Pilot partnerships between public libraries and local news organizations will engage community members in shaping local news, yielding a replicable model. WASHINGTON, March 24, 2026 — More Perfect, an American alliance dedicated to revitalizing democracy, today announced a partnership with the Urban...

From Library Journal: "The Carnegie Corporation of New York has awarded a $1,000,000, two-year grant to the Urban Libraries Council, to establish a national network of Civic Labs for Youth. "ULC member libraries with Carnegie-built branches will be invited to propose projects that encourage active ...

Contact:Evan Ottenfeld, Director of Strategic Communications - eottenfeld@urbanlibraries.orgAngely Montilla, Carnegie Corporation of New York - aem@carnegie.org WASHINGTON, DC - The Urban Libraries Council (ULC) is proud to announce the approval of a $1 million grant for a project piloting Civic La...

"At its quarterly meeting held in New York City on March 5, 2026, Carnegie Corporation of New York’s board of trustees approved 50 grants totaling $44,275,000."The Urban Libraries Council has been awarded a 24-month grant of $1,000,000 for project support to launch Civic Labs for Youth pilots across...

Deborah Fallows, co-Founder of Our Towns Civic Foundation, writes about the 2025 ULC Innovation Award-winning "Reading Railroad" program from Dayton Metro Library."This report, from Dayton, Ohio, is about a library that has just been recognized by the ULC for its original and innovative new steps to...

Spectrum News Columbus — "Libraries are working to turn the page on a new chapter, one that brings young people back through the doors in a digital age. From career workshops to work study programs, they’re finding creative ways to reengage teens who may have drifted away.“Having young people exc...

From Library Journal: "A three-year research project, funded through a grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS), has been making progress on examining how libraries can help their communities better understand artificial intelligence (AI). IMLS funding was signed into law on T...

"The long-shuttered Hooper‑Renwick School in Lawrenceville has been reborn as a themed library and museum, keeping a painful yet proud chapter of Gwinnett County’s history very much alive. The 1951 brick building, once the only public high school for Black students in the county, now holds interacti...

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...

via Axios Columbus — "Columbus Metropolitan Library has spent recent years helping disconnected teens and young adults get back on track. The effort, part of a national campaign that wrapped up last year, was designed to reach "opportunity youth" — young people aged 16-24 who may be jobless or out o...