Economic & Workforce Development

Small buinesses make up 98 percent of San Diego firms and account for 59 percent of its workforce, twice the national average.

A world-class city requires a strong economy fueled by a strong workforce, and libraries are a crucial component in sustaining and growing the local workforce. Entrepreneurs and small-business owners are essential to San Diego’s economic strength. With its innovative programs, the library creates multiple access points for San Diegans to build thriving futures for themselves and their families, resulting in more people with fulfilling careers, healthy finances, and better social, health, and economic outcomes.

The StartUp 

The San Diego Public Library created The StartUp to support emerging entrepreneurs with access to expert consultations, networking events, business books and databases, and the library’s Patent and Trademark Resource Center.

With Library Foundation SD support, The StartUp’s flexible space accommodates co-working, consultations, and virtual or in-person events. Local partners, including the San Diego Law Library, SCORE, and the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program, provide one-on-one business consultations, legal-focused entrepreneur classes, intellectual property workshops, and patent and trademark database research. Entrepreneurs learn how to write business plans, acquire licenses, and network with experts.

The StartUp plans to offer an entrepreneur-in-residence program in partnership with the library’s IDEA Labs. Entrepreneurs-in-residence will use IDEA Lab tools and work with StartUp resources to develop and launch their business while receiving a monthly stipend.

In its first month, The StartUp consulted with 10 small businesses and entrepreneurs, providing resources and assistance valued at $133,000. In conjunction with the library’s Patent and Trademark Resource Center, patrons can receive patent assistance valued at $1,800 per half hour.

Adult High School Diploma

More than 170,000 San Diegans over the age of 25 (12 percent of the population) do not have a high school diploma. Unemployment for this group is double that of high school graduates. The San Diego Public Library’s Adult High School Diploma program offers adult students, primarily those from low-income communities, the opportunity to earn an accredited high school diploma online, bolstering future academic, career, and earning prospects. 

Participants can take classes and access schoolwork online — at their own pace — and receive free support and educational resources from the library. Many students can complete a program in as few as six months. The library also lends refurbished laptops to program participants in need as part of the library’s larger digital equity initiatives. The Library Foundation is committed to providing a scholarship to each admitted student so they can participate at no charge. Contact us if you’re interested in sponsoring scholarships.

Media Training and Internship Program at City Heights/​Weingart Library

In partnership with Media Arts Center San Diego, the library is preparing City Heights teens to tell their stories through film and digital media. The six-week broadcast training program is based at the Performance Annex at the City Heights/​Weingart Library, which the Library Foundation is helping to refurbish. Students will then use these new skills to intern with local organizations and city departments, including the library.