Middletown Township Public Library directors have announced that library staff came in third place in the 2022 @ the Table Pitch Competition from the Entrepreneurship and Libraries Conference on May 19 with their idea, “Makers Make Business: Supporting Our Community Crafter Entrepreneurs.”
The idea, developed and presented by librarians Katie Jeleniewski and Kate Hammond, was
awarded third place by a panel of judges and was also the recipient of the Audience Choice Award in the national competition, awarding the library a total prize of $1,250 toward its proposed project, according to a press release.
“We are so proud of our staff for representing this library at a national level with fresh new ideas that will further enrich, empower and educate our community,” Middletown Township Public Library Director Heather Andolsen said. “We are also grateful to the Entrepreneurship and Libraries Conference for this opportunity and honor.”
The competition focused on how a library can support local economic development, job creation, workforce development, entrepreneurs, nonprofit organizations, small businesses or innovation in general, according to the press release.
Jeleniewski and Hammond proposed the creation of a maker’s crafting center at the library that would provide community entrepreneurs with necessary equipment, crafting supplies, shared work space, services and support that will help their small businesses to succeed, according to the press release.