Diane Parr Walker, Edward H. Arnold University Librarian, has announced that she will retire in July 2021 after a decade of service at the helm of Hesburgh Libraries at the University of Notre Dame and over 40 years in research librarianship.

“I have come to know Diane as a true professional and someone who is deeply committed to Notre Dame’s academic excellence and distinctive mission as a Catholic research university,” said Marie Lynn Miranda, Charles and Jill Fischer Provost. “I am glad to call Diane a colleague and friend, and ask you to join me in thanking her for her years of service to our University.”

Early in her tenure, Walker led the Hesburgh Library’s award-winning 50th Anniversary Celebration, seizing the opportunity to reinforce and strengthen Father Hesburgh’s original vision for the library to serve as the academic heart of campus. In the process, she established the library's enduring mission as connecting people to knowledge across generations, cementing the connection between the library’s mission and the iconic Word of Life mural.

Soon thereafter, she launched a multi-year, multi-phased renovation of the flagship Hesburgh Library, redesigned the organizational structure, and expanded faculty and staff expertise to better integrate the role of the library into the full cycle of teaching and research.

Since becoming the university librarian, Walker has championed efforts to transform library expertise, services, resources, and spaces to meet the changing needs of scholarship in the digital age.

In addition to fostering significant growth of print and digital collections, the Hesburgh Libraries launched noteworthy digital initiatives including the Navari Family Center for Digital Scholarship, Remix, CurateND, and the (soon-to-be-launched) Mellon-funded MARBLE unified search platform as a joint venture with the Snite Museum of Art.

During the same time, she welcomed the University Archives organizationally to the Hesburgh Libraries. Under her leadership, the Libraries pursued strategies to acquire, preserve and share special collections, institutional archives, and rare artifacts to increasingly distinguish Notre Dame among its peers. Accomplishments range from acquiring the Badin Bible and exceptional Ferrell Manuscripts to publishing “Father Hesburgh’s Life and Legacy.”

“I am honored to finish my career as a part of the Notre Dame family,” noted Walker. “Through our many campus partnerships and a dedicated team of library faculty and staff, the Hesburgh Libraries have made a significant impact on the teaching and research enterprise at Notre Dame over the last nine years. My wonderful team is the ‘magic behind the scenes,’ and they inspire me each and every day.”

Under University Librarian Walker’s leadership, the libraries earned a John Cotton Dana Award, the highest public relations honor from the American Library Association, a 2020 Library Design Showcase award, and two Notre Dame Presidential Team Irish Awards, one for Au Bon Pain cafe and the other for Hesburgh Library Renovation.

She serves on Notre Dame’s Academic Council, IT Governance Council, and ND Studios Executive Steering Committee. In addition, she is an ex officio member of the University Committee on Libraries and steers the Hesburgh Libraries Advisory Council. She is the current treasurer on the Association of Research Libraries Board of Directors and a former president, treasurer and member-at-large on the board of directors of the Music Library Association.

“Diane’s work has distinguished the Hesburgh Libraries system among peers, ignited new forms of scholarship, and strengthened the exceptional quality of the University’s overall academic programs and resources,” added Provost Miranda. “Equally important, her leadership has positioned the libraries for future success.”

Walker came to Notre Dame after 27 years at the University of Virginia, 14 of these in leadership roles, and 5 years at the University of Buffalo. She earned master’s degrees in musicology from the University of Iowa and library and information science from the University of Illinois. In addition, she received her bachelor’s degree in music literature from MacMurray College.

A national search for a new university librarian will be conducted to identify Walker’s successor.