501-918-3025
calsfoundation@cals.org
calsfoundation@cals.org
Behind-the-Scenes at CALS, in Three* Pictures
As part of the grand reopening of the reimagined CALS Main Library on October 4, 2025, the CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies will be unveiling a temporary display on the history of the Central Arkansas Library System in the lobby of the CALS Roberts Library. This display will expand on the content of a permanent timeline that will soon adorn a wall on the first floor of Main.
One of the persistent challenges in creating historical displays is the need to be concise. Capturing the public’s attention can be a difficult task in today’s world of sound bites and infographics, so hard decisions must be made about what gets to be included in displays.
As a result, we’re often left with many great photographs and stories the public never sees or hears. So, we thought we’d offer our readers a little peek behind the curtain to learn about some of the events and figures that did not make it into the final display.
Community Advocacy at the Little Rock Zoo
In November 1940, voters approved Amendment 33. The amendment permitted cities with populations of more than 5,000 to vote for a property tax, not to exceed one mill, dedicated to library services. In response, the Greater Little Rock Library Association began to lobby with community members for an increase in funding for the Little Rock Public Library. As part of the effort, William Sprott—the curator of the Little Rock Zoo—did a radio broadcast in support of the millage from the enclosure of Ruth the elephant, who arrived at the zoo in 1937.
World War II and the Library
When World War II broke out, the previously established Camp Pike expanded exponentially to become Camp Robinson. The expansion meant that there was a large influx of soldiers utilizing Central Arkansas’s community resources. This extended to the library. To accommodate the schedule of these soldiers as well as those participating in wartime occupations, in 1942 the library added Sunday hours for the first time. The soldiers especially appreciated the library’s music room and were impressed by the size of the record collection, according to a report in the Arkansas Gazette in June 1942.
Friends of the Library
Over CALS’s 100-plus-year history, many community organizations have ensured the library’s continued success and supported the library financially in years of hardship and underfunding. Today, that organization is known as the CALS Foundation, but many are familiar with the prior name, Friends of Central Arkansas Libraries, or FOCAL. FOCAL was especially essential in providing support through fundraising and volunteer service. The used book sale that the foundation still facilitates is one of the system’s largest fundraisers. The proceeds provide funding for programming all across CALS.
We hope these glimpses into the Central Arkansas Library System’s past have piqued your interest in learning more about CALS, past and present. You can also read more about the history of CALS on the CALS Encyclopedia of Arkansas here.
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The grand reopening of the Main Library is this Saturday, October 4, starting with opening remarks at 9:00 AM followed by a full day of fun activities (including sessions for the Six Bridges Book Festival). More information here.
Across the street at the Roberts Library, we will have some activities of our own that day (in addition to the display of CALS history):
- Drop-in printmaking with Perrion Hurd from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. More info here.
- Drop-in program on Roberts Library’s resources in Room 204 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM. More info here.
- Tours of our DIY Memory Lab at 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM
General visiting information for the Roberts Library is here.
Note: Saturday will be a busy day at CALS and parking will be tricky, so a free shuttle will run between the large Clinton Center parking lot and the Main Library/Roberts Library/Ron Robinson Theater all day.
*Header image (a bonus picture!): Librarian Bettye Kerns doing a youth services program at CALS, undated.
By Danielle Afsordeh, community outreach archivist and programs coordinator for the CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies/Roberts Library
