Arkansas State Library (ASL) is a

special library A special library is a library that provides specialized information resources on a particular subject, serves a specialized and limited clientele, and delivers specialized services to that clientele. Special libraries include corporate librar ...

which operates as a

state agency A government agency or state agency, sometimes an appointed commission, is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government (bureaucracy) that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, s ...

under the

Arkansas Department of Education The Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) is a cabinet-level agency of the Arkansas state government overseeing public education for K-12, higher education institutions, and career and technical education. The ADE also contains the Arkansas ...

, within the Arkansas state government. It provides information about resources for state agencies,

legislators A legislator, or lawmaker, is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are often elected by the people, but they can be appointed, or hereditary. Legislatures may be supra-natio ...

and

legislative A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers ...

staff. The library also provides guidance and support for the development of local public libraries and library services. ASL provides resources, services and leadership for the educational, informational and cultural needs of Arkansas citizens.

History

The

Arkansas General Assembly The General Assembly of Arkansas is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house Arkansas Senate with 35 members, and the lower Arkansas House of Representatives with 1 ...

created the Arkansas Library Commission in 1935. Funding began in 1937. The commission operated from headquarters in

Little Rock Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...

. The commission provided library services across the state, by mailing books through what was called the

Post Office Department The United States Post Office Department (USPOD; also known as the Post Office or U.S. Mail) was the predecessor of the United States Postal Service, established in 1792. From 1872 to 1971, it was officially in the form of a Cabinet departme ...

until 1971, offering guidance on collection development, and awarding grants to support library initiatives. In 1979, the legislature replaced the commission with the newly established Arkansas State Library.

General public

The Arkansas State Library offers various programs and services for the general public, including Arkansas Center for the Book, Bookreporter.com, Document Collection, Information about the Arkansas General Assembly (Legislators & Committees/Meetings & Events/Acts & Bill Status), Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped; Information Services such as reference assistance and Ask a Librarian, Library Card registration, Online Catalog, assistance with Patents and Trademarks as the only Patent and Trademark Resource Center (in association with the United States Patent and Trademark Office) in Arkansas, Resource Assistance In Seeking Employment (R.A.I.S.E), social media (Facebook, Twitter); Newsletter, Public Library Directory, Summer Reading Program, and the Traveler Online Database Program.

Librarians and trustees

The ASL provides librarians and library trustees with numerous services, such as the Arkansas Center for the Book, Bibilostat Collect and Bibliostat Connect Log-in, Federal & State Documents, E-rate Assistance for Public Libraries, Grant Information, ILL, and the Library for the Blind and Print Disabled.

State government employees and legislators

State government employees and legislators have access to the State Library's online databases, reference assistance, federal and state documents; and may benefit from using Inter-library Loan, Library for the Blind and Print Disabled, and overall information services.

Teachers and students

Many services are offered for teachers and students, including America's Story from America's Library (

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

for Kids), Arkansas Center for the Book, Arkansas Department of Education, Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids (K-2;3-5;9-12; Parents & Teachers), Book Awards & Reading Lists, and Letters about Literature.

Library for the Blind and Print Disabled

The Arkansas Regional Library for the Blind and Print Disabled is part of the Library of Congress National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) network and the Arkansas State Library. Arkansas citizens unable to use regular print material may borrow popular books and magazines in recorded or Braille format free of charge.

Reference and online resources

Information Services (formerly known as State Library Services) at the Arkansas State Library was established in 1979 to help provide reference services, access to printed and/or electronic materials and to online information including social media along with work-related Interlibrary Loan services to state agencies and the state legislature. The State Library is part of a network of libraries (Patent and Trademark Resource Centers) throughout the United States that provides free patent and trademark information. The State Library also provides free library cards for use by the citizens of Arkansas.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1979 establishments in Arkansas Educational buildings in Little Rock, Arkansas Government agencies established in 1979 Libraries established in 1979 Organizations based in Little Rock, Arkansas State agencies of Arkansas State libraries of the United States Tourist attractions in Little Rock, Arkansas Public libraries in Arkansas