Title 13 — Libraries, Archives, and Cultural Resources

This subchapter may be referred to as the “Arkansas Digital Library Act”.

(a) (1) The Division of Higher Education and the Arkansas State Library shall develop a digitized collection of information that includes information that is in the public domain, cleared for public distribution over the internet, and to which students of public postsecondary sch…

A.C.A. § 13-2-101Current through all legislation of the 2025 Regular Session.Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated Official EditionCopyright © 2026 by the State of Arkansas All rights reserved

All county public libraries created under the authority of § 13-2-401 et seq. and all city public libraries created under the authority of § 13-2-501 et seq. which have entered into interlocal cooperation agreements or any other formal or informal or contractual arrangements to f…

(a) The board of directors of each library operated as an entity of the state or any city, county, or other political subdivision of the state with one (1) or more public access computers shall develop, adopt, and implement a written policy that:(1) Establishes and maintains a sy…

A.C.A. § 13-2-104Current through all legislation of the 2025 Regular Session.Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated Official EditionCopyright © 2026 by the State of Arkansas All rights reserved

(a) A library operated as an entity of the state, a county, or a municipality may accept a legal payment for fines, charges, donations, or purchases and any associated costs through a debit card or credit card in accordance with applicable state and federal law. (b) (1) A library…

(a) Each county or municipal library shall have a written policy to establish guidelines for the selection, relocation, and retention of physical materials that are available to the public. (b) A county or municipal library shall have a written policy for addressing challenged ma…

(a) There is created the Imagination Library of Arkansas Program. (b) The Imagination Library of Arkansas Program shall promote the development of a comprehensive statewide initiative for encouraging preschool children to develop a love of reading and learning. (c) (1) (A) The Im…

(a) As used in this subchapter, the terms “state publication” and “local publication” shall include any document issued or printed by any state agency or local government which may be released for distribution, but these terms do not include:(1) The bound volumes of the printed a…

(a) (1) Nothing in this subchapter shall repeal, alter, or change the duties and responsibilities of the Secretary of State to maintain a library of official books, records, and documents under the provisions of § 13-2-301 et seq. and other laws of this state which impose specifi…

(a) There is created and established within the Department of Education a division to be known as the Arkansas State Library. (b) The library shall function within the Department of Education in the same manner as provided by agencies transferred pursuant to a cabinet-level trans…

(a) The Arkansas State Library shall be headed by the State Librarian, to be appointed by the State Library Board, in consultation with the Secretary of the Department of Education. The State Librarian shall serve for such time and for such terms as the board may prescribe. (b) (…

(a) There is created the State Library Board. (b) (1) The board shall consist of seven (7) members, to be appointed by the Governor subject to confirmation by the Senate.(2) The members of the board shall be appointed by the Governor for reasons of their interest in libraries and…

(a) The State Library Board shall meet at such place or places and shall keep such records as it may deem appropriate. (b) The board shall select annually a chair and any other officers as it deems necessary. (c) The board shall adopt policies and bylaws governing its meetings, t…

(1) Within the limitations of facilities and funds provided for the Arkansas State Library, the Arkansas State Library shall:(1) Acquire books and other library materials by purchase, exchange, gift, grant, or donation and catalog and maintain those books and materials and make t…

(a) The Arkansas State Library shall cooperate with the public and private libraries in the State of Arkansas and may enter into necessary agreements with libraries in other states and the Library of Congress for the sharing of library books, documents, facilities, or services un…

(a) The Arkansas State Library, acting through the State Library Board, is authorized to enter into necessary agreements with the Arkansas State Archives, with respect to an overall plan and design to assure that the functions and materials of the library and the Arkansas State A…

The Arkansas State Library shall serve as the state's regional depository library for federal documents and shall become the official depository for state and local documents.

(a) The Arkansas State Library may enter into depository agreements with any city, county, district, regional, town, school, college, or university library in this state. (b) The Arkansas State Library shall establish standards for eligibility as a depository library under this s…

(a) The Arkansas State Library shall create and maintain a State and Local Government Publications Clearinghouse. (b) The Arkansas State Library shall make such rules as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of the clearinghouse. (c) (1) All state agencies, including the Gen…

(a) If sufficient funds are available, each state and local agency printing or duplicating publications of the type which are to be made available to the State and Local Government Publications Clearinghouse shall print or duplicate fifty (50) additional copies or a lesser number…

(a) The Arkansas State Library is authorized to enter into contracts or agreements with the Mullins Library of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and the library of each of the state-supported institutions of higher learning in this state to provide through the State and …

The Secretary of State shall be librarian for the Library of the Secretary of State and shall have custody and direction of all books, papers, maps, charts, and all other things belonging to it, and he or she shall take special care that none of them be lost or injured.

The Secretary of State shall cause to be bound, if not already done, in an inexpensive and substantial manner, three (3) copies of each of the acts of the General Assembly.

