This article explores a case methodology of action research in Tennessee and investigates how library and information science (LIS) educators can extend their social responsibility to the state's small businesses and rural public libraries. Insights are drawn from a planning grant that was recently awarded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services to the School of Information Sciences at the University of Tennessee. The case project involved a process of conceptual model development to toolkit blueprint design in implementing action research in order to address a practical concern, develop a tangible resource, and promote positive changes in praxis built on local partnerships and collaborations. It served as a pilot test-bed to propose strategies for similar rural settings in the future. Findings fill gaps in the "how-to" of operationalizing action research to inform LIS educators of how they might extend the impact of their traditional information-related teaching-research-service toward economic development and economic growth.