In Arkansas, the battle over books has deep roots. Long before recent headlines about banned titles and library protests, communities across the state were already wrestling with who makes decisions about what content citizens can access. From comics to LGBTQ+ literature, the fight over books in Arkansas has reflected broader struggles over race, The post Banned in Arkansas: A History of Censorship and Resistance appeared first on Roberts Library.| Roberts Library
As part of the grand reopening of the reimagined CALS Main Library on October 4, 2025, the CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies will be unveiling a temporary display on the history of the Central Arkansas Library System in the lobby of the CALS Roberts Library. This display will expand on the content of a permanent timeline that will soon adorn a wall on the first floor of Main.| Roberts Library
The Black business district of Little Rock known as West Ninth Street thrived after World War II but was erased during federal Urban Renewal efforts in the 1950s and ’60s. The history of Ninth Street will always live. My siblings and I exist because we are historical markers of Ninth Street. The post The Legacy of Little Rock’s West Ninth Street appeared first on Roberts Library.| Roberts Library
As the cataloging and serials librarian at the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, I have the privilege of getting up close and personal with new acquisitions for the Research Room of the CALS Roberts Library of Arkansas History & Art. I will admit that getting some items cataloged can be tedious and time consuming, The post Recent Book Acquisitions at Roberts appeared first on Roberts Library.| Roberts Library
Fall is in the air, and with it comes chances for some fun (and free!) art experiences at CALS! Upcoming Workshops and Activities Two chances for printmaking with Perrion Hurd! Sat., September 20, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (drop in any time during this period) Sat.| Roberts Library
Pablo was a non-alcoholic drink created by Pabst Brewing Company in 1916. The company created the drink at a time when the temperance movement was gaining widespread support in the country. It was only a few years later that the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which outlawed alcoholic beverages, was passed. Prohibition lasted until 1933 when it was repealed via the Twenty-First Amendment to the U.S.| Roberts Library
“Did you know that Arkansas is mentioned in the Bible? Yeah, there’s that verse that begins, ‘Noah stepped out of the ark an’ saw…’” I heard that joke from a Baptist youth pastor back in the mid-1990s—a joke so groan-worthy I still remember it some thirty years later. It sprang to mind one recent summer morning when I was walking the dog. The post Noah’s Arkansas appeared first on Roberts Library.| Roberts Library
Franklin Williams is one of many Arkansans who served in the armed forces of the United States during both World War II and the Korean War. His collection at the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies at the Central Arkansas Library System contains a notable sample of the type of communications developed on behalf of those in military service in the middle of the twentieth century.| Roberts Library
The bond between the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies and the Center for Arkansas History and Culture—a collaboration between the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) and the University of Arkansas Little Rock (UA Little Rock) that makes archival materials from both entities available to the public in the Research Room at the CALS Roberts Library—began as a dream of the possibility of connecting patrons with local history in an organized way that meets the standards of archivists and ...| Roberts Library
Little Rock businessman and former Razorback football player Muskie Harris has donated a collection of original drawings by cartoonists George Fisher and Vic Harville to the permanent art collection of the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS).| Roberts Library
Help us improve your library experience! We’re working on the 2025-2028 Strategic Plan and we need your input. The Central Arkansas Library System is seeking input from the public via an online survey.| Roberts Library
The other day, I was in my backyard, where I’m carving out a new garden plot, digging some trenches for the metal edging I was laying down. I started at 8:00 in the morning,| Roberts Library
I was flipping through some old Butler Center paperwork when the top line of one message caught my eye. It said, “I appreciate you forwarding the pages about Taylor Swift’s return from Liberia…” My first thought was that I had never heard that world-renowned musician Taylor Swift had ever been in Liberia,| Roberts Library
The area in Little Rock historically called “the south end” is framed by Interstate 30 on the east side, Roosevelt Road on the north side, the Arkansas State Fairgrounds on the west side,| Roberts Library
May 17, 2024, marked the seventieth anniversary of the milestone decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas by the U.S. Supreme Court, which overturned Plessy v.| Roberts Library
This summer offers many opportunities to view and experience art at the Central Arkansas Library System through exhibitions, events, and workshops! Exhibitions Catch this one before it closes!| Roberts Library
Late last year, I wrote about how I ended up reading a selection of romance novels and other books of the sort I would not normally read, spurred on by a freelance writing gig.| Roberts Library
