News & Announcements

CALS receives $500,000 from the Mellon Foundation
Grant will support the library’s Memory Lab, Encyclopedia of Arkansas, and Butler Center for Arkansas Studies

Little Rock, AR – The Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) Foundation is honored to have received a grant of $500,000 from the Mellon Foundation’s Public Knowledge program.

The grant – one of the largest in CALS’s history – will build capacity for the library’s Memory Lab,


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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.


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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,


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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.


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