Walker Public Library
The Greater Walker Community is building a new library. The original Walker Library was the smallest of the Carnegie Libraries, built in 1911 and the only wooden Carnegie Library. The original library burned in 1976 and was replaced at the same site with a new concrete block building in 1979.
Unfortunately, that library had to be demolished in 2020 due to structural concerns. In addition, the existing site was determined to be inadequate for a new library. Working together, the Walker City Council and the Walker-Hackensack-Ackley School Board found a location between the Community Gardens and water towers for our new building.
The current library has been in temporary quarters in the lower level of the American National Bank building for the past two years, in a space that is half the size of the previous building. As a result, 30% of the book collection had to be eliminated and the adult non-fiction and much of the juvenile non-fiction collections remain in storage. There is virtually no space for meetings, and we are restricted to four public computer stations with two brand new computers in storage. The lack of space is especially acute during the summer when the local population increases exponentially with summer visitors.
While the community has been able to raise part of the funds to build the new library thanks to several generous donations, we believe we’ll need to raise an additional $1M to complete the project. Cass County is among the poorest counties in Minnesota and the average family income in Walker is well below average as well. We desperately need support from the community, surrounding townships, businesses and our seasonal neighbors to make the new library a reality.
