Welcome to CALS Roberts Library

Location & Hours Explore our Collections

The Bobby L. Roberts Library of Arkansas History & Art is the special collections branch of the Central Arkansas Library System.

CALS Roberts Library houses the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies,  Encyclopedia of Arkansas, DIY Memory Lab, CALS Art Program, and UA Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture. The mission of the Bobby L. Roberts Library of Arkansas History & Art is to engage the people of Central Arkansas in meaningful conversations about our rich history and artistic heritage and its impact on our present.

Apply today

Community History Seminar 2026

The 2026 Community History Seminar is a free evening program hosted by the CALS DIY Memory Lab and Butler Center for Arkansas Studies. Designed especially for community-based organizations in Central Arkansas, the seminar supports groups with historically significant or at-risk records, particularly those documenting the experiences and histories of marginalized communities. 10 community-based organizations will be accepted into the 2026 cohort.

Application Deadline: EXTENDED to June 30
Notification Deadline: July 7

Learn More and Apply
community history seminar logo with green bar and black border

Upcoming Events & Programs

  • Monumental History: The Story of Arkansas’s Replica Liberty Bell
    Legacies & Lunch July 2026

    CALS Main Library, Darragh Center (5th Floor)

    Kristin Dutcher Mann will explore the history of Arkansas’s replica Liberty Bell, detailing its roots in postwar economic policy and discussing how it came to its permanent home in the Bicentennial Memorial on the Arkansas State Capitol grounds.

    View Event

  • 2nd Friday Art Night

    CALS Main Library

    At our monthly 2FAN event, attendees will be greeted by local artists selling their work, art demonstrations, a craft table, a DJ or performer playing music, and light refreshments and libations.

    View Event

preserve your memories

CALS DIY Memory Lab

Digitize your home movies, photographs, slides, negatives, and scrapbooks!

Make an Appointment
color and black and white photographic prints laid out on a grey grid surface

Recent Blog Posts

Need a Speaker?

We offer programs and guest speakers to groups of all sizes and ages. We will come and speak to your group about Arkansas history, CALS Art Collection, Butler Center of Arkansas Studies collections, the Encyclopedia of Arkansas, and Personal Archiving / DIY Memory Lab.

Book a Speaker

explore arkansas history

Digital Projects