Library · Little Rock
Central Arkansas Library System - Main Library
Little Rock’s library is the Central Arkansas Library System - Main Library, a branch of Central Arkansas Library System, open about 52 hours a week.
IMLS Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024Multi-county system. Little Rock’s branch belongs to Central Arkansas Library System, which serves 344,553 people. The yearly numbers below are for the whole system, not just this branch. A card works at every branch.
Your branch
Central Arkansas Library System - Main Library
100 Rock Street, Little Rock 72201
52 hrsopen a week
156,948sq ft
Charges late finesLate fees on some overdue items
E-books & audiobooksBorrow from home with your card
Auto-renews loansBooks renew on their own if no one’s waiting
Research databasesOnline courses, journals, genealogy and more
Fiscal year 2024
A year at Central Arkansas Library System
1.2M
visits
3.5 per resident
2.4M
loans, print + digital
7.0 per resident
6,701
programs & events
170K attended
205K
library cards
59% of people served
How it compares
Against libraries serving 100,000+ people
Per-resident numbers, compared only with libraries of a similar size across the country, because a tiny town’s library always looks busier per person.
Visits per resident
3.5 visits · typical 2.1
Higher than 85% of similar-size libraries
Borrowing per resident
3.5 print items · typical 3.2
Higher than 55% of similar-size libraries
Digital borrowing
3.5 e-items · typical 1.4
Higher than 86% of similar-size libraries
Kids’ borrowing
1.5 kids’ items · typical 1.6
A little below typical (48th percentile)
Program attendance
0.5 attendees · typical 0.2
Top 10% of similar-size libraries
Cardholders
59% of residents
Higher than 78% of similar-size libraries
Borrowing & programs
What people use it for
What people borrow
2.4M loans last year
Books & media (adults)28%Kids’ books & media22%E-books, audio & streaming50%
Who the programs are for
6,701 story times, classes, clubs and events
Money
Who pays for it
$79 per resident a year
Typical for a library this size: $36. Operating budget $27M.
Local 98%State 2%Federal 1%
Locations
Other Central Arkansas Library System branches in Little Rock
2.1mi
Hillary Rodham Clinton Children's Library & Learning CenterLittle Rock · 54 hrs a week
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How to read this page
Hours are an averageThe survey reports a building’s public hours for the whole year. We divide by the weeks it was open, so check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Compared by size“Similar-size” means libraries serving about as many people, nationwide. Per-resident numbers always flatter the smallest towns, so they’re never compared with big cities.
One year, the library’s own countLibraries report their own visits, loans and programs for fiscal year 2024. A library that didn’t respond keeps its address and hours here, with no numbers.
Source: Institute of Museum and Library Services, Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024. Distances are straight-line from the town center.