Heavy dirt-moving equipment has recently rearranged a lot of the ground that was broken on April 1 in preparation for construction at the site of Berryville’s new Public Library. Dedication of the new facility could take place exactly 120 years after Mrs. F. L. West of Berryville quoted President Theodore Roosevelt from a letter she received in 1906 urging teachers and librarians to attend the 2nd annual meeting of the Arkansas Library Association. “After Church and the school,” Roosevelt wrote, “the free public library is the most effective influence for good in America.”
That sentiment echoes in the work of librarians, board directors, supporters and volunteers from 1905 forward who have been involved in assuring the presence of, and free access to, a library in their community.
“I believe libraries are a bastion of lifelong learning,” current Berryville Public Library Director Julie Hall said. “Learning just for the joy of learning is a key part of individual and collective education. There can be no democracy without an educated public. U.S. libraries as we know them are an inherently American institution. A public library has to protect everyone but also serve everyone.
“In fact, that’s one of the five E’s that form the foundation of the Berryville Library’s mission: Education, Engagement, Employment, E-resources, and Everyone. It’s everyone’s library.”
“You can feel community as a library, even more than as a teacher,” Hall said. “It’s more of an emotional connection. You get to see people from all walks of life day after day at their best and at their worst. No two days or moments are the same. And we’re here to help. The idea of serving all the people of a community has been instrumental in the success of our fundraising. The two-point-five-million dollars and counting, all came from local individuals or those with local ties.”
Hall came to the Berryville Public Library in 2015 with an extensive background in education, including 20-plus years teaching in public schools, and employment at the University of Arkansas in youth development and university partnerships. She was attracted to the Carroll and Madison Library System (CAMLS) partly because of its six small town libraries and their freedom to choose and provide programs that best serve the demographic of their particular community.
Preceding Hall in 1983, Carol Ann Engskov helped prepare the way toward making a new library in Berryville a reality when she began what turned out to be a 28 ½-year term as Library Director.
“The library was not being used like it should have been when I took over,” Engskov said. “My goal was to change that. I got approval to do Story-times, put articles about new books in the paper, held fundraisers at the library, and mainly worked closely with the Green Forest and Eureka Springs libraries to have events together.
“It took time, but it worked. Circulation started growing and I got busier; and I loved being called ‘the library lady’ by the kids. My favorite program is still the Summer Reading Program. Reading well is the best tool one can have.
“The most difficult part of being a librarian at our library was the roof,” Engskov recalled. “Every board meeting I had it on the agenda. The leaks, the drains, the flatness and no money to fix it. Honestly, trying to find money for new books and kids’ programs was hard sometimes, but we were part of North Arkansas Regional Library System then, and we managed. Also, having a Friends of the Berryville Library group helped tremendously. I could buy five to ten new books each month because of them.”
Other than help from the Green Thumb program and a couple of volunteers, Engskov flew solo until Carla Youngblood came on board as librarian in 1988. Both women strongly supported the children’s programs and together became the public face of the Berryville library.
“The best for me was watching a child check out a book or helping a child old enough to get a library card,” Youngblood said.
Then, along came technology.
“Technology, what a scary word for a person who knows zero – that was me,” Engskov admitted. “Bill Gates changed the whole aspect of libraries being for education and helping those not able to afford computers. It made online job hunting, paying bills, shopping, playing games and research available to everyone. I learned and the staff learned. People had to reserve times because the computers were used so much. Videos, audio books and new hot spots are in high demand.”
As far as which aspect of the new library everyone is looking forward to, the answer is unanimous: Space, space, space!
“The new library means space,” Engskov affirmed. “When I started, the library was maybe twelve to fifteen hundred square feet. We outgrew that in under ten years. In 1990 we doubled to thirty-two hundred square feet. We got a grant and fund-raised the money for that. But this is 2025 and thirty-two hundred square feet with a falling in ceiling, one small bathroom, no work areas, and not enough computer space makes no sense – and the new building will change this scenario.
“The library found me, and I had a place where I knew I could make a difference. The last few years of my working there were focused on how to fund and build a new library – many conflicting reasons kept us from being able to do that for a while – but look at us now!”
In 2024 Elaine Floyd became Friends of the Berryville Library President and is engaged in raising an estimated $300,000 to fund shelving and furnishing for the new library, including collecting items for the booth in Hidden Treasures in Berryville that donates proceeds to the Friends, chairing a summer fun festival, parking cars at CS Bank in Eureka Springs, selling baked goods, organizing a raffle, and holding membership drives.
‘While the Friends are primarily focused on fundraising for furniture for the new library, overall the mission of Friends of Libraries groups is to support the ongoing needs of the library and serve as a positive champion for all that our libraries do to serve the community,” Elaine said.
“Last year, our little Berryville Library held more than 600 unique programs and circulated over 25,000 items. I personally find that astounding, and this community service and impact is the primary reason I chose to get involved. Seeing the dream of a new library become a reality has been an added bonus!
“My favorite of all the fundraising events is always the next one we’re planning! Right now, that’s a food and music celebration called ‘Eats, Beats, and Sweets’ to be held Saturday, June 21, at the Berryville Community Center. We will have local food, two local bands (The Highway 13 Band and The Bookworms), and local desserts.”
Acknowledging the work of all the libraries and Friends groups in the Carroll-Madison system, Director Hall noted that “CAMLS is lucky to have six very unique libraries, each able to design services to meet the needs of their particular community. In Berryville there are print materials and services for Pacific Islander and Spanish-speaking groups, while Green Forest provides different services to serve their Burmese and Filipino population. Some communities may have far more children and therefore more children’s programs, for instance.
In fact, the letter awarding $1,000,000 from Congressman Steve Womack’s office in January 2023 proclaimed: “By engaging all sectors of society and connecting everyone with education, employment assistance, and e-resources that are not available anywhere else nearby, the library is a key part of uplifting individuals and building a stronger, more resilient, digitally connected and economically empowered rural community. With strong support from local businesses, individuals and families, the Friends are well on their way to meeting this ($2.5 million) goal, an unprecedented private fundraising goal for a community its size.”