It was good to see so many of you at ALA last month. I know it’s been a challenging summer, and I’m grateful for any opportunity to connect in person and hear how things are going in your communities. As we move through the rest of summer, I want to share a few key updates and opportunities to stay connected, advocate effectively, and lead boldly.

Join Us in Cincinnati — Register Now for the ULC Annual Leadership Forum

Registration is now open for the 2025 ULC Annual Leadership Forum, October 22–24 in Cincinnati. This year’s theme, Leading with Advocacy: Championing Urban Libraries, will bring together our dynamic community of CEOs, senior leaders, and partners to explore the bold advocacy strategies needed to secure the future of public libraries. If you haven’t registered yet, I encourage you to do so soon—and invite your team members who help drive your library’s advocacy efforts.

Advocacy in Action – Invite Your Elected Officials to Visit in August

Throughout ULC’s advocacy work on the Hill this year—particularly to protect IMLS funding—we’ve heard one thing clearly from congressional offices: local library voices matter most. Just last week, a staffer from a Republican office said, “Every library in the country ought to be inviting their member of Congress to visit their library… if it’s been more than a year, it's been too long.”

That’s why we’re encouraging you to personally invite your Senators and Representatives to visit your library during the August recess. These in-district visits are among the most powerful ways to strengthen relationships, demonstrate your community impact, and make a lasting case for library funding and policy priorities.

If you need assistance identifying congressional contacts or refining your outreach, ULC is here to help. And don’t forget to use the advocacy toolkit we created—it’s designed to support you in planning impactful engagement with elected officials.

The 2025 Library Insights Survey Is Now Open – Participate Today

Last week, we launched the 2025 Library Insights Survey (LIS), ULC’s signature data collection initiative—and we need your participation to keep driving the field forward.

Now in its third year, the LIS gives your library access to real-time data on patron engagement, benchmarks for internal strategy, and powerful tools for advocacy. With the future of IMLS’ Public Library Survey in jeopardy, LIS is one of the only tools capturing this scale of patron-focused insight across urban libraries in the U.S. and Canada.

Participating not only gives your team valuable insight—it strengthens ULC’s ability to advocate nationally with real stories and numbers from our members.

Click here to learn more and access the survey.

Thank you, as always, for your vision, leadership, and dedication to the communities you serve. I look forward to seeing many of you during our online calls and in Cincinnati this October—and hearing about the incredible work you’ll continue to do in the months ahead.