You are invited to TechTown's Open House on Tuesday, February 7 from 5:00-7:00 PM. Register at the TechTown site or call 313-879-5250.

If you have an idea for a new product or business or need help developing your idea, tour TechTown's facilities, learn how they can help you, or chat with TechTown's entrepenuer of the month at their this monthly open house.

Before you apply for a business loan, first attend a free financing roundtable. Schoolcraft College MI-SBTDC Business Development Center will be hosting a forum on small business lending on Friday, January 20th from 9:00 AM-Noon at the Schoolcraft Livonia campus with teams of bankers, an SBA representative, an SBA business counselor, and business owners like you. The roundtables are best suited for those who have good credit, a solid business idea, and some money to invest in the business. This event is free, but you will need to register online. For more information, contact Schoolcraft College at 734-462-4438.

If you've wondered about franchising as a possible career for you, be sure to attend University of Michigan-Dearborn's January meeting of The Business of Franchising Initiative on January 12th from 6:00-8:00 PM at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, Dining Room D.  Bob Fish, founder and CEO of Biggby Coffee will be presenting his story of a small business that grew to a franchise with over 130 locations.  The meeting is free, but you will need to register. 

The Obama administration proposed regulations on Thursday, December 15 to give the nation’s nearly two million home care workers minimum wage and overtime protections. Those workers have long been exempted from coverage. According to the federal government, six million of the 40 million Americans older than 65 now need some form of daily assistance to live outside a nursing home. That number, government officials say, is expected to double to 12 million by 2030.

Then Again by Diane Keaton

1861: the Civil War Awakening by Adam Goodheart

Confidence Men: Wall Street, Washington, and the Education of a President by Ron Suskind

Fortunate Sons: the 120 Chinese Boys who came to America, Went to School, and Revolutionized an Ancient Civilization by Liel Lei

Fred Meijer, the long-time chairman of the Meijer Corporation, reportedly has died of a brain hemorrhage. A statement released by a Meijer representative reads, "Fred Meijer, Chairman Emeritus of Meijer Corp., passed away Friday evening, November 25, 2011 at the Spectrum Health Systems in Grand Rapids, Michigan after suffering a stroke in his home in the early morning hours."

Videos and images from the November 15 award ceremony are now available on the National Book Foundation website. John Lithgow, actor, writer, and musician was NBA Dinner and Ceremony host.

Salvage the bones: a novel by Jesmyn Ward

The swerve: how the world became modern by Stephen Greenblatt

Inside out & back again by Thanhha Lai

Entrepreneurs. Small Business Owners. Got an idea? Curious about how TechTown can help you? Drop in to Wayne State University's Tech Town's inaugural Open House on Tuesday, November 8 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM and have a look around their thriving entrepreneurial community! Register online. The open house features:

• Tours of the facilities
• A Chat with the entrepreneur of the month
• Discussions with staff about how we support entrepreneurs

Fringe-ology: how I tried to explain away the unexplainable—and couldn't by Steve Volk

But will the planet notice?: how smart economics can save the world by Gernot Wagner

The unexpected patriot: how an ordinary American mother is bringing terrorists to justice by Shannen Rossmiller; with Sue Carswell

If you weren't able to attend the National Book Festival in Washington D.C. on September 24-25, videos of the event including authors' talks are now available. Historian and author David McCullough appeared at the 2011 National Book Festival, as did Sylvia Nasar, Cassandra Clare, Wally Amos, Sara Paretsky, and more.

As the Canton Public Library continues to deal with a declining budget, patrons are reminded the "magazine express" program has been discontinued.

September 22, 5:30-7:00 PM, A talk with author William M. Adler, Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library Gallery

The man who never died : the life, times, and legacy of Joe Hill, American labor icon by William M. Adler — Joe Hill was convicted of murder in Utah in 1914 and sentenced to death by firing squad. In the international controversy that ensued, many believed Hill was innocent but condemned for being a union man. Author William M. Adler spent four years investigating the case, and in a biography that reads like a murder mystery, argues convincingly for Hill’s innocence.

Theft is a problem endemic to human nature. But what if theft were a victimless crime? In the computer age, copying a file from a friend or from the web has become easy and widespread; and it is often criminal in nature. The following books give insight into whether this is a problem of enforcement, of intellectual property laws, or of both:

The pirate's dilemma : how youth culture is reinventing capitalism by Matt Mason

Downloading copyrighted stuff from the Internet : stealing or fair use? by Sherri Mabry Gordon

As part of the 2011 Shopper Reform and Modernization Act, the new Scanner Law goes into effect September 1st. The actual document for this act is very lengthy, but the most important fact is that consumers should know is the following: If the consumer is charged more than the displayed cost, they are entitled to request the difference between the displayed price and what they were charged, plus additional compensation ("bonus") of ten times the difference. The bonus must be at least $1.00, but may not be more than $5.00.
[Photo courtesy of eLibrary]

We're going Back to Business School with a series of presentations geared to our local business community and entrepreneurs during their lunch hours at Noon. This five series offering begins September 13 and includes the following:

• September 13 — SCORE will help you build a web page
• September 20 — The Canton Chamber of Commerce will share the benefits of being a Chamber member
• September 27 — The experts from WSU's Tech Town will show you how to "Thrive in your neighborhood."
• October 4 — Our own professional staff will share the advantages of social media
• October 11 — Local journalist and Canton Patch editor, Peg McNichol will share how best to get your information into local media

It's been reported that workplace incivility is on the rise, causing stress in many workers' lives. If you're trying to find positive solutions to this problem, these books may be for you.

The ape in the corner office: understanding the workplace beast in all of us by Richard Conniff

Best practices: difficult people: working effectively with prickly bosses, coworkers, and clients by John Hoover

The Accelate Michigan Innovation Competition is an international business plan competition designed to highlight Michigan as a robust and vibrant venue for innovation and business opportunity.

Any undergraduate or graduate student enrolled for at least 2 classes in a Michigan public or private university or college for the fall 2011 semester are eligible. The deadline date for students' entries is September 30, 2011.

(Photo Credit: Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service. 08 Jul. 2004. eLibrary. Web. 10 Aug. 2011.)

If you're looking for that next great idea or just want to know how to think outside of the box, give these titles a try.

Breakthrough creativity: achieving top performance using the eight creative talents by Lynne C. Levesque

Discover your genius: ten secrets to breakthrough thinking from history's most revolutionary minds by Michael J. Gelb

Some recent viewpoints regarding society's business customer service ratings make for some interesting reading in the July 2011 issue of Consumer Reports. The article on the Consumer Reports website contains these comments. CR is part of the CPL adult magazine collection and is also available for patron in-library use located at Adult Reference.

Join TechTown on June 30 at NextEnergy for BOOM! The Entrepreneur, the latest in a series of programs for would-be entrepreneurs over the age of 50.

This two-hour workshop, sponsored by BOOM! The New Economy, motivates and inspires baby boomers to take the next steps in starting a business.

Randal Charlton, executive director of TechTown and a serial entrepreneur in his own right, will lead the group in a discovery of what it takes to be an entrepreneur. The program also includes one-on-one counseling sessions with TechTown business experts.
Date: Thursday, June 30, 8:30 to 11:00AM
Location: NextEnergy, 461 Burroughs Street, Detroit
This program is free, but you must register to attend.