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CALS Gets $500K Grant From Mellon Foundation to Expand Memory Lab

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The Central Arkansas Library System Foundation announced it has received a $500,000 grant from the not-for-profit Mellon Foundation’s Public Knowledge program.

The grant is one of the largest in the library system’s history, CALS said in a news release. Funds will be used to build capacity for the system’s Memory Lab, which was established at CALS’ Roberts Library of Arkansas History & Art in May 2022 to give patrons the resources to digitize their family photographs, personal VHS/Beta video cassettes and audio cassettes.

CALS said it will hire a full-time Memory Lab coordinator; expand the hours of the DIY Memory Lab at Roberts Library; expand the formats of media that can be digitized at the DIY Memory Lab; create micro memory labs at nine of CALS’ neighborhood branches; and extend outreach into central Arkansas neighborhoods to share training and resources.

This award is the Mellon Foundation’s first grant in Arkansas since 2016.

It will also fund the salary of the staff historian of the Encyclopedia of Arkansas, which CALS calls the “most comprehensive single source on the history and culture” of Arkansas.  Funds will cover website upgrades for digital collections from the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies.

“I am excited about the opportunity to bring memory labs to our branches both within Little Rock and in our two-county service area,” CALS Regional Manager Joe Hudak said in a statement. “Local and family history is important, especially for people who are not always included in traditional histories.

“Putting memory labs in place at branches is an exciting next step in reaching our patrons where they are, promoting and preserving Arkansas history, and providing services that reach more people in our community.”

The Mellon Foundation launched an initiative to provide support for memory labs at public libraries last year. In addition to CALS, grantees include the Jacksonville Public Library in Florida, the King County Library System in Washington and the San Diego Public Library.

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