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Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) is a public library system headquartered in
Little Rock, Arkansas ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...
. The largest public library system in Arkansas, the Central Arkansas Library System serves all residents of Pulaski County and
Perry County Perry County may refer to: United States *Perry County, Alabama *Perry County, Arkansas *Perry County, Illinois *Perry County, Indiana *Perry County, Kentucky *Perry County, Mississippi *Perry County, Missouri *Perry County, Ohio *Perry Coun ...
, including
Little Rock ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...
, Jacksonville,
Maumelle Maumelle is a city in Pulaski County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 19,251. The city is located northwest of Little Rock, bordering the opposite shore of the Arkansas River and is part of the Little Ro ...
, Perryville, Sherwood, and Wrightsville. So. The main Library in downtown Little Rock is the main branch of the system. The Main Library campus also includes the Arkansas Studies Institute Building, which includes the offices of the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, the ''
Encyclopedia of Arkansas The Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) ''Encyclopedia of Arkansas'' is a web-based encyclopedia of the U.S. state of Arkansas, described by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as "a free, authoritative source of information a ...
'', and the UALR Center for Arkansas History and Culture. CALS' Ron Robinson Theater, Cox Creative Center, and River Market Books & Gifts are also located on the Main Library campus.


History

The first Little Rock Public Library was one of four
Carnegie Libraries in Arkansas Carnegie may refer to: People *Carnegie (surname), including a list of people with the name *Clan Carnegie, a lowland Scottish clan Institutions Named for Andrew Carnegie *Carnegie Building (Troy, New York), on the campus of Rensselaer Polytec ...
. The Carnegie Corporation of New York made a grant of $50,000 in 1906, but increased the grant to $88,100 in 1907. The library was opened on February 1, 1910, at West 7th Street and South Louisiana Street in downtown Little Rock. Adolphine Fletcher Terry was an early proponent of public libraries in Central Arkansas. Her advocacy led to her being Trustee at what was then-known as the Little Rock Public Library from 1925 to 1965. In the Library Commission's 1975-77 Biennial Report she wrote, "if you want to start something new, don't hesitate. If you have the proper tools to work with, good; if you have nothing but a forked stick, go ahead anyway. Make your brains provide what you otherwise lack." Adolphine Fletcher Terry's brother was the noted poet, John Gould Fletcher. His wife, Mary Bosanquet Fletcher, was also a Little Rock Public Library Trustee, as well as serving as the president of the Arkansas Federation of Women's Clubs. Both Adolphine Fletcher Terry and John Gould Fletcher would later have Central Arkansas Library System branch libraries named after them. In the early years, librarians were paid $52.50 a month. These funds came from the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) was born of a 1975 merger agreement between the trustees of the Little Rock Public Library and of the Pulaski-Perry Regional Library; the trustees of the North Little Rock Public Library, now known as the William F. Laman Public Library, chose not to join CALS. Today, the Central Arkansas Library System, with its headquarters at the Main Library, serves a local population of 402,853. Nine of CALS' fourteen branches are located in Little Rock, with additional branches located in Jacksonville, Maumelle, Perryville, Sherwood, and Wrightsville. Through the Gateway Project, residents of Arkansas, Bradley, Chicot, Clark, Cleburne, Cleveland, Conway, Dallas, Desha, Drew, Faulkner, Garland, Grant, Hot Spring, Jackson, Jefferson, Lincoln, Lonoke, Montgomery, Nevada, Perry, Pike, Polk, Pope, Prairie, Pulaski, Saline, Van Buren, and White counties may also access the 1.5 million items in CALS' collection for $54 per year. In 2015, the Central Arkansas Library System welcomed over 2 million visitors, while cardholders checked out over 2.7 million items.


Architecture

The current Main library branch is part of a complex of renovated buildings in downtown Little Rock. The main library building had originally been a hardware warehouse in the early 1900s. In 1997, the building was completely refurbished as a library. The updated building served as the centerpiece of the River Market District. Soon after the opening of the Main library, the neighboring property was similarly re-purposed by the library system. The Thomas Cox & Sons Machinery Company's warehouse was from the same time period. CALS opened the "Cox Creative Center" houses a used book and gift store, a coffee shop and bakery, three art galleries, and meeting rooms. The 18,600 square foot building has been renamed "The Bookstore at Library Square." These two buildings, along with the Dee Brown branch earned the then-director of CALS the Award of Merit by the
American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to ...
(IAI) in 2002.


Branches

* Little Rock ** Dee Brown Library, named for the author of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. **
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States senat ...
Children's Library, named for the former first lady of Arkansas. ** John Gould Fletcher Library, named for the Pulitzer prize-winning poet. He was the younger brother of Adolphine Fletcher Terry. **
Sidney S. McMath Sidney Sanders McMath (June 14, 1912October 4, 2003) was a U.S. marine, attorney and the 34th governor of Arkansas from 1949 to 1953. In defiance of his state's political establishment, he championed rapid rural electrification, massive highw ...
Library, named for the state's former governor. ** Main Library ** Oley E. Rooker Library, named for an advocate for southwest Little Rock. ** Adolphine Fletcher Terry Library, named for an advocate for schools, libraries, and desegregation in the state. She was the older sister of John Gould Fletcher. ** Roosevelt Thompson Library, named for a Little Rock native and Yale student who received a Rhodes Scholarship but was killed before he could begin it. ** Sue Cowan Williams Library, named for a Little Rock schoolteacher who, in 1942, won a lawsuit seeking equal pay for black teachers. * Jacksonville **Esther Dewitt Nixon Library, named for the first librarian for the Jacksonville Library. *
Maumelle Maumelle is a city in Pulaski County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 19,251. The city is located northwest of Little Rock, bordering the opposite shore of the Arkansas River and is part of the Little Ro ...
: ** Maumelle Public Library * Perryville: ** Max Milam Library, named for the chair of the Political Science department at the
University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...
, and an advocate for rural health care delivery and rural economic development in Arkansas. * Sherwood: ** Amy Sanders Library, named for a long-time clerk for the city of Sherwood. * Wrightsville: ** Millie Brooks Library, named for an advocate and city councilwoman for Wrightsville.


Specialized facilities

* Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, publisher of the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture (EOA) * Cox Creative Center * Ron Robinson Theater


See also

* Arkansas lunar sample displays


References


External links

* {{Authority control Carnegie libraries in Arkansas Education in Little Rock, Arkansas Education in Perry County, Arkansas Education in Pulaski County, Arkansas Library districts