Media Contact
Beth Dempsey, 248.349.7810 or beth@bethdempsey.com
April 24, 2007 (Chicago) – Government officials and public library leaders from across North America will gather in Cleveland May 4 – 5 for a summit on the impact of changing urban demographics on cities and counties. The summit, entitled The Changing Face of Cities, is part of the Urban Libraries Council’s (ULC) acclaimed Partners for Success conference series, biennial events that explore how libraries can be resources for addressing urban issues.
Cuyahoga County (Ohio) and Cleveland public libraries and their elected officials will partner with the ULC, hosting expert speakers and panelists in sessions that explore opportunities and challenges presented by the rapid demographic changes in urban and suburban communities.
Among the speakers is Jonathan Bowles, Director for the Center for an Urban Future and author of a groundbreaking report documenting immigrant entrepreneurs as an increasingly powerful economic engine for cities. Audrey Singer, a visiting scholar at the Brookings Institute, will discuss emerging gateways for immigration to the U.S. and “hypergrowth” U.S. Latino destinations. Marc Prensky, who coined “digital natives,” will identify the ways kids learn, think, work and look at the world… and how this will impact communities and public libraries in the decades ahead.
In addition to featured speakers, panels of elected officials from cities and counties – including Honorable Ohio Lt. Governor Lee Fisher – will discuss their initiatives to build stronger communities, given increasingly diverse populations, and changing global and local conditions.
“This conference is like no other,’ said ULC President Martín Gómez. “It’s the only event designed to explore the urgent issues of the day, in this case immigration, and build partnerships among civic leaders to leverage the power of the public library and make cities better places to live. We know that public libraries in cities across the country are trusted places for new people arriving in the U.S. This conference is designed to share what is working in the library world, and to explore new service models that may be emerging in other public and private-sector organizations.”
The Partners for Success Conference launched in 2001 and is part of the ULC’s larger initiative to examine the emerging ways libraries contribute to the improvement of urban life. The conference is noted for its ability to convene a variety of metropolitan leaders – library directors, trustees, mayors and county elected officials - and for the rich discussions and research it generates. Past host cities have included Boston and Chicago.
Visit www.urbanlibraries.org for more information and to view the preliminary program for Partners for Success: The Changing Face of Cities.
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. |
