The woman needed an envelope, and she needed it fast to mail some important paperwork. The Post Office was closed. Did anyone at McCormick Riverfront Library have mailing supplies?

Unfortunately, The Library’s staff had no envelopes at hand.

However, downtown Harrisburg will soon have a place where members and visitors can conduct their business efficiently, improving their access to services and building their capacities for work and entrepreneurship. The Library saw a need and, in response, is creating the M&T Bank Business Center.

“Times like this make us realize what our potential could be and how we can better serve the community,” said Public Services Director Lori Milach. “We won’t replace existing services, like the Post Office, but we will be there with materials and equipment that help members connect more easily with businesses and services in the community.”

The M&T Bank Business Center is an integral feature in renovating McCormick Riverfront Library and linking it to the historic Haldeman Haly House. With new spaces for children’s learning, adult enrichment, and community dialogue and research, the initiative brings new dimensions in educational attainment and economic development to the heart of Harrisburg.

In the age of mobile work, The Library has stepped into a “second responder” role, in part, by serving as “home-away-from-home offices.” Throughout the Dauphin County Library System, computers have become a lifeline for community members doing their work, conducting job searches, submitting job applications, and writing résumés. The Library is also where Dauphin County residents can apply for support such as rent relief and food assistance.

The M&T Bank Business Center will take those capabilities to another level, meeting needs that staff has witnessed among computer and other resource users. Staff asked members what more they needed and reached out to Cumberland County Library System’s Fredericksen Library, which has a comprehensive business center, for advice on equipping a business-oriented space.

As envisioned in the expansion plans, the space will offer:

• Printing, copying, and faxing: Many government agencies and health care facilities still ask that clients submit documents by fax or on paper.
• Office supplies: Folders, envelopes, stamps – The Library currently lacks space for storing supplies. The M&T Bank Business Center will be stocked with the basics needed for submitting applications, mailing documents, and organizing papers.
• Dedicated space for efficiency: Many members access The Library’s computers for entertainment, communications, writing résumés, and other pursuits that can take all the time allotted. The M&T Bank Business Center will allow members with a specific business task, such as a quick fax or print job, to get in and out without waiting, so they can continue their tasks for the day. “You can imagine the stress some of these people have,” said Milach. “Some of these time-sensitive applications are meeting people’s basic needs.”
• Private booths: The redesigned Library will include several consultation areas where members can, for instance, meet with caseworkers. One space adjoins the business center, allowing Library members to meet job interviewers or conduct Zoom meetings without the family dog joining the picture. 

“Our members come to us with a variety of business needs,” said McCormick Riverfront Library Manager Lisa Howald. “Many have legal affairs to manage, with paperwork to file and identification to document. If they apply for social services, they have to gather the necessary financial paperwork. The Library saw a need that no one was filling, and the expansion allows us to respond to those needs.”

While the space isn’t meant to duplicate existing business incubators, budding entrepreneurs could use the center and the range of Library resources as tools for launching their venture.

“Starting a business is not an easy endeavor,” said Milach.

“In terms of economic development, it will be a big boost to the city of Harrisburg and Dauphin County if people can have a location where they can research grants, borrow books on developing a business or nonprofit, and find the supplies they need before they can build their own arsenal at home,” she said. “It makes sense to have a business center because we have all the information, and now we have all the tools.”