Harris County Public Library (HCPL) is proud to announce that our Executive Director, Edward Melton, was just elected to the Board of Directors of the Urban Libraries Council (ULC), an innovation and action tank of North America’s leading public library systems, for 2026-2027. He will serve a 2-year term,
“It is an honor to serve on the Urban Libraries Council Board of Directors and to help with the important work ULC is doing to strengthen public libraries," said Edward Melton, Executive Director of Harris County Public Library. "Libraries are uniquely positioned to connect people with information, opportunity, and one another. It is especially exciting to be able to work with such visionary leaders within and outside the field to help shape innovative solutions to the challenges public libraries are facing, and that will meet the ever-evolving needs of our communities.”
With nearly 200 members across the U.S. and Canada, including HCPL, ULC is dedicated to strengthening and advancing the essential role of public libraries as dynamic, accessible places for opportunity, learning, and innovation.
“Our Board sits at the heart of our organization, leveraging the combined insights of library veterans and changemakers from many different fields to help us continuously innovate on behalf of public libraries,” said ULC President and CEO Brooks Rainwater. “More than ever, urban libraries need a strong collective vision to meet the needs of the future. We’re thrilled to build off the momentum and leadership of the previous Board with this year’s slate.”
The ULC Board is composed of member library directors, trustees of libraries and/or library foundations and members of the public who are civic, business, government, or philanthropic leaders. It provides strategic oversight, industry perspective, and vision that guides the continued evolution of the organization.
Four Board officers were elected by the ULC membership, including:
- Heidi Daniel (Executive Director, King County Library System) — Board Chair
- Brian Bannon (Merryl and James Tisch Director, New York Public Library) – Vice Chair/Chair-Elect
- Joey Crawford (Chair, Broward Public Library Foundation and Senior Media Consultant, Cox Media Group Miami) — Immediate Past Chair
- Catherine Strauss (Board Member, Columbus Metropolitan Library Board of Trustees and Managing Partner, Ice Miller LLP) — Secretary/Treasurer
ULC members also elected one new Board member and reelected three returning Board members, all of whom will serve two-year terms.
- Edward Melton (Executive Director, Harris County Public Library)— First Term
- Andrew Trueblood (Senior Advisor for Economic Development, America Achieves; Nonresident Fellow, Urban Institute; and Board Member, DC Public Library) — Second Term
- Heidi Daniel (Executive Director, King County Library System) — Third Term
- Grace Nordhoff (Philanthropist and Emeritus Board, The Seattle Public Library Foundation) — Third Term
Learn more about the Urban Library Council on its website: urbanlibraries.org/
