“Your responsibility is not to judge what you find. You are just to record the history,” genealogist Earnest E. Lacey said at the CALS Genealogy Workshop in Little Rock in 2011.
This statement makes good sense to me: if I hear a skeleton rattling in a closet, I will let it out as fast as I can.
Everyone knows that Ancestry, FamilySearch, and other online databases have revolutionized the way we research genealogy. Online research makes it so easy to find a lot of information in a short amount of time and is perfect for those just beginning to search. Before the rise of this technology, family and local history research was painstaking and required poring through volumes at the library or a courthouse and walking around cemeteries hoping to find information on that elusive ancestor.
The Galleries & Bookstore at Library Square, located within the CALS Roberts Library, features the work of Arkansas artists, including rotating exhibitions and shows by local Arkansas artists as well as artists from Arkansas who have made an impact on the national and international art scene. Works from the Central Arkansas Library System’s permanent art collection are also displayed regularly.
From the CALS Encyclopedia of Arkansas’s “Juneteenth” entry by Bibi Mwamba:
Juneteenth is a celebration held during the month of June in Arkansas and throughout the nation to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States. The celebration originated in Texas in 1865 to mark the date when the news of the emancipation of the slaves reached the state.
Ready to get out and see some great art? Come visit us in the CALS Roberts Library to see the exhibition of the Arkansas Society of Printmakers: New Kids on the Print Block. It is on view in the Underground Gallery of the Galleries & Bookstore at Library Square through Friday,
Objectives: To understand empathy and respond in appropriate ways by reading The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles; To recognize courage in others and ourselves; To form connections with others and practice empathy/courage in our daily lives.
Creator: Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site
Grades: K-4 Elementary School
Time period: World War II Through the Civil Rights Era 1941-1967
In 1954, the United States Supreme Court issued a decision that declared separate education facilities [were] inherently unequal and violated the 14th Amendment guarantee of equal protection of the lawsfor all citizens. It was a reversal of the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson decision, which established the doctrine of separate but equal.
Creator: Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site
Grades: 9-12 High School
Geographic: Ouachita Mountains
Location: Pulaski County
Time period: World War II Through the Civil Rights Era 1941-1967
Objectives: To comprehend the desegregation crisis at Little Rock Central High School in 1957; To identify the Arkansas State Legislature, its role in the crisis at Little Rock Central High School, and the attributes of effective leadership; To comprehend the way legal appeals through the federal court systems, combined with grassroots organizations (church communities, neighborhoods) and individual activism,
This lesson plan will introduce students to the Arkansas flag and its history, and will explore the concept of state symbols.
Creator: Arkansas State Archives
Grades: 5-8 Middle School
Time period: Early 20th Century 1901-1940 (gr 7-8)
Using this lesson plan, students will examine oral histories with former slaves (the slave narratives) collected by the Federal Writers Project in the 1930s, to gain an understanding of what life was like for African Americans in slavery and following emancipation in the 19th century. Lesson activities include a group analysis of two FWP narratives using a 5W graphic organizer,
The Butler Banner archives between 1999-2018 are available in PDF format only. The Butler Banner was our print newsletter.
We allow certain outlets to reprint our copyrighted Butler Banner or CALS Roberts Library blog posts with express permission. To seek permission, please email Glenn Whaley at gwhaley@cals.org.
Honor or memorial gifts are an everlasting way to pay tribute to someone who has touched your life. Give a donation in someone’s name to mark a special occasion, honor a friend or colleague or remember a beloved family member. When a tribute gift is given the honoree will receive a letter acknowledging your generosity and a bookplate will be placed in a book. For more information, contact 501-918-3025 or calsfoundation@cals.org.
Spreading your gift out through monthly contributions is a great solution for your budget and ours. Your monthly donation provides ongoing and predictable support we can count on to fund educational and cultural programming for the patrons, communities, and neighborhoods being served by CALS.
Leave your legacy with a planned gift that can help ensure quality materials, programming, and services for our libraries. For more information, contact 501-918-3025 or calsfoundation@cals.org.
Or, sign up for Kroger Rewards and a portion of your purchases at Kroger will be donated to the CALS Foundation. Simply go to krogercommunityrewards.com, click “Create an Account” to sign in, and select CALS Foundation as your organization to support.
If you would like to make a donation by check, print this donation form, fill it out and mail it with your check to:
Central Arkansas Library System
100 Rock Street
Little Rock, AR. 72201
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