Improving access to information and ideas through libraries

Rusty and Donna Walker embracing the culture while on vacation in Kauai last September with their grandkids: Left to right: Foster (15), Theodore (13) and Evangeline (9).
No two days are the same for the executive director of Jefferson County Public Library (JCPL), Donna Walker. Her role is to meet the mission of the library and oversee 11 branches and 450 staff members. Donna spends much of her time meeting with elected officials and community leaders to understand how the library can help meet the needs of the community.
Donna is from the Chicago area and earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Elmhurst University, a master’s degree in creative writing from the University of Denver and a master’s degree in library information science from the University of Washington. During her college years, Donna met her husband, Rusty, on a blind date. They were married soon after and moved to Chicago to raise their daughters, Jessica and Natalie. The Walkers came to Colorado in 1990 when Rusty got a job with the Southern Pacific Railroad.
In 2007, instead of downsizing when their youngest went to college, Donna and Rusty upsized to a home in The Village at Castle Pines, where they found a haven and retreat. “We discovered the neighborhood and just fell in love with the idea of having a beautiful home that was kind of like a mountain home, but only three minutes away from I-25,” said Donna. “We love it here and we love our neighbors. We love the community and how beautiful it is here all the time.”
Donna not only has a passion for where she lives but also for providing access to information and ideas, which is evidenced by her many years of executing forward-thinking library services in several communities. Libraries have been an important part of her life and “a place where everybody is welcome, where you can find things out and you cannot be judged for asking questions,” Donna said. “It’s a place that has always really resonated with me.”
Donna’s first library job in Colorado was for the Arapahoe Library District, where she managed daily operations for four different branches and developed and implemented enterprise-wide services for children, families and underserved populations in the district. It was then that she found her calling to serve underrepresented communities JCPL to make a greater impact.
Donna started with JCPL in 2012 and became the executive director in 2018. During her tenure, JCPL has seen many accomplishments, including America’s first Express Library, a fully self-service library where visitors can access materials on their own without staff onsite. JCPL also has extended hours when most libraries are closed; they offer strategically placed 24/7 hold lockers where patrons can pick up materials at times that are convenient for them; they also offer a Bookmobile (a library on wheels) that offers home delivery services.
When they are not working, Donna and Rusty enjoy traveling and spending time with Jessica, who lives in Fort Collins, and Natalie, who lives in Englewood, and their three grandchildren Foster (15), Theodore (13), Evangeline (9) and the grand dog. Donna also loves swimming, hiking and playing “anything with a ball,” including basketball, golf and football.

Donna Walker accepting a proclamation for National Library Week at a Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners meeting in April.

Rusty and Donna Walker playing football at a park in Englewood in fall 2024.
By Sara Goodwin; photos courtesy of Donna Walker