The North Little Rock Public Library System announced Friday that it is in negotiations to assume the management and operation of the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub, a center for innovation and entrepreneurship in North Little Rock.
The Innovation Hub has been owned and operated by Winrock International for the past eight years. The planned transition from Winrock to the NLRPLS was unanimously approved by the library system’s board of directors at its meeting on May 20.
Under the pending agreement, Hub programs would be managed and operated by the library system while leasing the Hub’s headquarters in North Little Rock, from Winrock. The system will continue to run the Hub’s ongoing community-based programs, classes and services, and Hub staff will become employees of the library system when the agreement is completed.
With this pending agreement, which both sides expect to be finalized by the end of the year, the NLRPLS aims to further enhance the Hub’s offerings and expand access to programs and services. The Innovation Hub, founded in 2014, currently offers resources to entrepreneurs, makers and learners.
“The addition of the Innovation Hub’s programming, staff and services represents a monumental step forward for our community,” Crystal Gates, executive director of the NLRPLS, said in a press release. “By bringing together the resources and expertise of the NLRPLS with the innovative spirit of the Hub, we will create a hub of learning, creativity and collaboration unlike any other.”
During its partnership with Winrock, the Innovation Hub expanded programs to support creatives, entrepreneurs and STEAM education for Arkansas youth.
“Winrock is proud to have invested in that growth,” Joyjit Deb Roy, Winrock’s chief global programs & development officer, said in the release. “Now, we are incredibly excited to announce the next phase in the Hub’s evolution, with North Little Rock’s library system assuming management and operation of the Hub’s programming.”
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