Garland library staff presented the Central Library’s Small Business Incubator to the Library Advisory Board on Nov. 10, describing space features, scheduled classes and community partnerships aimed at supporting entrepreneurs and job seekers.

The incubator is a dedicated program room that seats about 10 people and includes a large TV/projector, front and rear cameras for hybrid participation and conferencing capabilities, staff said. "It’s a dedicated program room, so we can have, like, smaller programs," a program staff member said, noting plans to add a laminator and plotter for future services.

Programming: The staff outlined recurring offerings aimed at small-business formation and workforce development — monthly Community Business Builders tours (next on Nov. 19 at 6:30 p.m.), a library-resources session on homework tools (Nov. 17 at 6:30 p.m.), a resume-builder every other Thursday at noon, and technology classes including Spanish-language tech help (U2Tech), basic computer practice and Canva flyer design.

Partnerships: Staff listed partnerships with SCORE, the SBDC, the Garland Chamber of Commerce, the Hispanic Business Association, First Guarantee Bank (financial literacy) and private providers for time-management sessions. Staff said Grow with Google will provide free curricular resources for business and career classes.

Accessibility and recordings: Board members asked about dates and accessibility best practices including captions and keyboard navigation; staff said recordings from the makerspace and other online resources are available and that accessibility is being considered as programming matures.

Why it matters: The incubator centralizes resources for entrepreneurs, lowers barriers to training by offering classes in Spanish and English, and links maker-space prototyping to marketplace skills such as Etsy sales and food-truck startups. Staff asked board members to promote the incubator in their networks.

Next steps: Staff will finalize dates and share schedules; board members requested updates on program take-up and usage statistics as classes run.