Connects rural citizens to services and information on mobile devices

Company Website: http://www.arkansas.gov
MALVERN, Ark. -- (Business Wire)

The Malvern-Hot Spring County Library recently launched a new website, funded by a grant from the Information Network of Arkansas (INA), that gives patrons a mobile-friendly way to access information about more than 50,000 books and numerous services and programs online.

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Ar.gov/hsclibrary furthers the library’s mission of providing quality information, educational and cultural materials and services to Hot Spring County, and the four other libraries in the Mid-Arkansas Regional Library System. The site’s responsive design allows patrons to view content easily on smart phones and tablets – a key feature for rural residents who increasingly access the web through cell phone data plans.

“We live in a high-poverty area where many residents don’t have transportation,” Malvern-Hot Spring County Library Director Ashley Parker-Graves said. “Whether they access the web through an Internet connection or a smartphone, library patrons can go to our new website and see if a book or movie they want is in stock before they walk across town. If it’s not available, they can reserve materials online and we’ll call when they’re ready. This is just one of the many convenient services our new website provides.”

The library has served the community for more than 85 years and offers a wide range of services that can be accessed through the website, including events and programs for children and adults, meeting room reservations, print and audio books, magazines, newspapers, movies, video games and accessories, computer software, research databases, music, home school curriculum kits, fishing poles, knitting and crochet needles and more.

The Information Network of Arkansas provides a limited number of eGovernment grants for qualifying local government organizations each year. This program helps low-staffed agencies that lack funding and in-house technical expertise meet the growing demands of Arkansas citizens who want to access public services and information online.

“INA is proud to help Arkansans connect to the Malvern-Hot Spring County Library and many other public institutions online through our grant program,” INA Board Chair and Secretary of State Mark Martin said. “This is a prime example of how INA uses modest transaction fees from its other services to further its mission of improving the accessibility of government online, without using taxpayer funds. It’s a win for the State and for the citizens of Arkansas.”

About the Malvern-Hot Spring County Library

The Malvern-Hot Spring County opened its doors in 1928 and offers traditional and modern digital library services to citizens in Hot Spring, Grant, Dallas and Cleveland counties. The regional seat for the Mid-Arkansas Regional Library, it operates on a $400,000 annual budget and delivers more than $1.2 million in value to the community based on patron use, according to the Massachusetts Library Association. The library’s mission is to provide quality materials and services that fulfill educational, informational, cultural and recreational needs of the entire community in an atmosphere that is welcoming, respectful, and professional. For more information, visit ar.gov/hsclibrary.

About Information Network of Arkansas

The Information Network of Arkansas (INA) is a public-private partnership between the state of Arkansas and the Arkansas Information Consortium (AIC) that helps state government entities Web-enable their information services. Little Rock-based AIC is part of e-Government firm NIC's (EGOV) family of companies. INA operates Arkansas.gov, the official website of the state of Arkansas, which offers more than 1,200 state and local online services.

About NIC

Founded in 1992, NIC (NASDAQ: EGOV) is the nation's leading provider of official government websites, online services, and secure payment processing solutions. The company's innovative eGovernment services help make government more accessible to everyone through technology. The family of NIC companies provides eGovernment solutions for more than 3,500 federal, state, and local agencies in the United States. Forbes has named NIC as one of the “100 Best Small Companies in America” six times, most recently ranked at No. 36 (2014), and the company has been included four times on the Barron’s 400 Index. Additional information is available at http://www.egov.com.

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Contacts:

Information Network of Arkansas
Bob Sanders, 501-324-8915
bob@ark.org
or
Malvern-Hot Spring County Library
Ashley Parker-Graves, 501-332-5441
Director
ashley.parker@arkansas.gov

Source: Information Network of Arkansas