Rosslyn Elliott


Machine Learning in Healthcare: A Thought Leadership Roundtable

Machine learning (ML) is a subset of artificial intelligence (AI) that focuses on using algorithms against large data sets. ML can “learn” from a data set to improve its own analysis without the need for additional programmer input of new analytical rules. As the healthcare industry searches for solutions to analyze and apply the vast amount of data collected through electronic health records (EHRs), ML is a natural choice to successfully deploy that data. The power of ML can transform the quality and accuracy of healthcare, but first, industry leaders must address the challenges that accompany implementation and oversight.

Symbols and Shamans: Experience the Art of Matthew Castellano

Matthew Castellano talks fast. He has to keep up with the speed at which his creative ideas are tumbling through his thoughts. Talking to him is a lightning-quick trip through evocative phrases. He’ll mention a powerful folklore archetype in his work, but without elaborating, trusts the listener to get the full meaning from his quick riff, like a skateboarder jumping to coast the edge of a bench for only seconds before speeding on to a new challenge.

Dee Brown's Typewriter: Rewriting Native American History

Stained, a little battered, but still working—the typewriter of famed Arkansas author Dee Brown has emerged from our archives. The machine now reposes grimy and authentic under glass at the CALS Dee Brown Library. It may even be the typewriter Brown used to write his shattering, iconic history of the American West, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. There’s something oddly gratifying about the preservation of a dirty, practical tool of a writer’s work, complete with what are probably Dee Brown’s smudgy fingerprints on the side. It reminds us of the arduous task that faces writers: the hours and hours of isolation, the figures flitting vividly through your head while you stare at the wall with unseeing eyes.

A New Name for the Arkansas Literary Festival Heralds a New Vision for Outreach

Little Rock is known for its many striking bridges, which make elegant silhouettes across the Arkansas River and provide pleasure to so many people who walk and bike the river trail. Our bridges light the night with color for all who enter and leave the city—a beautiful symbol of progress and hope. Bridges take us across barriers that seem impassable. Through human invention and determination, bridges overcome obstacles and open the way for new journeys and opportunities. Bridges unite diverse communities and bring people together. For all these reasons, the Central Arkansas Library System has chosen to herald a new community focus for its literary festival by renaming the annual event as the “Six Bridges Book Festival.”

Nexus Nook to Host Photography, Networking Events

Got a DSLR camera and don’t quite know how to use it? On October 17, the Nexus Nook coffee space at the CALS Main Library will host a special introductory workshop called “Off-Auto: How to Get the Most Out of that Nice DSLR Camera,” led by photographer Jeremiah Holman. The workshop fee of $25 will include instruction, local coffee from Nexus, and pastries. Library parking will be free with validation for participants. The workshop will take place from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Holman is a full-time firefighter who has been pursuing photography for about 7 years, and just started his own LLC for his photography business.

Made in Arkansas Film Festival Goes Virtual to Showcase Regional Talent

Whether you like horror films or comedies, this coming week will bring a unique opportunity to enjoy movies together online with your friends, near or far. The Made in Arkansas Film Festival 2020 is going virtual and interactive! After the Little Rock Film Festival ended its run in 2015, Arkansas filmmakers had fewer opportunities to screen their work for the general public and to meet to exchange ideas or work together. Stepping into the gap, several enterprising filmmakers founded the Made in Arkansas Film Festival in 2019 to provide a networking venue and showcase for the Arkansas filmmaking community.

A Gift for Every Taste at our Galleries at Library Square

The Galleries at Library Square are well-known for their popular rotating exhibitions by Arkansas artists. But we find that casual visitors who walk in from the downtown River Market are also captivated by our retail gallery, with its beautiful and affordable art, jewelry, and craftworks. From large, bright paintings to small tokens of affection, the Galleries offer handcrafted gifts carefully chosen by our professional curators. Once you discover how easy the gallery makes your holiday shopping for Christmas, your New Year’s date, or Valentine’s Day, you may stop by as often as CALS staff members do!

New Partnership Provides Hygiene Supplies for Women in Need

It can be easy to take women’s health needs for granted: many of us women can walk into stores, purchase any feminine hygiene supplies we need, and spend the day as comfortably as possible with the supplies of our choice. But for women suffering from serious financial challenges, job loss, or homelessness, that simple need for supplies can turn into a source of great anxiety and daily shame. Now, CALS is partnering with Arkansas Women’s Outreach to bring to women in our community the supplies that grant comfort and dignity for their menstrual health.
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