Central Arkansas Public Library System Awarded 2021 Jerry Kline Community Impact Prize, Recognizing the Public Library as a Vital Community Asset

Prize carries $250,000 purse; developed in partnership between the Gerald M. Kline Family Foundation and Library Journal

NEW YORK, NY – December 1, 2021 – Library Journal (LJ) today announced that Central Arkansas Library System (CALS), AR, is the winner of the third annual Jerry Kline Community Impact Prize. Developed in partnership between the Gerald M. Kline Family Foundation and LJ, this award recognizes the powerful synergy that results when a library works closely with both its local government and its community.

To honor its exemplary record, the library will receive $250,000 from the Gerald M. Kline Family Foundation and is showcased LJ’s December 2021 issue, available in print and online. A gala celebration is planned at the Public Library Association conference in Portland, OR, in March 2022.

“This year's winner exemplifies what libraries can achieve for their communities, particularly during difficult times and circumstances,” said Gerald (Jerry) Kline. 

Among other accomplishments, CALS partnered with a variety of community organizations to serve 4.5 million meals, advocate for early vaccination for its staff, provide safe pedestrian routes to parks and free bus passes, and launch the Rock It! Lab for under-resourced entrepreneurs. 

“This is a wonderful achievement for Central Arkansas and our library staff,” said CALS Executive Director Nate Coulter. “We are enormously grateful to the Kline Foundation. The Kline Prize emphatically highlights the trust our community has placed in CALS, the dedication of our staff that honors that trust, and the effectiveness of our many partners who help us serve our patrons. This recognition also affirms the wisdom of our CALS board when in 2019 it adopted a three-year strategic plan focusing on communities and lowering barriers to resources. Following so closely on the heels of our successful November millage election, where 71 percent of Little Rock voters renewed their commitment to sustaining their extraordinary public library, this recognition further affirms CALS’s role as a vital community asset.” 

“CALS is a great example of the convening and amplifying powers of the library,” said LJ Editor-in-Chief Meredith Schwartz. “Engaging in deep ongoing communication with local government and community members creates a mutual understanding of their evolving needs, while building and sustaining robust partnerships that tackle major civic challenges no one agency could handle alone.”

Sharpsburg Community Library, Pittsburgh, PA; and Gail Borden Public Library District, Elgin, IL; were named as honorable mentions, and are also profiled in the December issue of Library Journal.

The following judges helped determine the winner:

Ed Garcia, Director, Cranston Public Library, RI (2020 Jerry Kline Community Impact Prize winner), 2010 LJ Mover & Shaker 
 
Sarah Lawton, Government Alliance on Racial Equity Regional Manager, Race Forward; 2019 LJ Mover & Shaker

Marc A. Ott, executive director, International City/County Management Association

Rivkah Sass, Director, Sacramento Public Library (inaugural Jerry Kline Community Impact Prize winner), 2002 Library Journal Mover & Shaker, and 2006 Library Journal Librarian of the Year.

For more information about the Jerry Kline Community Impact Prize, visit www.libraryjournal.com/communityimpact.

To read more about this year's winner, please click here.