Urban Libraries Council

Whether it be as a university student or now as the mother of a toddler son, Ayesha Naseem has spent countless hours at Milton Public Library's Main branch. So when the chance to put her artistic stamp on a place she considers a “second home” presented itself, it was a bona fide pinch-me moment.

“Honestly, it was one of those 'dream come true and I can’t believe it’s happening to me' opportunities,” said the 29-year-old Miltonian, a project manager by trade who’s in the midst of creating a lively, interactive mural in the library’s children’s area. Now Naseem is embracing what MPL Director of Customer Experience Chris Dorscht calls the five practices of early literacy – namely sing, talk, read, write and play.

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Meet the local artist behind Milton Public Library’s new children’s mural Ayesha Naseem bringing five early literacy practices to life at Main branch

Libraries are typically quiet spaces, but this month, inside Baltimore County Public Library branches, the loud roar of drums fills the air. The sounds are being created by Taiko instructor and performer Mark H. Rooney, who uses music to bring people together and share his Japanese heritage. Taiko drumming has been a part of Japanese culture for centuries. The word "Taiko" is the Japanese word for "drum."

For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Rooney is performing at Baltimore County Public Library Branches. WJZ caught up with him at the Essex Branch, where he performed both traditional and contemporary songs and rhythms. "Probably outside of a pipe organ, it might be the loudest instrument in the world," Rooney laughed.

Learn more: https://buff.ly/vAQ576X

Taiko drummer brings Japanese culture to Baltimore County libraries: "This became my life" A Taiko drum instructor is bringing Japanese Culture to Baltimore County for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

ULC joins our peers at the Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL), the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA), Canadian Urban Libraries Council / Conseil des bibliothèques urbaines du Canada (CULC/CBUC), and the Public Library Association (PLA) to publicly call attention to the e-books pricing crisis and demand change from the largest publishers.

This effort matters because it sends a message that, as organizations advocating for and representing nearly all public libraries in the US and Canada – small and large, urban and rural, and everything in between – we stand united for change while open for dialogue, at a moment when states are turning up the pressure on publishers with legislative efforts.

Read our full statement: https://buff.ly/cbnGjrd

With the support of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), ULC and the Safe Routes Partnership have collaborated since 2024 to lay the groundwork for a national "Safe Routes to Libraries" program — designed to foster walking, biking, and rolling access to public library buildings across the United States.

In February 2025, we surveyed members of ULC and the Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL) to understand the existing landscape of Safe Routes to Libraries work before the implementation of a national initiative. This new Impact Brief explores the work libraries are already doing across North America to improve the walkability and bikeability of their buildings — from transportation safety and bike education programs to community audits and StoryWalks!

Read the Impact Brief now: https://buff.ly/dWNmap9

Thanks to our program partners Safe Routes Partnership, Association for Rural & Small Libraries, and Dr. Noah Lenstra of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Cleveland is celebrating its 230th year, and a massive new initiative is bringing the entire city together: "One Cleveland." One Cleveland is a citywide civic pride campaign from Cleveland Public Library that celebrates the people, neighborhoods, stories, and institutions that connect Clevelanders. CPL Executive Director & CEO Felton Thomas, Jr. spoke to Cleveland 19 News about the initiative.

Programming will take place over the next year and has already kicked off with "Cleveland 230," a recognition of individuals whose work, leadership, and impact reflect the spirit and strength of the city. Starting with city founder Moses Cleaveland, the library will announce one "Cleveland 230" member every day for the rest of the year. One Cleveland programming will take place in all 27 CPL branches in the greater Cleveland area.

Watch the story:

Celebrating 230 Years: Cleveland Public Library Launches 'One Cleveland' Civic Pride Initiative Celebrating 230 Years: Cleveland Public Library Launches 'One Cleve...

ULC is excited to welcome Boone County Public Library (Kentucky) as our newest member! Please join us in welcoming their staff to the ULC network!

Wishing our U.S.-based library members a fun and safe Memorial Day! The ULC office will be closed today in observance of the holiday and will reopen tomorrow, May 26th.

The Calgary Public Library is helping to support early literacy development this month by offering free kindergarten book bags for families at library locations across the city. Library staff will also help families stuff their bags full of age-appropriate library books. Library cards are free, so families without one can sign up when they stop by.

Kate Schutz, senior service designer at Calgary Public Library, said early literacy skills that kids pick up even before they learn to read are crucial to their success when they start school. “It’s really important that kids are read to, and that they have access to high-quality books and they experience diverse books,” she said. “This helps prepare their language skills and their background knowledge and their vocabulary.”

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Calgary Public Library gives out free kindergarten book bags to help launch early literacy skills The Calgary Public Library is helping to support early literacy development this month by offering free kindergarten book bags for families.

NEXT WEEK! 💥 Upcoming Member Webinar | Rethinking Library Rules: How DC Public Library Built a New, Community-Centered Code of Conduct 💥

In this webinar, hear how DC Public Library transformed its long-standing Rules of Behavior into a new, values-driven Code of Conduct designed to create a safe, welcoming, and healthy environment where everyone can learn, explore, and thrive.

Centered on extensive staff and public engagement, the project gathered feedback from more than 300 staff members and 2,500 customers and stakeholders through surveys, focus groups, workshops, and interviews - including teens and advocates for unhoused residents.

Register now! https://buff.ly/oUmA7rV

ULC's Senior Director of Civic Health and Economic Opportunity Shamichael Hallman for the National Civic League: "When people think about the public library, they often think of the stacks. They picture rows of books, the hush of a reading room, perhaps a childhood memory of story time or the ritual of checking out a novel on a Saturday afternoon. Yet, when our understanding of the public library begins and ends with the physical collection of books, we risk missing the deeper story unfolding inside library buildings every day in towns, suburbs, and cities across the country..."

"To talk about the soul of the public library, then, is not to move away from books; it is to move toward a fuller picture. It is to understand that the soul of the public library has always been larger than its shelves. The collection has never been the whole story. The deeper story is access, dignity, curiosity, refuge, growth, trust, and the possibility of shared life."

Read the full article:

More Than Books: The Soul and Future of Libraries - National Civic League When our understanding of the public library begins and ends with the physical collection of books, we risk missing the deeper story unfolding inside library buildings every day in towns, suburbs, and cities across the country.

This summer, the Kansas City Public Library; Mid-Continent Public Library; Johnson County Library - KS; Kansas City, Kansas Public Library; Lawrence Public Library; Cass County Public Library; North Kansas City Public Library; and Olathe Public Library are running toward the same goal: getting as many people signed up for Summer Reading as possible. This year’s theme is "Read, Score, Roar!", tying together the metro-wide soccer festivities and everyone’s perennial favorites, dinosaurs.

“This year, as visitors from around the world are coming to experience all that Kansas City has to offer, metro libraries are thrilled to team up for the first time ever with the same Summer Reading theme,” said Kansas City Public Library Chief Executive Abby Yellman. “I join with my fellow library directors to invite everyone in Kansas City to find the joy in both reading and soccer this summer."

Learn more: https://buff.ly/QqtkDGf