2026 ULC Annual Leadership Forum
In Demand: The People and Power of Public Libraries
Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 2026 | Las Vegas, NV
Hosted in partnership with the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District
Public libraries are in demand because people make them powerful: the teams who deliver the work, the communities who rely on them, the partners who strengthen them and the leaders who carry the message forward.
The 2026 ULC Annual Leadership Forum, In Demand: The People and Power of Public Libraries, will bring ULC members together in Las Vegas for a high-energy, highly interactive gathering focused on relevance, leadership, communication, staff strength and community value. Hosted in partnership with the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District, this year’s Forum will create space for ULC members to sharpen the message, strengthen the teams behind the work and make library value impossible to miss.
Participants will engage in bold conversations, practical strategy sessions, peer exchange and short stories from the field, all designed to help them return home with stronger language, deeper connections and clear ideas they can use with their teams, boards, funders, partners and communities. This is where ULC members come together to think bigger, build momentum and carry forward the people-powered strength of public libraries.
The 2026 ULC Annual Leadership Forum is generously sponsored by:
Agenda-at-a-Glance
Wednesday, September 30, 2026: | |
| Noon to 1:00 p.m. | Registration Open, Beverages & Light Bites Available |
| 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. | Pre-Conference Session | Building Belonging: Creating Trust and Strengthening Library Culture, led by Michelle Hamiel, ULC Chief of Programs and Shamichael Hallman, ULC Sr. Director of Civic Health & Economic Opportunity |
| 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. | Pre-Conference Session | More Than Marketing: How Strategic Communications Advances Library Mission and Community Trust, led by Cordelia Anderson |
| 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. | ULC CEO Session | Leading Through Complexity |
| 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. | ULC Annual Forum Welcome Reception* |
Thursday, October 1, 2026 | |
| 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. | Registration Desk Open |
| 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. | ULC Member Networking Breakfast* |
| 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. | Welcome & Opening Remarks |
| 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. | Panel | In Demand: Is the Library the First Call? |
| 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. | Break: Coffee & Connection |
| 11:00 a.m. to Noon | Keynote Speaker | Professor Laura Huang |
| Noon to 1:00 p.m. | Member Lunch* |
| 1:15 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. | Panel |Behind the Download: Transparency, Trust, and the Future of Digital Access |
| 2:15 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. | Break |
| 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. | Panel | Making the Library Understood |
| 3:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. | Closing |
| 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. | Open Time for Breaks, Reset, Meetups |
| 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. | Member Reception and Tour at the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District* |
Friday, October 2, 2026 | |
| 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. | ULC Member Networking Breakfast* |
| 9:00 a.m. to 9:10 a.m. | Welcome Back |
| 9:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. | Fireside Chat | Leading with Transparency |
| 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. | Talk | Making Library Value Impossible to Miss (Rethinking What We Measure, What We Claim, and What We Make Possible), led by Shamichael Hallman |
| 10:30 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. | Afternoon Programming |
| 11:50 a.m. to Noon | Closing Reflections |
| Noon | Adjourn |
**All food and beverages are included in the registration costs.