Central Arkansas Library System Director Bobby Roberts announced Thursday that he plans to retire early next year.
Roberts, 70, has been the system's chief since 1989.
"I will be leaving a few months short of twenty-seven years of service with CALS," Roberts wrote in an email to his staff Thursday afternoon. "It has been fun to watch the system prosper and to see it become such a well-respected library system. Indeed, I doubt that any public institution in our region enjoys more good will from its citizens than does CALS."
Under Roberts' leadership, the library system grew from six libraries to 14, with 9 branches in Little Rock and others in Wrightsville, Jacksonville, Sherwood, Maumelle and Perryville.
Roberts was instrumental in the opening of the Hillary Rodham Clinton Children's Library and Learning Center in 2013. He also spearheaded a millage drive in Sherwood that voters approved last year for the construction of a new library to be built there soon.
He worked in 2012 to get Little Rock voters to approve a bond issue that funded renovations to the Arcade Building in the River Market District, where the system's Ron Robinson Theater opened last year.
"He transformed the meaning of the word public library," said Skip Rutherford, dean of the Clinton School of Public Service. "His emphasis on the arts, on technology, on historic preservation, on public-private partnerships, on community outreach is just second to none. And I think when the history books are written in Little Rock about this time and this era, his name will be front and center."
Roberts said in a phone interview following his announcement to employees Thursday that he has no real plans for retirement, adding, "Everyone has to retire at some point."
He added that he hasn't had more than two weeks away from work or college since age 15, so he'll also enjoy the free time.
"I'm a Civil War historian by training. I haven't had time to research or write in a while. So I have plenty of stuff to keep me busy," he said.
Roberts grew up in Helena, but moved to Little Rock as a youth and graduated from Central High School. He has a master's degree in library science from the University of Oklahoma and a Ph.D. in American history from the University of Arkansas. He wrote 14 chapters and co-wrote six books in The Portraits of Conflict series about the U.S. Civil War.
He also has connections to the Clintons, having served as liaison for public safety under Gov. Bill Clinton in 1983 and 1984. Clinton appointed Roberts to the state Board of Correction in 1986 and he served in that role through 1993.
Roberts also served on the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science -- which advises the president and Congress on federal information policy -- for a decade, starting in 1994.
Kirby Miraglia, chairman of the library system's Board of Trustees, said she and fellow board members hate to lose Roberts' institutional knowledge.
"I know the communities have benefited under his leadership," she said.
The board has yet to make plans on how or when it will appoint a new director, she said.
Roberts hasn't set an exact date for when he will retire, but said it will be about this time next year. That gives him ample time to prepare for the transition, he said, adding that there's still "plenty of time to make mischief" before he leaves.
He's most proud of the growth CALS has seen over the years. Since 1989, the library system has gone from circulating three books per person in its service area up to nine. More than 317,400 people are served by CALS locally, and it also reaches a global population of almost 1 million people through its Gateway Project.
Rutherford said no one is more talented, more visionary or more committed than Roberts.
"He doesn't seek the headlines. He doesn't seek the credit. He doesn't seek fame. He just gets the job done," Rutherford said. "Generations to come will enjoy the fruits of his labor. There's no doubt about that."
Metro on 02/27/2015