The Business Resource and Innovation Center (BRIC) at the Free Library of Philadelphia supports entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and inventors at every stage, helping to improve their skills through individualized guidance in research, public programs, and curated print and digital resources. We create multiple entry points for those with ideas, plans, skills, and passions, enabling people to make fact-based decisions in order to fulfill their goals.

Free Library of Opportunity

Visit or Contact Us

1901 Vine Street , Ground Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-686-8663

Hours

Sunday Closed
Monday 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Tuesday 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Thursday 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Friday 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Saturday Closed

Upcoming Events

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Filters On: Location: Business Resource and Innovation Center

Virtual Full Circle Career Workshop: Job Search Strategies

Tue, June 13, 2023 12:00 P.M.
Parkway Central Library

Have you been concerned that your job search strategy isn’t on target and you are losing exciting opportunities? Well you may be right! Job search is a challenging process requiring many ingredients for it to work well. Most job seekers don’t know all the critical ingredients, and go…

Virtual Ask a Business Consultant: Office Hours with Temple Small Business Development Center

Tue, June 13, 2023 1:00 P.M.
Parkway Central Library

Temple Small Business Development Center  (SBDC) is here to answer your business questions! We’re hosting virtual office hours with a business consultant who can help current and prospective entrepreneurs with a variety of business concerns, including business planning, business…

Virtual Ask a Nonprofit Expert: Grant Writing

Wed, June 14, 2023 10:00 A.M.
Parkway Central Library

Most nonprofits apply to foundations and other grant giving organizations for funding. At your meeting with your consultant, you can discuss how to identify suitable grantors and what they expect in a grant application. Please note: this month's sessions are only open to established…

Virtual JEVS Career Strategies Workshop: How to Answer Tough Interview Questions

Wed, June 14, 2023 11:00 A.M.
Parkway Central Library

Do you know how to answer the first question, “Tell me about yourself”, which makes your first impression and significantly influences your chances of acing the rest of your interview? We will help you prepare for your virtual and in person interviews, which will increase your…

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Blog Posts

Score Your Summer Job With the Help of Free Virtual Career Workshops

Summer is a great time to relax, go on vacation, discover a new passion, or enjoy the new weather — so now is the time to work on your professional goals to set your summer up for success!  Check out upcoming virtual career… continue reading

By Steven D.    May 5, 2023   

Spring Into a New Career With Free Virtual Career Workshops

Spring is the season of growth and renewal. Do your new goals include getting a new job, pivoting to a new field, or learning some new skills?  Check out upcoming virtual career workshops for jobseekers at the Free… continue reading

By Steven D.    March 1, 2023   

Start Your 2023 Career Goals with Free Virtual Career Workshops!

Do your New Year's Resolutions include getting a new job, pivoting to a new field, or learning some new skills?  Check out upcoming virtual career workshops for jobseekers at the Free Library, brought to you by Full Circle… continue reading

By Steven D.    January 11, 2023   

Resources and Services for Nonprofits at the Free Library

The Free Library offers many unique resources and services, from musical instruments  and  cake pans  to  headshots  and  cooking classes . But did you know that the Free Library also offers free resources and… continue reading

By Caitlin S.    December 20, 2022    1   

Press

Technical.ly Philly

If you're in the "I have an idea but now what?" stage of entrepreneurship, the Business Resource and Innovation Center at the Parkway Central branch makes for a great first stop. Just don't expect free coffee.

The Philadelphia Inquirer

For its 570,441 cardholders, the Free Library system offers thousands of resources, materials, online courses, workshops, and classes.

The Philadelphia Inquirer

In the Free Library's new Business Resource and Innovation Center, you can be as noisy as you want, even eat there. You can get free headshots taken for your LinkedIn profile, or a video of you practicing pitches. Or take a class on how to write a business plan.

WHYY

Check out the latest edition of the Free Library, exult in the beauty of Fairmount Park, or follow the footsteps of African-American artists in North Philly.

WHYY

The expansion of the Library includes a new teen center with video games; a Manga animation collection, and young adult novels; a small business resource center with powerful wifi and onsite consultants; and 7,200 square feet of undetermined public space with chairs, tables, power outlets, and meeting rooms to be used however one wishes.

NBC Philadelphia

In its largest renovation since its opening in 1927, the Free Library of Philadelphia is set open 41,000 square feet of newly reimagined space within the Parkway Central Library after years of planning and renovation.

GlobeSt.com

The Free Library of Philadelphia's renovation is the largest since it was completed in 1927, and increases the building's public space to 68 percent.

PhillyVoice

There will be three new areas: the Robert and Eileen Kennedy Heim Center for Cultural and Civic Engagement, the Business Resource and Innovation Center (BRIC), and the Marie and Joseph Field Teen Center.

American Library Association

Taking Care of Business in the 21st Century is the fifth installment in the Association's "Quick Reads for Busy Librarians" series. The Quick Reads series features publications under 100 pages long and covering topics deemed essential to modern public library workers.

Philadelphia VIP

The Business Resource and Innovation Center (BRIC) of the Free Library of Philadelphia is a core partner of Phialdelphia VIP's LawWorks program, the city's only broad-based provider of critical legal support to the small businesses and nonprofits creating employment opportunities, generating tax revenues, and serving their communities.

Philadelphia Magazine

The Free Library's Business Resource and Innovation Center wants to teach Philly entrepreneurs a thing or two about pitching. Next week, the Parkway Central Library will launch the Pitch Corner, a new resources and space for innovators where they can hone their business pitches and strengthen elevator pitches about their assets and aptitudes.

Philly.com

The Free Library of Philadelphia on Wednesday will launch the Pitch Corner, a new tool for entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and job seekers. It's a semiprivate space in the Parkway Central Library's business center where start-ups can practice and record their pitch in front of a video camera.

Social Innovations Journal

3rd Place: BRIC librarians represented by Rebekah Ray. The Free Library of Philadelphia, Business Resource & Innovation Center (BRIC) curates information for and fosters the growth of new social enterprises and nonprofits.