calsfoundation@cals.org
COMMUNITY HISTORY PROJECTS
Mapping Downtown Little Rock
Using images from our collection, we have constructed an architectural tour of downtown Little Rock.
Arkansas Traveler Project
The Arkansas Traveler Project is a collection of interactive narratives that examine various topics of Arkansas history. The project uses a mapping tool to provide context and illustrate spatial relationships.
Lost West Ninth Street
For many decades, Little Rock’s West Ninth Street was the heart of the city’s African American community. “The Line,” as the street was sometimes known, was home to businesses, churches, fraternal groups, and a host of other entities.
Art @ Roberts Library
Allen Jarvis: Land, Water, and Sky
ON VIEW Friday, June 10–Saturday, August 27
Landing Gallery, Galleries & Bookstore at Library Square, Roberts Library
Many of the places that inspired these simple abstract landscapes of land, water, and sky are in Arkansas and Alabama, especially in the wetlands area of upper Mobile Bay. Artist Allen Jarvis uses objects like yardsticks,
Yard Work: Inspirations Found in Our Own Backyards
ON VIEW Friday, June 10–Saturday, October 1
Underground Gallery, Galleries & Bookstore at Library Square, Roberts Library
In this exhibition featuring four artists who first met each other in the University of Central Arkansas Art Department over a decade ago, Kristen Spickard, Barbara Satterfield, Britynn Davis,
The Shape of Home: Multimedia Works of Diane Harper
ON VIEW Friday, May 13 through Saturday, July 30, 2022
The Loft, Galleries & Bookstore at Library Square, Roberts Library
The Shape of Home exhibition explores the idea of weighted memories and the emotional imprint of cultural and personal history. Using mixed media works, Harper examines the theme of physical geometry associated with home.
Recent Blog Posts from the Butler Banner
The Encyclopedia of Arkansas: Creating a Fertile Field
If you have watched many movies from the famed Swedish director Ingmar Bergman, you have probably seen, in the bleak Scandinavian landscape he often depicts, ancient stone walls lining rural farmsteads or yards. These may seem like nothing more than a background detail while his characters in the foreground undergo exquisite crises of faith or identity,
Letters in the Attic: Archiving the Past at the Roberts Library
All those letters in the attic… Or basement. Or shed. Or barn. Or under the bed.
You get the idea.
Family papers and photographs. We all have them. And for most of us, we have them stored as an unorganized mess somewhere out of the way. Many of these materials have stories of their own—how they survived from the early and mid-twentieth century to still exist in the early twenty-first century.
Butler Center Books Make Great Gifts for History Lovers
Father’s Day is approaching, and it is never the wrong time to think about birthday and other holiday gifts for parents, grandparents, friends, and other loved ones. Books about Arkansas’s fascinating history and culture just might fit the bill, and Butler Center Books has published many popular titles for those Arkansas history lovers in your life.
Art on Exhibit at CALS
The CALS Art Exhibitions highlight art by Arkansas artists and showcase exhibitions that promote Arkansas history and culture. The CALS Permanent Collection is displayed in our branches and rotating exhibitions are featured in the Galleries & Bookstore at Library Square.
Archival Collections
The CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies archival collection offers unique glimpses into the state’s history through documents and photographs. Many of the collections depict the daily life in Central Arkansas by preserving the cultural, political, literary, military, and environmental history of Pulaski and Perry Counties.
Genealogy Help & Resources
Whether you have been on your family history journey for years or are just beginning, the CALS Roberts Library offers resources for genealogists and researchers at all skill levels.
CALS Bobby L. Roberts Library of Arkansas History & Art (including CALS Galleries & Bookstore at Library Square, CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, and UA Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture) is open to the public the following days and times:
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Galleries & Bookstore at Library Square (501.320.5790)
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Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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Research Room (501.320.5700)
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Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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Saturday 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
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Patrons using closed stacks material and manuscript collections must request the specific collections they would like to access at least two business days in advance by contacting
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CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies – (501) 320-5700 or arkinfo@cals.org
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UA Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture – cahc@ualr.edu