Last week, the Urban Libraries Council elected its 2023-2024 Board of Directors during its Annual Member Business Meeting. ULC members elected four newly named Board officers, including:

• Roosevelt Weeks (Director, Austin Public Library) as Chair
• Pilar Martinez (Chief Executive Officer, Edmonton Public Library) as Vice Chair/Chair-Elect
• Michelle VonderHaar (Chief Legal Officer, Tenable) as Secretary/Treasurer
• Karl Dean (Former Mayor, Nashville) as Immediate Past Chair

In addition to the new officers, ULC welcomed five new members to the Board of Directors, who will be serving two-year terms, including:

• Brian Bannon (Merryl & James Tisch Director, New York Public Library)
• Misty Jones (Director, San Diego Public Library)
• Jennie Pu (Director, Hoboken Public Library)
• Alim Remtulla (Director of Sales Enablement, Telus Communications; Board Chair, Toronto Public Library)
• Catherine Strauss (Managing Partner, Ice Miller; Board of Trustees President, Columbus Metropolitan Library)

“ULC is privileged to welcome this group of visionary leaders to our Board of Directors,” said ULC President and CEO Brooks Rainwater. “Our newly elected officers and members bring a combination of expert knowledge and deep commitment to public libraries. I am excited to work closely with our new Board members and continue ULC’s critical work of promoting the value and importance of public libraries.”

ULC Annual Forum 2023: People | Power | Place

Today's Urban Public Library

This year’s Annual Forum, "People | Power | Place - Today’s Urban Public Library" will provide members with the opportunity to gather as a membership to talk about advocacy, AI, leadership, and foresight planning. Our strength as a member community lies in our ability to amplify and uplift each other, and great things can happen when we can come together.

Annual Forum registration will open on July 31. Hotel rooms are now available to book. See all details on the ULC website. 

"Going the Extra Mile: Equity in Summer Programming"

School Library Journal

"Look at your existing [summer] programs and think about how and whether they’re serving the whole community. Really key in and focus on historically excluded communities, thinking about ways that we can lift up children of color as well as those [who] are disabled,” says ULC President and CEO Brooks Rainwater. “Having that holistic approach can make an incredible difference.”

A new article from School Library Journal examines how public libraries are bridging equity gaps in summer learning for children, ensuring all learners receive high-quality summer programming.

"Can Public Spaces Help Revive Our Downtowns?"

Reimagining the Civic Commons

Across the country, many of the nation’s downtowns are struggling. An epidemic of empty office buildings, falling real estate values and shuttered small businesses has followed the prior years’ COVID-19 shutdowns; in some cities, foot traffic in downtowns is still less than half of what it was pre-pandemic. And while many experts posit solutions to this problem (like converting office buildings to housing, which could help address the housing crisis but that could also be expensive and difficult), others are starting to think more deeply about the more nuanced policies and investments that could remake the nation’s downtowns into more interesting, more desirable and more vibrant places for people.

In the spirit of these challenges, Reimagining Civic Commons asked four thought leaders — Paul Bauknight, Carol Coletta, Brooks Rainwater and Mitchell Silver — for their ideas about how to solve the nation’s downtown crisis — and to illustrate the key role that public spaces could play in a downtown comeback.

Questions? Want to Submit a Story?

Contact ULC's Communications Manager Elise Calanni at ecalanni@urbanlibraries.org.