Opening Day is Here!

Welcome to the brand-new blog for The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies! We are excited about this blog and see it as a new way to reach and to interact with our patrons. This site will have regular weekly updates. In addition, each month the blog will feature a manuscript collection and post special event announcements. Please feel free to leave comments or ask questions. If you have a particular research inquiry, please contact staff at the number on the right. Additional contact information can be found on the main Butler Center website. Please direct blog-related inquiries to Stephanie at sbayless@cals.org or leave a comment.

• What is the Butler Center?

The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies is a one-stop shop for all things Arkansas history related. Created in 1997 as a department of the Central Arkansas Library System, the Butler Center is dedicated to promoting a greater understanding of Arkansas history, literature, art, and culture.

In addition to an extensive collection of genealogy and history sources in our research library and a large archival collection covering many aspects of Arkansas history, the Butler Center operates a book publishing program and an ongoing oral history project while also hosting lectures and other events featuring Arkansas history topics.

• What can the Butler Center do for me?

The Butler Center staff is happy to help researchers with all types of projects. We work with students, genealogists, locals, visitors, professionals, amateurs—no matter what kind of researcher you are, we can help get you started. We have a research library full of genealogical and Arkansas history sources, as well as onsite availability of Ancestry.com and Heritage Quest. Researchers can search through our records available on microfilm--including Civil War records and Arkansas marriage licenses--and through our extensive newspaper clippings available in our vertical files.

Researchers can dig even deeper by utilizing our archival collections. Finding aids are available online as well as onsite and staff can help point you in the right direction depending on your needs. Donated and collected from across Arkansas, these archival resources offer firsthand information of events, environments, and specific time periods.