June 2026 | This E-books Toolkit equips ULC members with the facts, messaging, and resources needed to educate the public, local leaders, and authors about the impact of e-book licensing and pricing on public libraries—and how they can take action. From social media templates and an op-ed example to real-world advocacy efforts from libraries across North America, the toolkit is packed with practical tools and library-driven insights to help amplify the conversation around the e-books crisis.

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Revised May 2026 | Public libraries stand as pillars of democracy, education, and community engagement. Members of Congress, state legislators, provincial and territorial representatives, and local elected officials wield significant influence over library funding, policies, and operations. By inviting them into the library space, you are working to create powerful advocates for your library, and for core issues like literacy, information access, and lifelong learning. This new toolkit is designed to empower you to share the library's vital role in serving diverse community needs with elected officials. On the following pages, you will find guidance from the Urban Libraries Council on the 10 crucial steps for planning an impactful visit, complete with customizable materials and downloadable outreach templates.

September 2024 | This toolkit from ULC is structured around key components essential for creating impactful youth literacy programs and recommended strategies for your library to take. The toolkit is designed to help public libraries with prioritizing equity, understanding the science of reading, designing community-focused programs, embedding structured literacy elements, and measuring program outcomes. By embracing evidence-based literacy strategies, libraries can ensure that their services are inclusive, relevant, and effective, ultimately fostering a more literate and empowered community.

This guide for library professionals is intended to support hosting community conversations about the changing role of libraries, highlighting community impacts and building local support. This resource would be best suited for branch managers and library leaders who are new to hosting community conversations. Users will find recommendations such as developing a project plan, suggestions for inviting community stakeholders, and tips for staying connected with local community leaders after the event. Also available within the guide are brainstorming worksheets, a printable discussion guide and sample outreach materials to get you started.

As well-respected civic institutions and trusted technology hubs, public libraries play a vital role in breaking down barriers to equitable digital opportunities and experiences. Libraries are uniquely positioned to assist with making equitable change in the digital ecosystem affording people and the communities in which they live. The Digital Equity Toolkit is developed by the Digital Equity Action Team to outline resources that are a useful starting point in this work.

From October 2020-September 2021, ULC partnered with the Salt Lake City Public Library and National Digital Inclusion Alliance to advance the Digital Navigators service model to help libraries address the new and intensified digital access barriers resulting from COVID-19. The Digital Navigators model offers a replicable blueprint for meeting the digital needs of under-resourced community members via phone-based support services.

Addressing key trigger terms in the current media, social and political climates, ULC’s Harmful Detours and Healing Redirects framework is designed to help leaders grow alignment, surface misunderstandings and find paths forward through difficult conversations. Each term listed below includes examples of interpretations that can derail productive conversations (“harmful detours”) as well as suggested language to foster mutual respect and understanding (“healing redirects”).

The Building Equity: Amplify Summer Learning Toolkit provides methods for libraries to engage every child in high-quality summer learning, emphasizing strategies to center equity, executing effective STEM program design and targeting middle school youth. In partnership with the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA), ULC issued a Statement on Summer Learning in 2022 for public libraries to deepen access and equity in both what and how summer programs are offered.

As engines for workforce development, race and social equity, technology access and lifelong learning, public libraries have a unique and pivotal role to play in actively fostering stronger STEM education outcomes in their communities. This Quickstart Toolkit outlines strategies for short-term changes that can help libraries accelerate their progress as STEM equity leaders — no matter how far they’ve already progressed in that journey.

Strengthening communities is the business of libraries — and support for under-resourced entrepreneurs is key to that role. By addressing support gaps for high-need entrepreneurs, libraries are critical drivers for local economic recovery, resilience and equity, which is more vital than ever in the COVID-19 era. This toolkit offers strategies and resources to help libraries level-up as entrepreneurial hubs, including COVID-19 responses.