Jay Barth to Succeed Nate Coulter as CALS Executive Director

Jay Barth takes the helm as executive director of the Central Arkansas Library System

Jay Barth will step in as the next executive director of the Central Arkansas Library System, taking over the state’s largest public library network starting December 1, Talk Business & Politics reported. The leadership transition follows Nate Coulter’s departure, whose last day as executive director is October 30 after a tenure spanning more than a decade.

Barth enters the position after a national search that evaluated three finalists. He brings a deep academic and civic background to the library system, having spent 26 years teaching politics at Hendrix College as the M.E. and Ima Graves Peace Emeritus Professor.

Since his retirement from Hendrix, Barth has served in prominent regional roles, including the inaugural chief education officer for the city of Little Rock and director of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum. His resume also includes teaching appointments at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Bowen School of Law, New York University’s Tulsa campus, and the Clinton School of Public Service. Public service experience further marks his background, featuring a term on the Arkansas State Board of Education from 2012 to 2019—including two years as chair—alongside his current service on the Central Arkansas Water Board of Commissioners.

Under Coulter’s leadership, the library system saw substantial physical and programmatic growth. The tenure included a $31 million renovation of the Main Library, alongside improvements across 15 branches such as a major overhaul of the Sue Cowan Williams Library in Little Rock and a new building for the Amy Sanders Library in Sherwood. The system also rolled out the CALS Cruiser bookmobile, expanded digital access, launched the Rock It! Lab entrepreneurial hub, and introduced the Count Up math tutoring program.