads to greater overall
performance
7. Increased student control and individual decision making
8. Visible, open access by organizations with input and feedback loops
9. Less prerequisites and requirements for majors and graduation at
traditional institutions of higher learning
10. Clearer constraint-free pathways to achieving success
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7. Need for Cross-Disciplinary Program
11. Increased transferability
12. Standard academic course numbering systems
13. Greater accountability and transparency at all levels
14. Continued cutbacks in state and federal aid to colleges and universities
15. Higher value expectations
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8. Need for Cross-Disciplinary Program
16. Greater pressure to continually reduce costs at colleges and universities
17. Greater emphasis on reverse learning
18. Greater focus on continual student assessment
19. Emphasis on non-degree education
20. Greater emphasis on experiences
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9. Need for Cross-Disciplinary Program
21. Increased opportunities outside of academia
22. Increase in academic programs bringing business to the classroom
23. Upsurge in bringing academics to the business world
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10. University of North Carolina Greensboro The
Entrepreneurship Program
•Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina struggles to compete globally
•Entrepreneurship Program started in 2008 with minimal funding
 Entrepreneurship Cross-Disciplinary Program
− Internal
 North Carolina Entrepreneurship Center
− External
 Spartan Trader Experiential Learning Lab started in 2012
− 100% student run retail store
− Consigns original artworks, housewares, fiber crafts, jewelry
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11. Entrepreneurship Reach
•From 2011-2014, 5.69% across campus (approx. 1,000 students) per year took at least one entrepreneurship
class
•Students from all colleges – major, minor for business and non-business students
•Courses are cross-listed with Entrepreneurship in 7 areas:
− Creative Industries
− Family Business
− Franchising
− Health Care Entrepreneurship
− International Entrepreneurship
− Social Entrepreneurship
− Science, Technology & Innovation Entrepreneurship
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12. Entrepreneurship Reach - continued
•15 Coleman Entrepreneurship Fellows
•Collaborative links locally and internationally
•New book, Creative Cross-Disciplinary Entrepreneurship: A Practical Guide for Cross Campus Programs
(Palgrave Macmillan), December 2014
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13. Awards
•Freedoms Foundation – 2014 Leavey Award for Excellence in Private Enterprise Education
•US Association for Small Business &
Entrepreneurship – 2012 Winner of the Outstanding
Emerging Entrepreneurship Program in the U.S.
Academy of Education Leadership – 2012 Award for Creative and Innovative Education
•Small Business Institute – 2011 Best Practice Award for Creative Cross-Disciplinary Entrepreneurship, Project
of the Year Awards 6 Years in a Row
•Global Consortium or Entrepreneurship Centers – 2010 Award for Exceptional Activities in Entrepreneurship
across Disciplines
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14. Where We Are Now
2007
• 4 Course Concentration in Small
Business/Management
• No Center
• No Cross-Disciplinary Courses or Programs
• Minimal Outreach in Entrepreneurship
• Tech Transfer Office
• Research-1 Faculty in Economics and Public
Policy
2014
• B.S. Entrepreneurship, 2 minors, graduate
courses
• Over 50 Entrepreneurship courses in 26
Departments
• Entrepreneurship Cross-Disciplinary Program
• North Carolina Entrepreneurship Center
• Research-4 Dedicated Faculty in
Entrepreneurship-1 endowed chair, 1 tenure
track, 1 lecturer, and 1 Faculty in Economics
& Public Policy
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15. The Essential Role of
Libraries and Librarians
in Cross-Campus
Entrepreneurship
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16. 1.Funding specialized databases that students use to write
Business Models, Feasibility Analyses, & Business Plans:
Basic research needs of entrepreneurs:
• Industry Analysis
• Market Reports
• Consumer Market Data (demographics, spending, psychographics)
• Competitive Intelligence
• Financial Benchmarking
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17. 2. Hiring and supporting the work of proactively-engaged
business librarians:
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Librarian roles:
• Teaching research strategies & sources
• Providing research consultations
• Creating research guides
• Evaluating business databases & other sources

18. Librarian case study #1: Steve Cramer, UNCG
As the UNCG Business Librarian:
• Co-teach ENT 300: From Ideas to Opportunities: Feasibility Analysis, and
MKT 426: International Marketing/“Export Odyssey” each spring and fall;
• Provide hundreds of consultations for students, student teams, & local
entrepreneurs (totaling around 210 hours a year)
• Conduct research workshops (i.e. do guest-teaching) for other classes in
Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Accounting, Geography, etc. (around 40
times a year).
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19. Librarian case study #1: Steve Cramer, UNCG
As a Coleman Fellow:
• Teach ENT/GEO/LIS/MKT 530: Researching Opportunities in
Entrepreneurship & Economic Development (3 credits) each spring
(syllabus at uncg.libguides.com/ent530)
• Serve as assistant director of UNCG Coleman Fellows program for 2014-15
• Advocate for the role of business librarians in entrepreneurship education
at UNCG and other Coleman Fellow campuses (ex. through co-training at
the annual National Coleman Fellows Summit).
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20. Librarian case study #2: Mary Scanlon, WFU
Teach LIB235/ESE305: Research for Entrepreneurs
Cross-listed as elective toward ESE minor
Teach LIB230 Research Strategies
School of Business Entrepreneurship students
Actively support ESE101:
• Provide library instruction sessions
• Pre-approve student concepts
• Meet with groups to guide research
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21. Librarian case study #2: Mary Scanlon, WFU
Provide research consultations to hundreds of students, student teams
and faculty
Teach library instruction sessions in ESE, Accounting, Marketing, Strategy
and other classes
Create and maintain Research Guides
Select databases and other resources
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22. Librarian case study #2: Mary Scanlon, WFU
Serve as Chair of Business Librarianship in North Carolina
(BLINC)
• Provide professional development opportunities to business
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librarians in NC
• Promote business resources and business librarians’ services to
economic development organizations that support entrepreneurs
• Advises NC LIVE on its databases to support entrepreneurship and
economic development state-wide.

23. Librarian case study #3: Diane K. Campbell, Rider University
Provide multiple topic-specific research instruction sessions since 2006 in
ENT-348: Small Business Management and ENT-410: New Venture
Planning, the initial and capstone courses for Entrepreneurial Studies,
also ENT-375, International Entrepreneurship
Support ENT-448/PMBA-8384: New Venture/Small Business Consulting
(Small Business Institute classes)
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24. Librarian case study #3: Diane K. Campbell, Rider University
As Business Librarian, provide instruction sessions, research guides, and
individual consultations to students & faculty of the College of Business
Administration
Research partner since 2009 with Dr. Ron Cook, Director, Entrepreneurial
Studies Center and the Small Business Institute at Rider—
One textbook, 4 peer-reviewed journal articles, 1 national grant, 9
presentations to the Small Business Institute Annual Conference
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25. © DIANNE H. B. WELSH, DO NOT USE WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.
Contact Information:
dhwelsh@uncg.edu
336-256-8507
Cross-Disciplinary Entrepreneurship: A Practical Guide for Cross-Campus Programs
www.palgrave.com
Global Entrepreneurship (2nd ed.) and Global Entrepreneurship Case Studies
www.kendallhunt.com/carraher-welsh
nmathers@kendallhunt.com