Garland County Library
🏢 Garland County · Hot Springs, Arkansas
Garland County Library
Founded in spirit by pioneer Hiram Whittington in 1833 and formally established by voter millage in 1948, the Garland County Library has grown from a log-cabin lending shelf into a full-service county system — offering everything from 24/7 book lockers and a 42-bed community garden to Kanopy film streaming and a branch under construction in northern Garland County.
🕑 Library Hours
| Monday | 8am–6pm |
| Tuesday | 8am–6pm |
| Wednesday | 8am–6pm |
| Thursday | 8am–6pm |
| Friday | 8am–6pm |
| Saturday | 8am–1pm |
| Sunday | 1pm–6pm |
Hours may vary on holidays; check the library site before visiting.
📍 Location, Contact & Directions
Address: 1427 Malvern Avenue, Hot Springs, AR 71901
Phone: (501) 623-4161
Website: gclibrary.com
Plus Code: 8668FXX6+CP (Hot Springs, AR)
📱 Scan for directions
Point your phone camera at the code to open turn-by-turn directions in Google Maps.
👋 Use the Library Online
📍 Plan your visit
🚉 Getting there
1427 Malvern Ave, Hot Springs, AR 71901. Get transit & driving directions → (live subway, bus & car routes).
🚘 Parking
Free parking lot nearby.
♿ Accessibility
Includes wheelchair-accessible entrance, accessible parking, accessible restroom.
🛀 Amenities
Baby changing table.
⭐ Visitor rating
4.7 / 5 from 291 Google reviews.
🕑 Best time to go
Usually calmest soon after opening; busiest around 12 pm.
Visit details from the library’s Google Business Profile, verified October 2026 — confirm on official page before a special-date trip.
📖 About Garland County Library
Garland County Library traces its roots to 1833, when pioneer Hiram Whittington proposed the area's first circulating library from his log cabin at present-day Whittington and Park avenues — requesting works by Cooper, Irving, and Scott from his brother in Boston. Formal public service began after Garland County voters approved a one-mill property tax in 1948, enabling the library to open at the County Courthouse grounds in 1951. The current 1427 Malvern Avenue building opened in 1995 on the former Garland County Health Department site. Today approximately 45 staff serve patrons across Youth Services, Public Services, Technical Services, Marketing, and IT, governed by a five-member Board of Trustees appointed by the County Judge. In June 2026 the board broke ground on a 9,150-square-foot branch at 5020 Highway 7 in northern Garland County (Harrison Construction, $3.18 million), expected to open in 2027.
⭐ What makes this library special
- Nearly 200-year heritage: Hiram Whittington's 1833 log-cabin lending proposal is the earliest documented library effort in Hot Springs — over a century before the county millage (1948) put the institution on permanent footing
- Gordonelle Williams Hall seats 125 with a stage, audio system, projector, and dual wall TVs — the county's largest free community meeting space, named for a longtime librarian
- Four 24/7 RemoteLocker outdoor pickup kiosks (47 compartments each) serve Garland County round the clock, including a rural Sunshine general-store location that drove 500 new card registrations and 30%+ circulation growth
- 42-bed community garden on the library grounds, available in six-month seasons — one bed per cardholder — a unique amenity among Arkansas public libraries
- 'Fun Stuff Collection' lets cardholders borrow fishing poles, cake pans, board games, yard games, and pre-loaded Kindle Paperwhites alongside the traditional book collection
📱 Digital Resources — Free with Your Library Card
Garland County Library cardholders access these digital collections free:
📚 Services
- Bookmobile serving Garland County communities with books, Wi-Fi, and programs
- 24/7 RemoteLocker pickup kiosks at four county locations — including Sunshine general store, YMCA, industrial park, and library parking lot
- 42-bed community garden with six-month seasonal checkout (one bed per cardholder)
- Gordonelle Williams Hall auditorium (capacity 125) plus Rooms A–D — all free for community use
- Genealogy research assistance and local history reference (city directories, newspaper indexes, local histories)
- Pre-loaded Kindle Paperwhites for adults and children available for checkout
- Fun Stuff Collection: fishing poles, cake pans, board games, yard games, and puzzles
- Public computers, Wi-Fi, copiers, and printers
- Interlibrary loan (ILL) statewide and national network
- Back Corner Bookshop operated by the Friends of the Library (year-round)
- GCL mobile app for catalog search, holds, and account management
🎸 Programs
- Youth storytimes with rhymes, puppets, and crafts (all ages)
- Teen gaming and special events
- Adult book clubs
- Summer reading program (all ages)
- Civic engagement, educational, and hobby programming for adults
- Bookmobile outreach programs to rural Garland County
📍 Nearby Libraries in Central Arkansas
Distances are approximate straight-line miles from this library.
All libraries in Hot Springs · Browse all Arkansas libraries →
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Does Garland County Library have a seed library?
Yes. The library stocks a seed library of open-pollinated and heirloom vegetable, herb and flower seeds, and it also accepts donations of properly dried and identified seeds via a seed-donation form available online or in the building. Learn more in our guide to seed libraries at the library.
What meeting and study room options are available?
The library offers several bookable rooms for groups ranging from about 14 to 115 people. The largest is Gordonelle Williams Hall, seating up to 115 for lectures, meetings and performances, while smaller rooms (capacity 14 to 20) suit study groups and educational presentations. Rooms are intended for educational, cultural, intellectual or charitable use.
Why is it called the Garland County Library rather than the Hot Springs Public Library?
Because it is a county-funded institution, not a city library. Garland County voters approved a one-mill property tax in 1948 to establish and sustain the library, making it the county system for all of Garland County — not just the City of Hot Springs. That voter-approved millage remains the library's primary funding source today.
Who was Gordonelle Williams, and what is the hall named for her?
Gordonelle Williams was a longtime librarian at the Garland County Library. The 125-seat auditorium bearing her name is equipped with a stage, audio system, projector, and two wall-mounted TVs, and is the largest free community meeting space in the county — regularly used by groups such as the Garland County Historical Society.
How does the library connect to Hiram Whittington and 1833?
In 1833, Hiram Whittington — a Boston-born printer who had moved to Hot Springs for his health and became one of the settlement's founding merchants — wrote to his brother requesting books to start the area's first circulating library from his log cabin. Whittington later donated land for two Hot Springs churches and served in the Arkansas state legislature. The library traces its heritage to that 1833 letter, making it the successor of what the Encyclopedia of Arkansas calls the state's earliest successful lending library.
Does the library serve areas outside Hot Springs, and is a new branch opening?
Yes — the system reaches beyond city limits through a bookmobile and four 24/7 RemoteLocker pickup kiosks, including one at a rural general store in Sunshine that generated 500 new card registrations and more than 30% circulation growth. A new 9,150-square-foot branch at 5020 Highway 7 in northern Garland County broke ground in June 2026 (Harrison Construction, $3.18 million) and is expected to open in 2027.
📜 This library has genealogy & local-history resources. See how library family-history research works and find other libraries with genealogy collections genealogy libraries by state.
🧰 This library lends a “Library of Things.” See what you can borrow besides books and find other libraries with a Library of Things Library of Things by state.
🖨 This library offers printing, copying & fax. See how library printing, copying, scanning and fax services work — costs and mobile printing — and find other libraries that offer them printing & fax by state.
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✓ Hours & details last verified from official sources in September 2026.