The Garland County Library is a community-driven institution dedicated to learning, connection, and discovery. We believe that access to information and opportunities should be available to everyone, regardless of age, background, or circumstance. Our mission is to inspire curiosity, support education, and create spaces where people can come together to share ideas and stories.
At the heart of the library is a team of passionate professionals and volunteers who are committed to serving the public with care and respect. From librarians and educators to program coordinators and support staff, each member plays a vital role in helping visitors find what they need—whether it’s a favorite book, a quiet place to study, or guidance on digital tools and resources. Together, they bring knowledge, creativity, and compassion to every interaction.
The library’s strength lies in its connection to the community. Guided by principles of inclusivity, collaboration, and lifelong learning, the library continues to evolve to meet the needs of a changing world. We are proud to be more than a building with books—we are a welcoming place where everyone belongs and where knowledge empowers growth, opportunity, and understanding.
The Garland County Public Library, located in Hot Springs (Garland County), has the stated goal of connecting the community with materials, information, and services that promote learning and enjoyment for all ages. Located in a spacious facility on Malvern Avenue, one of the main thoroughfares in Hot Springs, it has earned a long history of civic support toward maintaining an outstanding library for the community.
The earliest known reference to establishing a library in Hot Springs was in a 1833 letter written by pioneering local resident Hiram Whittington to his brother in Boston, Massachusetts. Whittington described his plan to create the settlement’s first circulating library in his log cabin home at the junction of today’s Whittington and Park avenues in Hot Springs. Hiram Whittington asked his brother to send a number of books with which to start the library. He specified works including those by James Fenimore Cooper, Washington Irving, and Sir Walter Scott, as well as any current popular novels of the era that might be of interest.
From that beginning, as the library grew, it relocated to various sites around Hot Springs, including facilities on Central Avenue and Court Street. In 1951, the library found a home in a one-story building on the grounds of the Garland County Courthouse at Woodbine and Hawthorne streets. This was primarily due to the efforts of Hot Springs citizens and local civic clubs in supporting a one-mill library tax, which the voters approved in 1948.
After moving into its new home at Woodbine and Hawthorne, the Garland County Library expanded its services to include reading clubs for young people, a books-by-mail program, and a bookmobile that served rural communities and schools in Garland and Montgomery counties.
When the facility at Woodbine and Hawthorne proved inadequate for the needs of the growing Hot Springs community, voters again approved taxes to benefit the library. In 1995, the current Garland County Library opened at 1427 Malvern Avenue, using land available at the site of the Garland County Health Department.
The library provides the community with access to books, audiobooks, CDs, DVDs, interlibrary loans, software, and video games, as well as such items available for check-out as cake pans and fishing poles. Garland and Saline county residents can register with the library for free access to online databases and resources that they can use at home. Patrons can also connect to the library through specialized e-mail newsletters for adults, children, and teens.
The Garland County Library provides in-house access to computers, copiers, and Wi-Fi. There are a number of small meeting rooms, as well as the large Gordonelle Williams Hall, named for a longtime librarian, for lectures, music performances, and meetings of local groups such as the Garland County Historical Society.
In 1975, an active nonprofit group called Friends of the Garland County Library began working to increase library services and resources. The group raises funds through the sale of donated books, magazines, and audio-visual materials, available year-round in the library’s Book Sale Room.
For additional information:
McCully, Audrey Wenger. “Garland County Public Library, Hot Springs, Arkansas.” The Record (1995): 1–10.
The Garland County Library enriches our community by creating and providing essential, meaningful connections — to traditional library materials, to digital resources, and to each other through cultural, educational, and recreational opportunities.
We have an incredible staff ready to help you with whatever you need. We want to help you find, understand, and engage with our library services. Just give us a call or send a message, and someone will help you connect to what you need!
We are always on the lookout for enthusiastic and dedicated individuals to join our library team. If you are passionate about books, community service, and creating a welcoming environment, we encourage you to submit your resume for part-time positions.
While we primarily seek candidates for part-time roles, we also keep resumes on file for full-time positions. These opportunities will be advertised as they become available.
The Garland County Library is governed by our five-member Board of Trustees, appointed by the County Judge. Each Board member is eligible to serve up to two five-year terms. One board position comes up for appointment every year.
The administrative board is charged with employing a competent library director, determining library policies, and promoting library services.
Additionally, the board is charged with securing adequate funding with which to satisfactorily operate the library.
The Members of the Board of Trustees of the Garland County Library are: LaTaschya Harris, Phil Montgomery, Julie Nix, Amy Payne, and Rani Simpson.
The board meets on the fourth Monday of each month at noon. If you would like to speak at a board meeting, please read this document.
