St. Tammany News

Entrepreneurs and business connoisseurs will soon have the St. Tammany Parish Library at their disposal when the first branch devoted to business-related materials opens in Mandeville.

The Business Reference Library is located next to the Causeway library branch at 3457 U.S. Highway 190 in the Pontchartrain Square Shopping Center. Business Reference Librarian Ed Meyer said the business library is the first of its kind for St. Tammany Parish and was created with hopes to improve the parish's economy after it was devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

"(Library Director) Jan Butler decided it would help the parish's economic recovery if the library had a specialized location that was aimed at helping people start small businesses," Meyer said.

The 1,600-square-foot library is set to open within the next few months and will contain various materials aimed toward beginning businesses like informative books on writing business plans, marketing information and countless other texts to help any budding company.

"We're going to focus on what you need to start a business," Meyer said. "But it's going to contain the most current business information."

Meyer said most of the library's material will not be available for checking out, but the branch will also offer two separate conference rooms with tables, chairs, a phone and computer.

"If you're building your business and you need to meet with a vendor, instead of meeting at your home you can come in and use the conference room for a more professional place," he said.

Meyer also said the library will partner with Southeastern Louisiana University and the St. Tammany Economic Development Foundation to host future business-building seminars at the branch.

So far he has seen a positive reaction from the community concerning the business library, and if funding becomes available, future plans might entail opening a similar branch in eastern St. Tammany.

"I think it's going to be a great move for the parish because it's definitely needed," Meyer said, adding the textual material is important in itself, but the major service they will provide is getting people in touch with SLU and the EDF.

"You need to talk to people who've been there and done that," he said.

For more information, visit www.sttammany.lib.la.us.