Reference Services: Obituary Searches

One popular service we provide here at the Arkansas State Library is obituary searches.

While we do not have the staff or the resources to do in-depth genealogical research for our patrons, we can search the Arkansas Gazette and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for obituary notices. If you are interested in having us do an obituary search for you, please provide us with a name and an exact date of death. The search covers approximately one week following the provided date. Unfortunately, we cannot do a search without the date of death, although you are welcome to come in person and search the microfilm yourself.

The Arkanas Gazette archives go back to 1819 on microfilm, and the Democrat-Gazette records are available through an online subscription from 1984 to the present.

A couple of caveats about obituary searches: There will be no obituary if the family did not provide one to the newspaper. If the deceased did not live in Little Rock or the surrounding towns, the chances of there being an obituary go down sharply. You may need to search the local paper instead; we do not have any local papers here at the library, but the Arkansas History Commission has a wide range of historical Arkansas newspapers on microfilm. And finally, African-American deaths were often not noted in the newspaper during the 19th and early 20th century.

Requests can be made in person, over the phone, and through the Ask A Librarian form on our website.

Test Prep Guides at ASL

Students are returning to school here in Arkansas, and although this school year is just starting, many are already thinking about next year, and the tests they have to take to get where they want to be. From AP exams and SAT tests to the GRE and LSAT, we have exam study guides and other test prep resources here at the Arkansas State Library. We also have study guides and information for the post office jobs exam, as well as many career advice books.

If you are interested in checking out any of these books, please contact our reference librarians for help.  They can be reached by phone (501-682-2053) or through our Ask a Librarian form, or in person, of course. If you need a library card, we can help with that too. When you come to pick up the books, just bring your driver's license or other state issued picture ID, and a utility bill or voter registration card (something with your current address on it) and our circulation staff will issue you a card.

Ask a Librarian

Every so often I like to remind readers about the reference services available at the Arkansas State Library.  We are ready and willing to answer your questions, no matter how small or how big.  If we can't find the answer, we will do our best to find someone who can.  You can contact us by phone during office hours at (501) 682-2053, or any time by using our handy Ask a Librarian form, or by writing us at:

Arkansas State Library, Attn. Reference
900 West Capitol, Suite 100
Little Rock, AR 72201

If you are feeling really ambitious, or just want to visit, you can also come to the library and speak to us in person.  Our hours are Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4:30 PM. 

We generally answer questions within 24 hours, except during weekends and holidays.

Celebrate National Library Week!

April 10-16 is National Library Week all around the country.  Here at ASL we are celebrating by highlighting our new books in the display cases on the first floor and by giving all patrons who sign up for a new library card an "I love my library" button.  If you are interested in getting a library card, please check our policy page for the requirements.  If you have any questions about the Arkansas State Library and our policies, you can send us a reference request using the Ask a Librarian form, or you can give us a call at (501) 682-2053.

Ask a reference question

Although the main mission of the Arkansas State Library is to serve state employees and public libraries throughout the state, we also have many services for the general public.

For instance, if you are a state resident, you are eligible to apply for a library card that allows you to check out books from our non-fiction collection. All you need to apply for a library card is a driver's license or other government-issued ID, and a second form of identification that has your address on it, such as a utility bill.

You don't have to have a library card to make use of the library, however. You are welcome to come in whenever we are open (Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4:30 PM) to use the computers, do research or ask reference questions. We have three full-time reference librarians to answer your questions, and if we can't answer the questions ourselves, we can usually find someone who can. There are several ways to get in touch with us:

• In Person: Walk in and ask away.
• Over the phone: Call our information desk at (501) 682-2053 and ask to speak to a reference librarian.
• Snail Mail: send requests to us at Arkansas State Library Reference; One Capitol Mall, 5th Floor; Little Rock, AR 72201
• Our on-line Ask A Librarian form. Simply fill in the blanks, and we will get back to you as soon as we have an answer.