Jay Barth named Arkansas library system director

Jay Barth has been selected as the next executive director of the Central Arkansas Library System, succeeding Nate Coulter, who is retiring after more than a decade in the role. Barth, a longtime Hendrix College politics professor, has also served as Little Rock’s chief education officer and directed the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum; he is scheduled to begin Dec. 1. He takes over a system that expanded and renovated its libraries, added a bookmobile and community programs, and broadened digital access under Coulter, as the area around its renovated Main Library faces a proposed redevelopment project.