Arkansas Library Association

{{short description|Professional association for librarians in Arkansas}}

{{Infobox organization

| name = Arkansas Library Association

| nickname = ArLA

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| logo = ArLa logo2020.jpg

| logo_size = 175px

| logo_alt = outline of the state of Arkansas, in red, with the letters ARLA and the name of the association in white

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| formation = {{start date and age|1911|01|26}}

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| tax_id = 71-0452619

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| headquarters = Little Rock, Arkansas

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| parent_organization = American Library Association

| website = {{URL|https://arlib.org/}}

}}

The Arkansas Library Association (ArLA) is a professional organization for Arkansas's librarians and library workers.{{Cite web|url=https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/arkansas-library-association-4460/|title=Encyclopedia of Arkansas|website=Encyclopedia of Arkansas|language=en-US|access-date=2020-03-11}} It is headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas.{{cite web |title=Arkansas Library Association |url=https://www.guidestar.org/profile/71-0452619 |website=Guidestar |accessdate=16 February 2020}} It was founded on January 26, 1911, in Little Rock, Arkansas by Caroline Langworthy from the Carnegie library of Fort Smith, Maud Pugsley from the Little Rock Public Library and the Arkansas Federation of Women's Clubs.{{cite book |last1=Weeks |first1=Stephen Beauregard |title=History of public school education in Arkansas |date=1912 |publisher=Government Printing Office |location=Washington DC |page=114 |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofpublic00week/page/114/mode/2up/ |accessdate=16 February 2020}}{{cite web | title=FSPL History | website=Fort Smith Public Library | url=https://www.fortsmithlibrary.org/about-the-library/about-us/fspl-history | access-date=2020-02-16}}{{cite web | title=Encyclopedia of Arkansas | website=Encyclopedia of Arkansas | date=2019-03-19 | url=https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/arkansas-library-association-4460/ | access-date=2020-02-16}} C. W. L. (Charles Webster Leverton) Armour, a trustee of Fort Smith Public Library, was the organization's first president.{{cite web |title=Upper Ft. Smith District |url=http://ahc.digital-ar.org/cdm/ref/collection/p16790coll5/id/64 |website=Arkansas Digital Ark-Ives |accessdate=16 February 2020}}{{cite book |editor1-last=Ahern |editor1-first=Mary Eileen |title=Public Libraries |date=March 1911 |publisher=Library Bureau |location=Chicago |pages=115–116 |edition=Vol. 19 No. 3 |url=https://archive.org/details/librariesamonth04unkngoog/page/n138/mode/2up/ |accessdate=16 February 2020}} Early legislative efforts led to approval of a plan allowing some towns to impose taxes for library development.