Happy New Year!

As we welcome 2025, I want to take a moment to reflect on the work we did together with our many partners in 2024 and share how our efforts will continue to shape the future of our community. Last year gave us plenty of reasons to celebrate.  And it also invited us to review and reaffirm the values at the core of the library’s mission. 

I often say that CALS is punching above its weight, and 2024 was no exception. From groundbreaking programs to civic engagement, our library system continues to meet the moment and tackle complex challenges. Libraries are increasingly called upon to address issues impacting their communities directly, and CALS has risen to that challenge with creativity and determination. 

In 2024, CALS embarked on a strategic planning process to chart a course for the future. Many of you contributed to this effort through interviews and surveys, and your valuable feedback, combined with insights from our staff, shaped our new mission statement: “We connect people. We nurture potential. We grow community.” This mission serves as our guiding compass as we adapt to the evolving needs of our patrons and the communities we serve. We look forward to unveiling the full strategic plan soon. 

CALS continues to embrace its role as a vital force for connection, inclusion, and empowerment. Last year, we celebrated significant milestones that highlighted the library’s enduring impact, including the Fletcher Library’s 50th anniversary and the grand reopening of the Williams Library. These joyful events underscored our commitment to serving as a cornerstone for the community. This fall, we will carry that momentum forward with the reopening of the Main Library, ushering in an exciting new chapter in our mission to connect people, nurture their potential, and grow the Central Arkansas community. 

The Six Bridges Book Festival was a phenomenal success, featuring notable authors such as Toluse Olorunnipa, Ilyon Woo, Robin Preiss Glasser, and Ann Patchett. Summer @ CALS offered new adventures for patrons of all ages, and we unveiled the CALS Cruiser, an innovative addition to our services. Additionally, a $500,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation’s Public Knowledge program—one of the largest in our history—will enhance the library’s Memory Lab, preserving the stories and histories that define our community. 

Our staff continues to support residents in crucial ways. One shining example is Be Mighty Little Rock, which directly addresses childhood hunger and food insecurity. Additionally, we are making a meaningful difference through initiatives like Little Free Pantries, the seed library, and garden programming. 

Your generosity fueled much of this progress. From supporting the Legal Fund to Giving Tuesday to year-end giving, we saw an extraordinary outpouring of support. Your contributions to programs like Food for Fines, the annual toy drive in partnership with Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, and Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood Sweater Drive with Arkansas PBS highlight the library’s ability to meet the community’s needs. And CALS volunteers gave their time at neighborhood branches, outreach events, and popular programs. I’m continually inspired by the commitment of CALS’s donors and volunteers to creating a better world. 

The year also presented significant challenges, such as addressing homelessness in our city. While CALS is not responsible for every shift in approach, the library played a key role in fostering collaboration among the City of Little Rock and community partners. We have used our credibility as a public institution to shine a light on this pressing issue, providing resources and advocacy for our unhoused neighbors. 

Notably, the year ended with a favorable resolution to the legal challenge we lodged against an Arkansas statute adopted in early 2023. Just before Christmas, the federal judge presiding over the case issued a final ruling that agreed with the claims we had made in the lawsuit that key parts of Act 372 violated the U.S. Constitution. In his ruling Judge Brooks affirmed the authority of the professionals who run the library over “local governing bodies whose members lack training and experience in these matters and are not bounded by similar selection constraints.” He prevented implementation of the law because it would “permit, if not encourage, library committees and local governmental bodies to make censorship decisions based on content or viewpoint, which would violate the First Amendment.” With your continued support, we will remain steadfast in championing intellectual freedom and ensuring that everyone has access through the library to a diverse array of stories, knowledge, and perspectives. Doing so, we believe, inspires greater opportunities for growth and understanding.  

As we move into this new year, our mission will guide us. We want to continue to expand reliable access to all types of resources in various formats, as well as strengthen our existing partnerships that help us serve the community. I invite you to support CALS in whatever way feels right for you—whether through donations, volunteering, partnerships, advocacy, or simply enjoying the library’s many offerings. Together, we’ll keep building a community where everyone feels heard, supported, and connected. 

We are a community. We are CALS. 

Here’s to a bright and hopeful 2025. Thank you for being part of our story.  

Warmly, 

Nate Coulter
Executive Director
Central Arkansas Library System