In recent years, the economic development world has come to recognize the pivotal role entrepreneurship plays in increasing a region's economic prosperity. Entrepreneurial approaches to economic development such as "economic gardening,"first introduced in the City of Littleton, Colorado, focus on the important role that timely, reliable, and actionable business information plays in the success of small and growing local businesses. This approach to economic development provides public and university libraries with a unique opportunity to play an important role in their communities by supporting the business information needs of local entrepreneurs. This article addresses some of the successes and challenges that have arisen in the implementation of a pilot economic gardening project involving several libraries and business service entities in two communities in rural Michigan.
