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April 10, 2007 (Chicago) – Library industry veteran Rick Ashton has been appointed Chief Operating Officer of the Urban Libraries Council (ULC), a membership organization of 157 of North America’s premier metropolitan public library systems and related library consultants and suppliers. In his new role, Mr. Ashton will direct and manage the ULC’s day-to-day operations and support the organization’s staff in strengthening the content of its research, programs and publications.
“Rick is an important addition to our team as we continue to position libraries as essential players in the urban landscape,” said ULC President Martín Gómez. “He has both experience leading an urban public library in a rapidly evolving environment and insight into the critical role the library can play in building a stronger community.”
Mr. Ashton is best-known for his 20+-years of service as City Librarian of the Denver Public Library. During his tenure he led the library through a remarkable transformation, from stagnant and rule-bound to vibrant, innovative and service-focused. Denver citizens responded to the library’s improvement with the city’s highest approval and customer service ratings, as well as a $91.6 million bond issue. The bond funded multiple building projects between 1991 and 1996, including a new, 540,000 square-foot central library, which received the American Institute of Architects/American Library Association Buildings Award. Mr. Ashton also led the library in a variety of pioneering technology efforts. Among them was digital preservation of the library’s acclaimed Western History Photography Collection.
Prior to joining the Denver Public Library, Mr. Ashton was director of the Allen County (IN) Public Library, where he started as assistant director. Before that, he was curator of Local and Family History in Chicago’s Newberry Library, which leveraged his passion for American history.
Mr. Ashton holds a master’s degree in Librarianship from the University of Chicago; a master’s and a Ph.D in History from Northwestern University and a bachelor’s in History from Harvard.
"I am delighted to be joining the staff of the Urban Libraries Council,” said Mr. Ashton. “ULC's research, education, and development efforts have meant a great deal to me and to other library directors for many years. Now I will have an opportunity to help in the effort to strengthen and sustain the great public libraries of America's great cities and metropolitan areas. I'm eager to begin."
Mr. Ashton is in the process of moving to the Chicago area.
About the Urban Libraries Council:For more than 30 years the Urban Libraries Council (ULC) has worked to strengthen public libraries as an essential part of urban life. A membership organization of North America’s premier public library systems and the corporations that serve them, the ULC serves as a forum for sharing best practices resulting from targeted research, education and forecasting. The ULC’s programs are acclaimed for inspiring new organizational models that invigorate urban libraries and enrich the areas surrounding them. The ULC is headquartered in Evanston, Illinois. For more information, visit the group on the Web at www.urbanlibraries.org. |
