News & Announcements

Documenting Arkansas’s March 31, 2023 Tornado Outbreak

Our community experienced a devastating tornado outbreak on March 31, 2023. Future generations will want to know how the tornado affected Arkansas. The CALS Butler Center encourages members of our community to document their experiences during this time of crisis.

Do you have before and after views of damaged sites? Have you written about your experience in a diary or taken part in recovery efforts and documented the storm’s destruction?


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CALS seeks RFQ from qualified artists

Nate Coulter, the Executive Director of the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS), has appointed a committee of local historians and CALS staff members to accept RFQs (Requests for Qualifications) from qualified artists who are interested in designing, creating, and installing A MEMORIAL TO AFRICAN AMERICAN CIVIL WAR SOLDIERS WHO SERVED WITH THE UNION ARMY IN ARKANSAS. CALS will select the site and provide landscaping and lighting as necessary.

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CALS Awarded Jerry Kline Community Impact Prize

The Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) is proud to have won the Jerry Kline Community Impact Prize. Developed in partnership between the Gerald M. Kline Family Foundation and Library Journal, this national award recognizes the public library as a vital community asset. CALS will receive a $250,000 grant from the Kline Family Foundation and be profiled in the December issue of Library Journal in recognition of the award.


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Shop Small Business Saturday with CALS

On Saturday, November 27, retail enthusiasts are invited to shop locally at Library Square. You can shop small this year by purchasing from local artists and entrepreneurs; give the gift of supporting a new business while also giving unique and handcrafted gifts to your loved ones. The Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) will be participating in Small Business Saturday at two locations downtown: The Galleries &


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