Urban Libraries Council
Urban Libraries Council is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit founded in 1971 that serves as a research, professional development, and advocacy network for 190+ North American public library systems.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1970
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Urban Libraries Council does
Urban Libraries Council (ULC) is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit membership organization founded in 1971 that serves as an outcomes-driven research and innovations network for more than 190 leading North American public library systems. Its core function is to convene senior library leaders for peer benchmarking, professional development, and collective advocacy on issues such as federal funding (IMLS) and e-book pricing. The organization's programmatic portfolio includes the ULC Academy professional development platform (offering paid certificate courses such as 'Managing from the Middle: Influence Leaders' at $2,750 per participant and 'The Inventive Leader' at $1,250), the Business Value Calculator for measuring library economic impact, Action Teams focused on anti-racism, digital equity, and economic opportunity (60+ leaders), the Civic Makers Lab grant program ($15,000 per recipient), the Safe Routes to Libraries initiative with the Safe Routes Partnership, and the Libraries and Local News Initiative with More Perfect. Annual research products include the Library Insights Survey/Report and the Impact Report.
ULC's revenue model is primarily subscription-based membership dues from 190+ public library members, supplemented by per-participant course fees on ULC Academy, event registration (Annual Leadership Forum, CEO Roundtable, webinars), and grant funding from sources including the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Distribution is entirely direct: there are no third-party resellers, with all membership enrollment and event/course registration managed through urbanlibraries.org and academy.urbanlibraries.org. The organization is governed by a member-elected Board of Directors and led by President & CEO Brooks Rainwater, COO Angela Goodrich, Chief of Staff Colleen Morsli, and Chief of Programs Michelle Hamiel, operating with 11-50 employees.
Urban Libraries Council firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Urban Libraries Council
- Legal name
- Urban Libraries Council
- Website
- https://urbanlibraries.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1970
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Urban Libraries Council is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit founded in 1971 that serves as a research, professional development, and advocacy network for 190+ North American public library systems.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Urban Libraries Council industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Library Association and Membership Services
- NAICS
- Professional Organizations (81392), Civic and Social Organizations (81341)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Public Libraries & Information Services (BPAIACAO), Civic Education & Community Engagement (Voting, Local Government) (EDAAAFAC)
Keywords
Where Urban Libraries Council is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Urban Libraries Council business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Dues: ULC generates revenue through membership dues from its 190+ North American public library members. Membership provides access to professional development webinars, peer networks, publications, and the Innovations Initiative.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Managing from the Middle: Influence Leaders - 20-credit certificate program |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | The Inventive Leader: Future-Proof Your Library - 16-credit workshop series |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
Urban Libraries Council product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Urban Libraries Council is a membership-based nonprofit research and innovations network serving 190+ leading North American public libraries. It sells organizational memberships, paid professional development courses via ULC Academy, convening at flagship events, and access to research publications, benchmarking tools (Business Value Calculator, Edge 360), grant-funded initiatives (Civic Makers Lab, Safe Routes to Libraries), and collective advocacy on policy issues such as e-book pricing and federal library funding.
Product overview
Urban Libraries Council offers a portfolio of research-driven programs, professional development platforms, and community initiatives for North American public libraries. The core offering includes ULC Academy, a professional development hub providing certification courses like 'Managing from the Middle: Influence Leaders' and 'The Inventive Leader'; practical tools such as the Business Value Calculator and Edge 360 benchmarks; grant programs including Civic Makers Lab for Adults; and community health initiatives like Safe Routes to Libraries. The organization also produces annual research reports (Library Insights Report, Impact Report) and facilitates Action Teams focused on anti-racism, digital equity, and economic opportunity. Member libraries access webinars, online discussion platforms, and a comprehensive knowledge base of peers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- ULC Academy: Professional development and certification platform for public library professionals offering courses, webinars, and certificate programs including Managing from the Middle: Influence Leaders and The Inventive Leader: Future-Proof Your Library.
Products and services
- ULC Academy An online professional development platform offering live courses, self-paced modules, and certificate programs tailored to public library professionals, including leadership and management training.
- Managing from the Middle: Influence Leaders A 20-credit certificate program (3-month course) that instructs new or aspiring administrative library leaders to build influence and impact through strategic leadership skills. Priced at $2,750 per participant with group discounts available.
- The Inventive Leader: Future-Proof Your Library A 16-credit live workshop series equipping senior library leaders to future-proof their organizations through skills, mindsets, and tools for leading through uncertainty. Priced at $1,250 per participant.
- Business Value Calculator An online tool that helps public libraries quantify the economic impact of their support to entrepreneurs and small business owners in their communities.
- Entrepreneurship Boot Camp Series A webinar-based learning series providing instruction and resources for libraries to effectively support entrepreneurs and small business owners.
- Edge 360 Libraries as Entrepreneurship Hubs
Quantifiable outcome
- 190+ member library systems benefit from collective research, advocacy, and innovation sharing programs.
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Urban Libraries Council
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Urban Libraries Council technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Urban Libraries Council partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Las Vegas-Clark County Library DistrictcoreHost partner for the 2026 ULC Annual Leadership Forum in Las Vegas, which will bring together hundreds of library leaders for a high-energy, highly interactive gathering focused on relevance, leadership, and community value.
- Safe Routes PartnershipcoreULC and the Safe Routes Partnership have collaborated since 2024 to develop a national 'Safe Routes to Libraries' program designed to foster walking, biking, and rolling access to public library buildings. They co-present the Safe Routes to Libraries Virtual Learning Series.
- Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)coreIMLS provides grant funding enabling the Safe Routes to Libraries initiative (grant LG-256591-OLS-24). ULC advocates for IMLS funding at the federal level.
- More PerfectcoreULC partnered with More Perfect (a democratic alliance) on a national pilot program connecting eight ULC member libraries with local news organizations to build trust in local information and foster civic dialogue.
- Association for Rural & Small LibrariesmajorNational partner in the Safe Routes to Libraries initiative; collaborated on a February 2025 survey of member libraries to understand the existing landscape. Also partnered in the joint statement on e-book pricing.
- Dr. Noah Lenstra, University of North Carolina at GreensborominorAcademic partner contributing expertise to the Safe Routes to Libraries initiative.
- Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL)majorCo-signatory on the joint public statement calling for e-book pricing action alongside ULC, COSLA, CULC/CBUC, and PLA — representing nearly all public libraries in the US and Canada.
- Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA)majorCo-signatory on the joint public statement calling for e-book pricing action.
- Canadian Urban Libraries Council / Conseil des Bibliothèques Urbaines du Canada (CULC/CBUC)majorCo-signatory on the joint public statement calling for e-book pricing action.
- Public Library Association (PLA)majorCo-signatory on the joint public statement calling for e-book pricing action.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Urban Libraries Council competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- American Library Association: The ALA is the largest US library association, offering accreditation, advocacy, publishing, and conferences that overlap with ULC's member services. While ALA serves all library types nationally and ULC focuses on urban public libraries, they compete for member attention, policy influence, and continuing-education wallet share.
- OCLC: OCLC is a global library cooperative providing cataloging, resource sharing, and technology services to member libraries. While OCLC is technology- and infrastructure-focused rather than advocacy-focused, its membership model and service to public libraries make it a structural peer in the library support ecosystem.
- LYRASIS: LYRASIS is a nonprofit membership organization providing technology, content, and consulting services to libraries, archives, and cultural heritage institutions. Its membership model, training programs, and shared services overlap with ULC's professional development and peer-benchmarking offerings, though LYRASIS operates at broader scale across multiple institution types.
Emerging players
- Internet Archive: The Internet Archive is a nonprofit digital library offering preservation, lending, and access services that intersect with public library digital lending. While its mission and scale differ from ULC, both organizations advocate for equitable information access and engage public libraries on issues like e-book lending and digital equity.
- EveryLibrary: EveryLibrary is a nonprofit political action committee focused on library funding and advocacy at the local, state, and federal levels. It overlaps with ULC's advocacy work on IMLS funding and library policy but specializes in electoral and ballot-measure support, a niche ULC does not occupy directly.
Direct peers
- Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL): ARSL serves rural and small public libraries, complementing ULC's urban focus. The two are co-signatories on the e-book statement and collaborate on Safe Routes to Libraries. ARSL competes for association memberships from smaller public libraries while operating with a similar small-staff nonprofit model.
- Public Library Association (PLA): PLA is a division of ALA focused specifically on public libraries, making it the closest direct peer to ULC. PLA offers national conferences, publications, and training programs that overlap with ULC's offerings, and the two collaborate on advocacy but also compete for the same public library member audience.
- Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA): COSLA represents state library agencies and is a co-signatory with ULC on the joint e-book pricing statement. Both organizations serve overlapping leadership audiences in the public library ecosystem, advocate on federal funding, and convene library decision-makers, making COSLA a comparable peer in mission and constituency.
- Canadian Urban Libraries Council / CULC-CBUC: CULC/CBUC is the Canadian counterpart to ULC, serving major Canadian public library systems with advocacy and programming. The two co-signed the e-book pricing statement and serve comparable urban library constituencies, making them direct peer organizations across the North American market ULC covers.
Others
- Library Journal: Library Journal is the leading trade publication covering the library profession, producing reviews, news, and events (including the annual Library of the Year award). It serves the same library leadership audience as ULC and covers overlapping topics such as innovation, advocacy, and professional development.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Urban Libraries Council social profiles
Digital presenceUrban Libraries Council financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Urban Libraries Council leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Urban Libraries Council funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Urban Libraries Council M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Urban Libraries Council
What does Urban Libraries Council do?
Urban Libraries Council is a membership-based nonprofit research and innovations network serving 190+ leading North American public libraries. It sells organizational memberships, paid professional development courses via ULC Academy, convening at flagship events, and access to research publications, benchmarking tools (Business Value Calculator, Edge 360), grant-funded initiatives (Civic Makers Lab, Safe Routes to Libraries), and collective advocacy on policy issues such as e-book pricing and federal library funding.
Is Urban Libraries Council a public or private company?
Urban Libraries Council is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Urban Libraries Council founded?
Urban Libraries Council was founded in 1970. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Urban Libraries Council based?
Urban Libraries Council is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does Urban Libraries Council make money?
One revenue line is on record: membership Dues.
Who are Urban Libraries Council's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are American Library Association, OCLC and LYRASIS. Emerging players are Internet Archive and EveryLibrary. Direct peers are Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL), Public Library Association (PLA), Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA) and Canadian Urban Libraries Council / CULC-CBUC. Library Journal is listed as an others.
Does Urban Libraries Council have an API?
No public API is recorded for Urban Libraries Council.
What industry is Urban Libraries Council in?
Urban Libraries Council's product category is Library Association and Membership Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAHAF, Libraries, Archives & Special Collections, with a secondary code of BPAIACAO, Public Libraries & Information Services. Its NAICS code is 81392 and its SIC code is 8600.