New Dale and Harriet Jones Walker Public Library Officially Open

The Dale and Harriet Jones Walker Public Library is officially open.

An open house took place at the library earlier this month that welcomed the public into the new building, where there were speakers explaining its history. The city has lacked a dedicated library for some years now, and it was not the easiest road to get to the new one.

“We originally had a Carnegie library in our town that was built in the early 1900s, and that burned down in the ’70s,” explained Carrie Huston, Walker Branch Manager for the Kitchigami Region Library System. “So we built a new building in that same location, and because of the foundation, that building started sinking down into the ground. So we’ve been working for years and years – decades – to get this new building to come to fruition. And here we are, and it’s just like the end of a very long journey.”

Despite the cost of building the whole library from the ground up, it did not have to be paid by the city or taxpayers. Construction was fully funded by donations, and it wouldn’t have happened without one big gift in particular.

“The catalyst was a really nice donation from Dale and Harriet Jones, hence the reason why this is now called the Dale and Harriet Jones Walker Public Library,” said Huston. “And they started it off with a million dollar donation.”

“We were lucky to have the library named after us, and so we’re very proud of it,” said Harriet Jones alongside her husband, Dale. “And it’s a legacy to us that, you know, it’ll go on and on. We very much appreciate it.”

The building is a little bit unconventional, as it was created facing away from the road rather than towards it. But everything was done with a purpose.

“If you go over by the fireplace and notice that when you look out the windows, we set the building on the lot far enough to the east that in that fireplace lounge area, it looks right out some large windows down 2nd Street and right to Leech Lake,” explained Walker City Council Member Jim Senenfelder. “It’s a beautiful view.”

And libraries are do much more than just hold books.

“The building itself is not what’s important about the library,” added Huston. “It’s the people and the connections we make with our community that are the most important. But now we have a place where we can do that.”

Although the library is still adding finishing touches such as putting up signs and other minor details, it is fully functional and officially open to the public.