How Library Visits Create Daytime Foot Traffic and Promote Economic Vitality in Downtowns: A Case Study | Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, Washington, DC
The Urban Libraries Council recently hosted a virtual town hall on the critical roles public libraries play in our communities. We welcomed leaders with experience engaging with local, state and federal government policymakers to discuss ways for libraries to share their impact. Read on for five takeaways from the event.
How is ULC driving greater advocacy for urban libraries? Check out the latest blog post from ULC President and CEO Brooks Rainwater the federal legislation and funding resources needed to empower public libraries to meet evolving community needs.
How are libraries transforming lives and strengthening communities? Check out the latest blog post from ULC President and CEO Brooks Rainwater on the framework for public libraries to better serve — and transform! — their communities.
The beginning of the new year is often a time to set intentions, outline goals and chart paths for progress — be it personal or professional. At ULC, we are starting 2024 with a refreshed approach to the strategic priorities that will guide our work this year, and in the years ahead.
The Library Insights Survey serves as a guidepost for the resiliency of libraries and the bright spots they hold in our neighborhoods. This data demonstrates how libraries are strengthening their operations and purposefully serving their communities since the pandemic.
As architects who work with libraries, the topic of "Libraries as Place" is of particular interest. For a variety of reasons, however, it is not unusual for libraries to find themselves working with an architect who doesn’t have quite this level of experience. Fortunately, there are strategies that libraries can use with a variety of architects to design spaces and facilities that are both functional and inspirational.
In the 15 months since I started as President & CEO of ULC, I have had the opportunity to talk to the leader of every library in our membership and visit many libraries in my travels. And for a few days at the end of October, we harnessed that rewarding energy of learning from each other at the 2023 ULC Annual Forum in Seattle.
In November 2023, ULC convened over 200 library leaders from more than 90 North American public library systems in Seattle, Washington to network, collaborate and learn at the 2023 ULC Annual Forum: People, Power, Place — Today's Urban Public Library.
Through ULC’s Creating Youth Opportunities Initiative, 11 libraries participated in a peer-learning cohort and developed individualized program plans to specifically reach opportunity youth — those defined as young people between the ages of 16 to 24 years old who are disconnected from both school and work, frequently face challenging home or community environments.
