About CALS
Our Mission
The original Little Rock Public Library
To acquire, organize, and administer collections of books and related materials and to provide access and services that best meet the needs of our patrons for information and enjoyment.
To respect the dignity of our patrons and the diversity of their needs.
To defend vigorously the principles of intellectual and artistic freedom.
To preserve the heritage and history of the communities we serve, and to provide information on the governance, economic activity, and cultural opportunities of those communities.
To nurture the basic human attribute of curiosity and support the pursuit of adventure, discovery, knowledge, wisdom and understanding.
To invest in our staff to enhance their abilities and encourage their enthusiasm.
Our History
In 1975, the Little Rock Public Library's Board of Trustees and the Trustees of the Pulaski-Perry Regional library agreed to a merger of the libraries in Little Rock, Jacksonville, Sherwood, and Perryville, and the bookmobile services of the Little Rock Public Library and the Regional Library into one library system. The new system adopted the name The Central Arkansas Library System (CALS). The North Little Rock Public Library declined to join the system.
In 1999, the central Arkansas cities and counties comprising CALS' individual entities initiated a new "Agreement for Joint Cooperative Action" for the purpose of constructing, operating, and maintaining public libraries, and providing library services for the citizens of central Arkansas. In addition to the purposes set forth in the original agreement, the new agreement allows CALS to take full advantage of the revised Interlocal Cooperation Act (Ark. Code Ann. §25-20-201 through 207), makes CALS a Public Corporation, allows CALS to own property, broadens the representation of the parties, gives CALS eminent domain power, and generally expands CALS' authority.
CALS, headquartered in Little Rock, serves a local population of 317,457 and is the largest public library system in Arkansas. Its twelve libraries are located in the City of Little Rock (Main Library and seven branches), Pulaski County (Jacksonville, Sherwood, and Maumelle, AR), and Perry County (Perryville, AR). CALS serves an additional state-wide population of nearly one million users through the Gateway Project. The system contains over 850,000 volumes and is the largest research collection in central Arkansas. In 2007, there were over 1.69 million visits to CALS, and users checked out over 1.8 million items.