Main Library

A Look Back on the Remodeling

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Library Square Parking Rates

Two off-street parking areas are available to CALS patrons. If you are visiting the Main Library ask staff to validate your parking ticket to receive an extended free parking period.

An open-air parking lot is situated on the east side of Rock St., directly opposite the Main Library. And, a multi-story parking garage is located immediately north of the Main Library on the corner of Rock St. and President Clinton Ave. In both cases, the parking rates are as follows:

0 – 30 minutes: FREE
31 minutes – 1 hour: $2.00
1 hour 1 minute – 2 hours: $4.00
2 hours 1 minute – 3 hours: $6.00
3 hours 1 minute – 4 hours: $8.00
4 hours 1 minute – 5 hours: $10.00
5 hours 1 minute – 6 hours: $12.00
6 hours 1 minute – 7 hours: $14.00
7 hours 1 minute – 24 hours : $16.00

Repeats every 24 hours.

About the Main Library

The Main Library, the flagship of the Central Arkansas Library System, is housed in the renovated Fones Brothers Warehouse in the historic River Market District. The third site for the library, a 132,000-square-feet facility, opened at 100 Rock Street in 1997 and reopened after renovation in 2025. The Main Library offers patrons thousands of books and audiovisual items for readers of all ages. The six floors feature public computer labs and classrooms; dedicated areas for children, tweens, and teens; extensive meeting, program, and event spaces; individual and small group study areas; kitchens and makerspaces; wireless Internet access; and an extensive reference department.

Library Square is comprised of the Main Library; the Rock It! Lab; the Ron Robinson Theater (a movie theater and performance hall with 315 seats), and the Bobby L. Roberts Library. The Roberts Library houses the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, including a genealogy and Arkansas research room.