A recent article from American Libraries magazine covers the recent “Bridgebuilding: Fostering Community Engagement, Dialogue, and Interactions in Libraries” session at the American Library Association’s 2024 Annual Conference and Exhibition in San Diego. ULC Director of Civic Engagement and Economi...

ULC President & CEO Brooks Rainwater published a commentary in The Well News arguing that the reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act should include the library one-stop workforce development center provision and support libraries’ role in supporting career pathways and c...

The Urban Libraries Council is featured in an article from The Toledo Blade about the Toledo Lucas County Public Library's new Small Business and Nonprofit Workspace. TLPCL was part of ULC's Strengthening Entreprenuerial Hubs cohort. Read the article....

Washington, DC — The Urban Libraries Council elected its 2024-2025 Board of Directors during an Annual Member Business Meeting held on June 20, 2024. "ULC is proud to welcome a dynamic group of individuals to our Board of Directors," said ULC President and CEO Brooks Rainwater. "They are leaders co...

Tackling the Summer Slide Through School System PartnershipsHartford Public Library Earlier this month, Hartford Public Library and Hartford Public Schools held their Summer Learning Kick-Off celebration at the Downtown Library. The event included a 250th Anniversary parade, celebrating the histori...

How a Mobile Barbershop Helped Increase Childhood ReadingCleveland Public Library In partnership with Barbershop Books, ULC’s Barbershop Books Pilot for Libraries supported a small cohort of libraries in 2023 and 2024 to provide reading opportunities to Black boys directly in barbershops in their l...

IMLS Names 2024 National Medalists for Museum and Library ServiceDC Public Library, Harris County Public Library, Kent District Library This week, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) announced the 10 recipients of the 2024 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, including thr...

ULC was mentioned in an article from Government Technology called, “Libraries Turn to Data Dashboards to Fight Mistrust,” which highlights Denver Public Library and talks about how library organizations like ULC are “creating frameworks and tools to help libraries navigate data governance responsibl...

Celebrating AAPI Heritage MonthBoston Public Library May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month! This month, many public libraries will host events and programming to celebrate the history and contributions of Asian and Pacific Americans. Boston Public Library is releasing its Asian/Paci...

Brooklyn Library Card Study Findings Available NowBrooklyn Public Library In 2023, with funding from the Mellon Foundation, BPL launched a research project to collect and study cardholder signup policies from public libraries across the nation. The project aims to identify the range of policies and...