ABOUT THE LIBRARY The Saline County Library is a public library that enjoys great support from our community, staff, Friends of the Library, and board members. Saline County has a friendly, small-town feel that we appreciate and seek to replicate in our library. Our educated, well-trained staff is committed to providing great service. We currently have 34 full-time and 17 part-time staff members, 11 of whom hold a master’s degree. Our Friends of the Library volunteers are advocates in the community, hard workers in the library, and great fundraisers. In 2021 alone, they have volunteered over 600 hours at the library. Our 20-year-old building in Bryant was renovated in 2018 with new paint, flooring, and furniture. Our Benton branch is beginning the second stage of a remodel to better accommodate our patrons and the community. Just like the schools, the library is funded by property taxes. The library receives 1.7 mils, which averages out to about $25 per person per year and is the largest part of our $3 million dollar budget. With our seven departments, we seek to make the library a place where the community can come together to connect in educational and entertaining programs and services. Our departments consist of Administration, Bryant Branch, Building Operations, Collections, Community Engagement, Public Services, and Youth Services. We know that Saline County is more than just Benton and Bryant, and we want to build on the services we currently provide in order to reach the rest of our county. We are also part of the Mid-Ark Regional Library System which consists of five libraries: Cleveland County Library, Dallas County Library, Grant County Library, Malvern-Hot Spring County Library, and Saline County Library. Together, we provide resources and materials to members of all five counties.
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