Small and medium-sized enterprises in London and the UK are being invited to join a new subscription membership scheme at City Business Library (CBL) to gain remote access to extensive resources to help them grow their companies.
The initiative has been launched in response to changes in working patterns and the importance of recognising that more people are working remotely and need to be able to access business information anywhere and at any time.
Members will be able to source data, including i-global market research, company contact and financial information, industry trends, business start-up advice, imports and exports, and global statistics.
Alexandra Leader, the City of London Corporation’s manager of City Business Library, said: “There is no other information provider offering this unique service or level of remote access anywhere else in the UK.
“This data is usually only accessible by major organisations that have the budget to pay the commercial rates and, despite what some small businesses may believe, they won’t be able to find this type of information by trawling through the internet.
“Two years in the planning, this new membership scheme demonstrates the City Corporation’s commitment to supporting enterprise and innovation.”
Approximately 513,000 people work in the City of London in 24,000 businesses – 99% of which are small and medium enterprises.
Graham Packham, chair of the City’s culture, heritage and libraries committee, said: “In a fast-moving world where new technological innovations, research, laws and regulations are produced continuously, businesses and in particular, small businesses, need to stay ahead of the game.
“Having identified the need for this membership scheme, City Business Library will help them do that by enabling them to plug into high-quality, reliable and up-to-date information.”
Membership can be purchased in person at the library or via the CBL website (cityoflondon.gov.uk/cblmembership), with the choice between six months or 12 months for £119 and £189, both of which provide access to nine databases.
Alternatively, customers can opt for a free access membership, which provides use of all business data inside the library, plus remote access to four databases, free Wi-Fi, access to the library’s computers for up to four hours daily, and a newsletter.
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