Shaping the Future of Libraries: A Recap of the 2024 ULC Annual Leadership Forum

Each year, the Urban Libraries Council proudly gathers public library leaders from across North America to explore emerging challenges and opportunities facing libraries. This past October, more than 240 library leaders gathered in Philadelphia, PA for the 2024 ULC Annual Leadership Forum, themed Trust, Transformation, and Tomorrow.

The dynamic three-day event, graciously hosted by the Free Library of Philadelphia , offered a unique platform for leaders to network, collaborate, and discuss strategies for driving organizational change in urban public libraries. With the support of our generous sponsors— Baker & Taylor , EBSCO Information Services , Group 4 Architecture Research + Planning, Inc. , and ThriftBooks —Forum fostered impactful dialogues around the evolving role of libraries as essential community pillars.

Building Trust from Within

The ULC Annual Leadership Forum began on a reflective note with pre-conference sessions that set the tone for exploration, collaboration and growth. The CEO session, “Building Blocks for a Strong and Diverse Executive Team,” moderated by ULC President & CEO Brooks Rainwater and supported by EBSCO, highlighted the importance of adaptability, inclusivity, and continuous improvement. Leaders from Halifax Public Libraries , Howard County Library System , the Free Library of Philadelphia, and San Francisco Public Library shared insights on their experiences fostering inclusive institutional cultures by prioritizing mentorship, equity committees, and bias training programs.

Other Forum attendees had the opportunity to join two other pre-conference sessions. “Strengthening Organizational Capacity in Libraries: Tools for Strategic Assessment,” led by ULC’s Director of Civic Health and Economic Opportunity, Shamichael Hallman, equipped participants with tools for evaluating impact and aligning resources. Participants explored the connections between strategic alignment, resource management, and impact evaluation in their work. Another session, “Dropping the Armor: The Power of Embracing Emotions at Work,” led by ULC Program Manager Kelsey Hughes and Prince George’s County Memorial Library System Interim COO for Public Services Megan Sutherland, encouraged attendees to embrace vulnerability and empathy in the workplace to build more resilient teams and more supportive emotional environments.

Embracing Transformation

With discussions energized from the previous day, Thursday, October 24, became the heart of the Forum’s programming, centering on trust, transformation, and strategies for a resilient future. Opening remarks from ULC President Brooks Rainwater and a warm welcome from Free Library of Philadelphia Director Kelly Richards set the stage for a day packed with forward-thinking ideas and meaningful conversations.

The first panel, "Creating a Culture of Trust from Internal to External,” explored how libraries can foster a strong foundation of trust within libraries for staff and patrons. Moderated by Pilar Martinez, CEO of Edmonton Public Library, the panel included leaders from Baltimore County Public Library, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, and King County Library System, who discussed how building trust as a leader requires self-reflection, authenticity, and a commitment to transparency and vulnerability.

Trust is action—it’s showing every single day that what you say is going to happen.” -Heidi Daniel, Executive Director, King County Library System

Later, keynote speaker Kim Scott, author of Radical Candor, introduced her concept of Radical Respect. Scott urged leaders to confront unconscious biases and cultivate a respectful workplace, where honesty and thoughtful feedback are practiced at all levels. Scott highlighted that radical respect enables organizations to effectively address prejudice and bullying, fostering a culture that supports staff and patrons alike. Honesty, thoughtful planning, and humility in failure all create opportunities from the top down to address these issues systematically and create a strong culture.

The day concluded with a thought-provoking panel on embracing change. "Embracing Change in a Dynamic World" panel, moderated by Brian Bannon of The New York Public Library, explored the ever-changing roles that libraries take on and the opportunities they present. Leaders from Cambridge Public Library, Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library, Jersey City Free Public Library and Kitchener Public Library discussed the "strategic tension" libraries face as they balance community needs with limited resources. As our panelists shared, these challenges may require solutions that put us out of our comfort zone or require extra risk, such as updating staffing models, rethinking library space, and changing job requirements.

Advocating for Tomorrow

The final morning of the Forum, Friday, October 25, turned attention toward the future, focusing on the critical role of advocacy in shaping the next chapter for libraries. The Forum's last panel, "Shaping Tomorrow: Advocacy for the Future of Libraries," was moderated by Jennie Pu, Director of Hoboken Public Library and ULC Board member and featured leaders from Boston Public Library, Broward County Library, Pioneer Library System and San Diego Public Library. Panelists underscored the importance of proactive relationship-building with key stakeholders and concisely communicating the library’s value in ways that resonate with community leaders and decision-makers.

“How on earth can we advocate for the things we need if we are not able to accurately and crisply describe who we are at our core?” -David Leonard, President, Boston Public Library

We continued the discussion on advocacy with a presentation from ULC’s public affairs partners at Cogent Strategies. Taylor McCarty Hoover, VP of Government and Public Relations, presented advocacy tools and techniques to empower library leaders to champion funding, programming, and policy support. She introduced ULC’s new toolkit, A Guide to Engaging Elected Officials and Cultivating Library Advocates in Government, a valuable resource designed to strengthen library advocacy efforts.

Celebrating Excellence

As the Forum came to a close, ULC celebrated the achievements of the 2024 ULC Innovations Award winners, recognizing outstanding projects that exemplify the creativity and commitment of public libraries. This year’s winners included libraries from across North America, including Broward County Library, Denver Public Library, and Toronto Public Library, among others.

Thank you to the 240+ attendees from over 100 library systems for joining us at this year's Annual Leadership Forum in Philadelphia to our partners at the Free Library of Philadelphia and our sponsors, Baker & Taylor, EBSCO, Group 4 Architecture Research + Planning, Inc., and Thrift Books, for making this year’s Forum a memorable and impactful experience.

See a full album of event photos at flickr.com.