Main Library



About the Library

The Main Library, the flagship of the Central Arkansas Library System, is housed in the renovated Fones Brothers Warehouse in the historic River Market District. The third site for the library, a 132,000-square-feet facility, opened at 100 Rock Street in 1997. The Main Library offers patrons thousands of books and audiovisual items for children and adults. The five floors feature the Sturgis Center for Technology Training, a public computer lab; dedicated areas for children and teens; reading rooms on the first and fifth floors; individual and small group study areas; public meeting rooms; wireless Internet access; and an extensive reference department.

The Main Library campus is comprised of the Main Library; the Cox Creative Center, which houses River Market Books & Gifts, the library’s used book store and Bookends, the library’s literary café; and the Arkansas Studies Institute, a joint project of CALS and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Prose Garden Café

Hours: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Monday-Friday
Phone: 918-3023

Prose Garden is a soothing spot for a quick lunch, snack, or beverage on the 5th floor of the Central Arkansas Library System’s Main Library. Choose a delicious beverage including hot or cold tea, coffee, or juices to go with your sandwich or snack, and then sit near the fountain to read or study. Prose Garden can provide some catering for meetings in the Main Library’s 5th floor meeting rooms. Download the Prose Garden menu here »

News & Announcements

  • CALS DVD Check Out Policies Changed
    Beginning Wednesday, May 1, the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) will increase the number of DVDs patrons may have checked out to ten DVDs. Also, the check out period for new release movies will be seven days. These changes will allow patrons t...
  • Main Library Campus Closed for Riverfest
    All departments of the Main Library's downtown campus will close at 3:00 p.m. Friday, May 24, due to Riverfest, and will remain closed through Memorial Day, Monday, May 27. This includes the Main Library building, the Arkansas Studies Institute Buil...
  • CALS Closed for Memorial Day
    All branches of the Central Arkansas Library System will be closed Monday, May 27, in observance of Memorial Day.  Regular hours will resume at all branches Tuesday, May 28.  For more information, please call 918-3000.
  • Local Author Receives Library's Prize for Work on Civil War in Arkansas
    As one of the most fertile regions in the South, the Arkansas River Valley was highly contested territory during the Civil War. While the Siege on Vicksburg raged, equally important battles were fought here in Arkansas. This struggle is the topic of ...
  • CALS to Participate in Big Library Read
    Be part of a worldwide eBook club with Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) during the inaugural Big Library Read, May 15-June 1, 2013. Through the Big Library Read, libraries worldwide unite readers around a single eBook. This year's book is The F...
  • Proposed Library Card Changes for Families and Children
    We want to hear from you! The Central Arkansas Library System is considering changes to the way we issue library cards. We are proposing a new Family Card that will give patrons more options for managing their library accounts. Please take a look ...