CALS Blogs

As we look ahead to 2022, CALS has some exciting things planned! But first up, we want to extend our hours to allow additional access to branch resources. Beginning on January 3, 2022, evening hours have been added at several branches, so there will be at least one branch open until 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

From December 12 through the 18th, CALS brought back the Food for Fines program. Patrons were able to donate prepackaged non-perishable items to reduce library fines. Patrons were allowed to offset up to $25 worth of fines. Arkansas ranks second in the nation in food insecurity and 17.3 percent of Arkansans are facing hunger issues.

This year across all of the CALS locations,

All branches of the Central Arkansas Library System will close at 6:00 pm Thursday, December 30, and will remain closed through Sunday, January 2. Regular hours will resume throughout the system Monday, January 3.

Please call 918-3000 for more information.

 

Did you know that you can do your holiday shopping at the library? It’s true. You can find gifts for just about everyone on your list while perusing one of the most beautiful stores in downtown Little Rock. The Galleries and Bookstore at Library Square is a simply stunning space to take in,

Shed unwanted library fines this holiday season. The Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) is continuing its tradition of helping those in need by holding its annual Food for Fines event from Sunday, December 12, through Saturday, December 18.

Food for Fines gives patrons an opportunity to help others in central Arkansas and to reduce fines for overdue library materials.

Katherine Blake, teen programmer at Main Library, has been named to the 2022 American Library Association (ALA) Emerging Leaders Program. This exclusive program selects no more than fifty participants each year. Applicants must be relatively new to the library world, having fewer than five years’ experience. This national leadership development program provides the opportunity to network with other library employees from across the country,

 

On November 9, Little Rock voters went to the polls to vote on whether to increase the operational millage rate in the city. We are excited and gratified by the results.  The measure was passed with roughly 71 percent of the vote!

The support CALS received from Little Rock voters underscores what I’ve always believed: public libraries are still widely recognized as essential to a vibrant community.

If you are not yet aware, I want to remind you that CALS is on the ballot in Little Rock on November 9. Early voting begins November 2. We didn’t decide where people could vote but it is a reflection of the community’s confidence in the library’s facility that the election commission once again designated six of our library branches as early voting sites.