Entrepreneurs are defined by risk-taking and initiative, and Entrepreneurship majors Meredith Ackerson, Class of 2020, and Mason Faust, Class of 2022, are no exception to this rule. Meredith, around the Horn Entrepreneurship community since her first year on campus, wanted a place for students to read all the books the speakers and local business leaders recommended to students. Now in her final year, Meredith has made her idea a reality with the new VDC Lending Library.
“The library has always been a thought I've had because so many of the entrepreneurs and professors we have don't use textbooks, they use relevant business books that have impacted them and changed their mindset about things,” explained Meredith. “These books focus on communicating real experiences, and not just sharing some aggregated heaps of information.”
Highly sought after inclusions in the new library, located in the Tech Resource Center (TRC) in the VDC, include From Good to Great, by Jim Collins, Traction, by Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares and The First 90 Days, by Michael Watkins. But these books didn’t just appear on a new shelf, they were collected through donations.
“I had lists of business books that I wanted to read but I didn’t own any of them and the only times I would get them would be as gifts from my parents and my family,” explained Meredith. “I took Tony Wedo’s Entrepreneurial Apprentice Leadership class and one of the things we had to do was lead a community project, and so I took the opportunity to help others get access to these talked about books.”
Meredith then set out to collect as many books as possible to launch the Lending Library for the 2019 - 2020 academic year. “I collected over 100 books! We had over 30 donated from adjunct professor Linda O’Hara, and from there it grew by word of mouth, as well as with the help of my parents,” said a laughing Meredith.
The books are separated into four categories: entrepreneurship, leadership, personal growth and miscellaneous. The Lending Library is based on the honor system, and students are simply asked to only sign out one book at a time, and return it within a month of taking it out. The shelves were built and designed by Mason in his role on the enrichment team with Horn Entrepreneurship.
“Meredith’s idea is super exciting and I was given the freedom to design and build the bookshelf as I saw fit,” shared Mason. “I was even encouraged to choose the spot to set it in and I can’t wait to see students use it. The Lending Library helps everyone in the community become more mindful of things they weren’t previously aware of, and brings a focus to learning through reading.”
About Horn Entrepreneurship
Horn Entrepreneurship serves as the University of Delaware’s creative engine for entrepreneurship education and advancement. Built and actively supported by successful entrepreneurs and thought leaders, Horn Entrepreneurship empowers aspiring innovators and entrepreneurs as they pursue new ideas for a better world.
