"The importance of designing and maintaining public spaces that cultivate social connectedness and civic engagement cannot be overstated." — Brooks RainwaterA new Bloomberg article explores how cities seeking to revive their downtowns are increasingly turning to public libraries as anchors of vitali...

ULC President and CEO Brooks Rainwater authored this article for the Education Trust, entitled "Libraries Are at the Heart of the Reading Ecosystem." The article celebrates the indispensable role of public libraries in advancing literacy—from phonics-focused collections in Toledo Lucas County Public...

Urban Libraries Council's president & CEO Brooks Rainwater was featured in a Nonprofit Quarterly article entitled, "How Getting a Library Card is a Salute to Democracy." He spoke on how libraries expand on civic engagement and are pillars of democracy—particularly by offering free resources with...

A recent article from the San Francisco Examiner features research and data from ULC's latest data analysis, focusing on the successes of San Francisco Public Library's Main Library as a driver for economic activity downtown:"Brooks Rainwater, the president and CEO of the ULC, said in a statement th...

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...

ULC Chief Operating Officer Angela Goodrich was quoted in this article from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about how federal funding cuts may affect resources, such as Wisconsin's BadgerLink program. "Library advocates like Angela Goodrich, COO of the Urban Libraries Council, say the funding keeps ...

ULC Board Member and Hoboken Library Director Jennie Pu has been appointed chair of ULC's Federal Advocacy Task Force. In this role, Pu will guide ULC’s advocacy efforts at the federal level to secure support and funding that strengthens public libraries as essential urban infrastructure and hubs of...

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...

ULC President & CEO Brooks Rainwater was recently quoted in a San Francisco Chronicle article about the rate of library visits pre- and post-pandemic:The numbers are in keeping with national trends, according to a report by the Urban Libraries Council, an advocacy group. But those numbers aren’t...

As demand for e-books continues to surge by roughly 30% each year, read this timely new piece from The Denver Post featuring ULC members Denver Public Library, Anythink Libraries, Poudre Libraries, Jefferson County Public Library, and Douglas County Libraries on how unfair e-content pricing is now r...