Renovations at the Central Arkansas Library System’s Main Library, at 100 S. Rock St. in the River Market District, are to be complete this week.
According to Lee Ann Hoskyn, head of community outreach at the library, the building’s $1.3 million revamp comes as a result of the library’s new customer service model, which seeks to facilitate more “direct, hands-on customer service.”
The project was officially approved by Little Rock voters in July 2015 through a bond refinance.
Renovations include the addition of new self-checkout kiosks on the library’s first floor, which will free up library staff to assist customers more readily.
“A lot of [the renovations] were a need for space,” Hoskyn said, referring to the decision to expand all computer labs used for public classes and staff training. “The renovations allow for a more pleasant, open environment with increased opportunities for training.” In addition, 12 computers were added to the third-floor computer lab, bringing the library’s computer count to 32 and reducing patron wait times.
The Thompson and Dee Brown branches are also currently undergoing renovation, and changes at the Fletcher library are in the early stages of planning with expansion expected to begin later this year.
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