Central Arkansas Library System
Central Arkansas Library System is a multi-jurisdictional public library system based in Little Rock (Pulaski County), Arkansas, serving a legal service area of 344,553 residents through 14 library buildings. Among the 47 profiled systems in Arkansas, it leads on population served, total visits, physical checkouts and operating spending.
Among the 121 profiled systems serving 250,000 to 499,999 residents, it ranks ninth for library floor space per resident. Against the median system of its size class, it records 2.5 times the public computers per resident and 2.5 times the program attendance per resident.
Central Arkansas against the 122 systems of its size class
Central Arkansas, building by building
The 14 buildings cover 340,174 square feet in total, 0.99 square feet per resident against a median of 0.46 for the size class. The largest building is Central Arkansas Library System-Main Library at 156,948 square feet; the smallest is Millie M. Brooks at 2,100. The longest hours, 57 a week, are shared by two buildings.
| Building | Type | Town | Hours a week | Floor area, sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Arkansas Library System-Main Library | Central library | Little Rock | 51.6 | 156,948 |
| Adolphine F. Terry Branch Library | Branch | Little Rock | 56.6 | 18,000 |
| Amy Sanders Branch Library | Branch | Sherwood | 57 | 14,244 |
| Dee Brown Branch Library | Branch | Little Rock | 57 | 15,700 |
| Esther D. Nixon Library | Branch | Jacksonville | 53.5 | 13,500 |
| Hillary Rodham Clinton Children's Library & Learning Center | Branch | Little Rock | 53.5 | 30,000 |
| John Gould Fletcher Branch Library | Branch | Little Rock | 55.5 | 16,500 |
| Maumelle Public Library | Branch | Maumelle | 53.5 | 12,300 |
| Max Milam Library | Branch | Perryville | 53.4 | 9,278 |
| Millie M. Brooks | Branch | Wrightsville | 20.4 | 2,100 |
| Oley E. Rooker Library | Branch | Little Rock | 53.5 | 13,550 |
| Roosevelt Thompson Branch Library | Branch | Little Rock | 55.4 | 16,054 |
| Sidney Sanders McMath | Branch | Little Rock | 56.9 | 13,500 |
| Sue Cowan Williams Library | Branch | Little Rock | 55.1 | 8,500 |
Central Arkansas in numbers, FY 2024
- Visits
- 1,216,128
- Physical checkouts
- 1,193,158
- …of children's materials
- 528,222
- Electronic checkouts
- 1,206,449
- …of e-books
- 448,244
- …of e-audio
- 653,029
- Registered users
- 204,587
- Program sessions
- 6,701
- Program attendance
- 170,066
- Print volumes
- 630,910
- Audio items (physical)
- 11,161
- Video items (physical)
- 121,214
- Public computers
- 527
- Public service hours, all outlets
- 37,229
- Paid staff (full-time equivalent)
- 237.0
- Operating spending
- $27.3 million
- …on books and other materials
- $2.4 million
- Overdue fines on print items
- charged
Where Central Arkansas gets its operating money
Operating revenue came to $42.9 million, or $124.51 per resident. The local-government share sits 7 percentage points above the combined share for the 47 profiled systems in Arkansas.
- Local government
- State
- Federal
- Other (fines, fees, gifts, grants)
Central Arkansas since FY 2019
Visits were 35% below the FY 2019 count of 1.9 million (size-class median: −30%). Physical checkouts moved 37% down over the same span.
- Visits
- Physical checkouts
Who comes to Central Arkansas programs
Programs for children up to age 11 drew 34% of all program attendance, and sessions averaged 25 people each.
Multi-jurisdictional libraries of similar size in other states
None of these six systems records more visits per resident than this one. The highest checkout rate in the group belongs to Central Rappahannock Regional Library in Virginia.
| System | Based in | Residents | Visits per resident | Checkouts per resident | Spending per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile Public Library | Mobile, AL | 371,984 | 2.09 | 3.12 | $30.22 |
| Sequoyah Regional Library System | Canton, GA | 361,084 | 1.14 | 2.36 | $15.73 |
| Central Rappahannock Regional Library | Fredericksburg, VA | 347,033 | 3.20 | 6.58 | $38.94 |
| First Regional Library | Hernando, MS | 321,878 | 1.81 | 2.49 | $16.89 |
| Okaloosa County Public Library Cooperative | Niceville, FL | 311,554 | 1.26 | 1.80 | $17.83 |
| Flint River Regional Library System | Griffin, GA | 295,143 | 1.84 | 2.96 | $20.48 |
Nearest in size within Arkansas
- Mid Arkansas Regional Library System · Malvern · 189,438 residents
- Washington County Library System · Fayetteville · 159,869 residents
- Faulkner-Van Buren Regional Library System · Conway · 143,767 residents
- Crowley Ridge Regional Library · Jonesboro · 133,860 residents