Nate Coulter was named executive director of the Central Arkansas Library System in December, replacing Bobby Roberts, who retired in March.
Coulter, a lawyer who grew up in Nashville (Howard County), served as assistant legal counsel to Gov. Bill Clinton and maintained a trial practice for more than 25 years. He was a partner with Wright Lindsey & Jennings and then Wilson Engstrom Corum & Coulter. In 2012, he was appointed as the first Distinguished Practitioner in Residence at the University of Arkansas School of Law, serving for two years. Coulter served on the CALS board for six years, on the CALS Foundation board from 2013-15 and was finance chair for a July 2015 millage campaign for the library.
Coulter earned a bachelor’s in history from Harvard University and a law degree from Harvard Law School.
You’ve been a lawyer in private practice for a number of years and you have a political background. How do those skills translate to this job?
Lawyers seek solutions to clients’ problems by asking a lot of questions and listening inquisitively, sometimes skeptically. They make choices based on the responses. I’ve been doing a lot of that in this job too. I’ve also worked on library concerns frequently so far with state, municipal and county government leaders. CALS delivers a wide array of services to children and adults, stretching from Jacksonville to Perryville. All of these constituencies need to hear from the library director periodically. So in a very practical way leading the public library is a public service job where political experiences help.
Bobby Roberts was chief of CALS for 27 years and oversaw much development of the system. What are the challenges of following in his footsteps?
Bobby Roberts dramatically broadened the concept of what a public library does. He delivered an expanded, first-class library system to the taxpayers who repeatedly agreed to invest in learning through quality spaces, cultural preservation and awareness, and meaningful educational programs.
The challenge going forward is to sustain the excellence CALS achieved and look for new opportunities to enhance what the library can do for central Arkansas. Bobby’s visionary tenure should make it easier for people to imagine greater things at CALS. In that sense, I’m fortunate to be succeeding Bobby, but there is certainly pressure to live up to the expectations he has created.
What’s at the top of your to-do list at CALS?
My main priority near term is to increase public awareness of our system’s many offerings so we connect more people to both the bricks and mortar and the online resources that CALS has available. And I want us to look for new ways to help meet our community’s particular challenges. Inextricably related to all this is the need to ensure that the library has a sustainable financial base for continued growth and engagement.
The internet has brought vast changes to how reading material is distributed. What’s the library’s role these days?
I am bullish on the future of public libraries generally and ours in particular. In an era of cynicism about many institutions, the library has retained its credibility and respect across all demographic sectors. That encourages people to trust their library as a source of information. A public library with inviting spaces, books, e-books, audio books, stimulating classes and lectures, and an aggressive web presence will remain invaluable to everyone seeking information for their children, job advancement, personal enrichment or entertainment.
What was your biggest career mistake and what did you learn from it?
My biggest mistake was continuing to practice law beyond a point where it had become much less gratifying and purposeful for me. As a result, I strongly encourage young adults, including my three barely grown children, to dare to ponder unconventional career moves.
Sign up for Daily E-news