A.C.A. § 13-2-303Current through all legislation of the 2025 Regular Session.Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated Official EditionCopyright © 2026 by the State of Arkansas All rights reserved

Where there shall be a deficiency in any of the acts, journals, or other works, it shall be the duty of the Secretary of State to correspond with the proper officer for the purpose of procuring copies of the different works, and, if not otherwise procured, he or she shall purchas…

A.C.A. § 13-2-305Current through all legislation of the 2025 Regular Session.Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated Official EditionCopyright © 2026 by the State of Arkansas All rights reserved

All expenses of procuring copies of acts, journals, and other works as are mentioned in this subchapter shall be paid out of the contingent fund of the General Assembly.

The Auditor of State shall adjust the accounts of the Secretary of State as Librarian for the Library of the Secretary of State and draw warrants for the payment of them.

The officers of the several departments of the state, who are entitled to the use of the Library of the Secretary of State, may introduce citizens or strangers into the library, who shall have the privilege, during all seasonable hours, to read any of the books therein.

(a) No person shall be permitted to remove any book from the Library of the Secretary of State except the Governor, Auditor of State, Treasurer of State, members of the General Assembly, Justices of the Supreme Court and judges of circuit courts, and attorneys for the state. (b) …

If any person shall injure or fail to return any book, map, or chart taken from the Library of the Secretary of State for more than three (3) months, he or she shall forfeit and pay to the Secretary of State, for the use and benefit of the library, three (3) times the value there…

(a) The county quorum courts of the several counties shall have the power and authority to establish, maintain, and operate county public libraries or public library services or systems in the manner and with the functions prescribed in this subchapter, and counties may appropria…

(a) No person shall be appointed to the office of county librarian unless prior to appointment the person is recommended for appointment by the county library board, if the board has been created. (b) The county librarian shall conduct the library according to the most acceptable…

In any county in this state which is divided into two (2) districts and which has two (2) county seats, each district of the county may be considered as an individual county for the purpose of levying a county library tax under the provisions of Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 3…

(a) (1) All tax and other county-appropriated funds of the county public library shall be in the custody of the county treasurer and shall constitute a separate fund, to be known as the “county public library fund”.(2) (A) A county that supports a county public library or library…

(a) The governing board of any county public library is authorized to use any surplus funds available in the operating or maintenance account of the public library for matching federal or other funds available for financing necessary expansions or improvements of the public libra…

(a) Any county public library may extend the privilege and use of the library and library services to persons residing outside the county upon the terms and conditions as the library boards may prescribe by regulation or policy. (b) In addition, reasonable reimbursements may be c…

(a) (1) Any county library board, with the consent of its county quorum court, the board of trustees of any municipal public library, any group of municipal public libraries, and any combination of counties and cities may contract with each other or among themselves to create, ma…

(a) In addition to any penalties prescribed and notwithstanding any provisions to the contrary in the Arkansas Library Materials Security Law, § 13-2-801 et seq., the county quorum court shall have the power to pass ordinances imposing suitable penalties for the punishment of per…

When a petition is filed as authorized in Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 38, as amended by Amendment 72, to submit to the electors of a county the question of levying, increasing, decreasing, or repealing a county library tax and the petition or the sponsor of the petition requ…

(a) (1) The city council or governing body of any city of the first class may by ordinance establish and maintain a public library for the use and benefit of the inhabitants of the city.(2) The governing body of any city which levies a city library tax in accordance with Arkansas…

(a) (1) When any city council or governing body of a city of the first class has decided to establish and maintain a public library under this subchapter, the mayor of the city with the approval of the city council shall appoint a board of not fewer than five (5) trustees nor mor…

(a) (1) All moneys received for library purposes, whether by taxation or otherwise, shall belong to and be designated as the library fund.(2) The moneys shall be kept separate and apart from other funds of the city and drawn upon by the proper officers of the library upon the pro…

(a) The board of trustees of any city public library is authorized to use any surplus funds available in the operating or maintenance account of the library for matching federal or other funds available for financing necessary expansions or improvements of the library. (b) Before…

(a) Any person desiring to make donations of money, personal property, or real estate for the benefit of a library shall have the right to vest the title to the money or real estate so donated in the board of trustees of the library created under this subchapter. (b) The money or…

(a) In addition to any penalties prescribed and notwithstanding any provisions to the contrary in the Arkansas Library Materials Security Law, § 13-2-801 et seq., the city council or governing body of a city shall have the power to pass ordinances imposing suitable penalties for …

(a) The board of trustees of the library may extend the privilege and use of the library to persons residing outside the city upon such terms and conditions as the board may prescribe by its regulations or its policies. (b) The board may also contract for library service or for t…

(a) When any city council or governing body of a city of the first class shall have decided to establish and maintain a public library under the terms of this subchapter, the city board of trustees of the library appointed pursuant to this subchapter in fulfilling the purposes of…