LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A popular Little Rock library is about to shut its doors at the end of this week as renovations will help update it.
The Sue Cowan Williams Library will close for four to six months beginning on November 3.
But when it re-opens it'll feature some important improvements and upgrades.
For the Dunbar Historic Neighborhood in Little Rock, many people depend on the library not just as a resource, but a place to enjoy the arts and access to important items.
"People in this neighborhood come to our library for the wi-fi, for printing, for faxing, for scanning, books, DVDs, and we have a very large population of individuals who come to hang out because of the feel that the library has, a sense of community," said Latina Sheard, library manage.
Sheard has walked through the doors of Williams Library for the last 22 years, 16 of which as the library manager.
She said Williams is a neighborhood library and most of the time while the parking lot appears to be empty, the library is full.
"We have several kids who walk. We have adult patrons walk. It's going to be a disruption," Sheard said. "Fletcher, Children's, Main [libraries] are not necessarily walkable from this neighborhood. So, it will be a disruption but it's a good disruption."
The building was constructed in 1997 and thanks to a successful 2022 referendum in Little Rock, it will now see some needed improvements. The total budget for the project as of now is $1,872,645.
Kate East is a partner at AMR Architects, INC., a women and minority-owned business. She said they've "created something really exciting for the community."
She said part of the process of renovating the Williams Library was community input.
"They love the idea of a community kitchen, but they also brought up simple things like adding an all-gender restroom, they brought up the need for more private study rooms," East said. "Another big change you'll see is the front entrance of the building is moving from the north side of the building over to the west side of the building."
East even confirmed there will also be a new space just for teens.
“I want to shout out our team, AMR architects. James Sullivan is the architect. I'm the interior designer on the project. But we also have Crystal C. Mercer Watson now on our team," East said. "We have really splashed it with color. We want this to say welcome, everybody come in. We're fun. We're inclusive.”
The Little Rock School District is also allowing Williams to continue working with neighborhood students by providing rent-free use of three empty classrooms at Dunbar Middle School for after-school programs.
"The library is named for Sue Cowan Williams, who taught at Dunbar and she fought for African-American teachers to be paid the same as their white counterparts. She loved learning. She loves students," Sheard said. "I hear from several people that her question she asked people was 'What did you learn today?' And that fits perfectly with the library. We have people who say, 'Why are all these kids in the library' and I say where else would you want them to be, if not in the library."
Sheard said when it's all said and done, they want the library to continue to be a safe space.
"I hope our legacy is a welcoming place for the community, but especially for children, to have a place to go to feel comfortable to feel loved," Sheard said.
The library system does have a deal with Rock Region Metro to help those who will feel the impacts of the closing and still need to get to the other branches.
Through that program, caregivers & youth may qualify for a free monthly bus pass to visit other branches within CALS that are not accessible. Click here for more information.