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Why do you believe a thriving library is important to a community? A thriving library is the beating heart of our town where everyone is welcome. It is an oasis for anyone who wants to be enriched by the experiences and knowledge it provides. Libraries bring people together, inspire lifelong learning, and create a place where curiosity and connection can flourish. Is there a book that has stayed with you throughout your life? What made it so memorable? Rather than one particu

The opening of Bentonville Public Library’s expanded spaces marks an exciting new chapter for our community. The larger building, new gathering areas, and enhanced resources reflect years of vision, generosity, and commitment from many donors who believe in what a strong public library can mean for Bentonville. But the completion of an expansion is not the end of the story. In many ways, it is the beginning of the next one. A library building creates opportunity, but it is th

Some of my earliest and happiest memories are tied to libraries. I have always been curious by nature, and as a child, there was something magical about walking into a library and knowing that an entire world of possibilities was waiting on the shelves. Finding a great book could take my imagination somewhere I had never been before. Recently, my mom was looking through some old photo albums and discovered a newspaper clipping of me. I was in second grade, standing beside my

We're thrilled that CitiScapes Magazine recently featured our Executive Director, Kelly Kemp-McLintock, in a profile on her career and her vision for the library's future. Kelly's path here started far from library work — as a broadcast journalist in Northwest Arkansas for 15 years, and later as a nonprofit development leader who helped grow the Jones Center's endowment by more than $30 million over nearly two decades. Along the way, she discovered the same instinct kept show

By Rebecca Hurst, JD, LL.M. in Taxation Many friends of the Bentonville Library Foundation support the library with generous cash gifts, and that ongoing commitment makes a real difference. But for some donors, there may be other simple and meaningful ways to give that can support the library’s future while also fitting into their broader financial plans. If you are looking for ways to support the library beyond writing a check, there are several practical options worth knowi

For more than four decades, Howard and Elaine Kerr have had a front-row seat to the remarkable growth of Bentonville and Northwest Arkansas. Through their leadership, volunteerism, and philanthropy, they have also helped shape the community into what it is today. Howard first joined the Bentonville Library Foundation board of directors during the early 2000s when the first Capital Campaign was well underway to build the library facility now located on Main Street. He continue