The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak continues to escalate globally, representing a serious public health threat for communities of all sizes. The World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other leading health experts have advised that social distancing is essential fo...

In a strong act of commitment to a more equitable society, 161 public libraries across North America signed the Urban Libraries Council’s Statement on Race and Social Equity. This statement serves as a baseline upon which libraries can build policies and actions that make their communities more incl...

For the fourth consecutive year, the White House’s annual budget request has proposed eliminating funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) – the federal agency charged with empowering libraries and museums to transform their communities. In response, Urban Libraries Council Pr...

112 mayors and county executives have signed the Statement on Equitable Public Access to E-Books, taking a stand to support fair and reasonable e-book pricing for public libraries. These leaders represent many of the largest jurisdictions in the U.S. and Canada, and together they serve over 54 mill...

Seventy-seven elected officials from North American cities and counties have signed the Urban Libraries Council’s Statement on Equitable Public Access to E-Books, championing the urgent need for equitable e-book pricing and access for public libraries. The statement has been signed by mayors and co...

The Urban Libraries Council has published a new Leadership Brief on “Libraries Leading AI and Digital Citizenship.” With the quickly growing impact of artificial intelligence on economies, societies and cultures, libraries remain at the forefront of ensuring no one is left behind by this wave of tec...

The Urban Libraries Council has elected former Mayor of Nashville Karl Dean as a new member of the ULC Executive Board. Dean began his two-year term on the ULC Executive Board following a vote by ULC members – who represent top public libraries from across the U.S. and Canada – during a meeting held...

The Hachette Book Group has announced that it will stop allowing libraries to purchase perpetual access licenses for e-books beginning July 1, 2019, and will instead only offer metered licenses that expire after two years. This shift in e-books pricing follows a similar change made last year by Peng...

The Urban Libraries Council convened leaders from 11 public library systems in Chicago on March 13-14 to kick off pilot programs designed to test new approaches to engaging low income middle school youth in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. These programs are extensi...

The Urban Libraries Council has launched Edge 2.0, a new version of its renowned benchmarking and management system for public libraries. Over 2,600 libraries of all sizes across the U.S. and Canada have used the previous version of Edge to assess their programs and services, identify areas for impr...