Claire Zulkey writes: “When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in early 2020, it exposed the precarious financial situation of many small businesses in the US. About half of these businesses were operating with fewer than two weeks of cash reserves at the time. Though federal Paycheck Protection Program loans were available to help them weather mandated closures, many minority and non-English-speaking small business owners found that these funds could be difficult to secure. While the pandemic has had an outsize impact on small businesses, it has also led to creative solutions from the librarians who serve them. Libraries have adapted by expanding their small business programs, bringing them online, and helping people navigate federal and local aid, specifically focusing on people of color, immigrants, and other groups underrepresented as business owners.”