Contact: Evan Ottenfeld - eottenfeld@urbanlibraries.org WASHINGTON, DC - Today, President Trump signed into law the Labor, HHS, Education Appropriations Bill preserving funding for libraries within the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), despite an initial request to zero out the instit...

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report today that found large numbers of public libraries have building systems in poor condition, pose safety concerns, or represent a barrier to access for patrons with disabilities. Following the report’s release, the Urban Libraries Council r...

Prince William Public Libraries (VA), Dayton Metro Library (OH), Gwinnett County Public Library (GA), Pasadena Public Library (CA), DC Public Library, and the Pioneer Library System (OK) recognized for their exemplary programs Washington, DC – The Urban Libraries Council (ULC), North America’s leadi...

Third-annual Library Insights Survey sees eBook usage, room reservations, and visits continue to rise WASHINGTON, D.C. - Visits to urban libraries grew by nearly 10% from 2023 to 2024, continuing a three-year trend, and demand for in-person meeting spaces also grew by 25%, finds a new analysis from...

As office attendance has yet to rebound, central libraries are bringing people and energy back to city centers, as the Urban Libraries Council’s new data analysis shows CONTACT: Evan Ottenfeld - eottenfeld@urbanlibraries.org WASHINGTON, DC – In-person visits at major city central libraries have rise...

Washington, DC — The Urban Libraries Council is proud to announce the 2025-2026 Board of Directors, elected and confirmed during ULC's virtual Annual Business Meeting on Thursday, June 12, 2025. The ULC Board provides strategic oversight, industry perspective and vision that guides the continued evo...

The Urban Libraries Council (ULC) is deeply dismayed by the dismissal of Dr. Carla Hayden as Librarian of Congress. A visionary leader, Dr. Hayden modernized the Library of Congress, expanded its digital reach, and championed access and transparency. Dr. Hayden worked tirelessly to ensure that this ...

Public libraries are essential infrastructure in every American community, and that especially is so during times of economic uncertainty. The elimination of federal funding for public libraries will be felt in every community across the country, and particularly in rural areas. Public libraries pro...

As the organizations that collectively represent public libraries in the United States, the Association for Rural & Small Libraries, the Public Library Association, and the Urban Libraries Council oppose the Executive Order calling for the gutting of the Institute of Museum and Library Services ...

The Urban Libraries Council's Library Insights Survey data tracks steady incline of library use and services, offers new insights into soaring e-Resource and meeting space usage. WASHINGTON, D.C. — In the summer of 2024, the Urban Libraries Council asked its 187 member libraries across the U.S. and...