Walt “Cat” Walker, longtime head of cataloging and an associate librarian at the William H. Hannon Library, passed away unexpectedly in June 2020.
Walker was a cataloger and an activist. In addition to his work at LMU, he was an active member of the American Library Association since 1990, supporting the profession nationally through service and scholarship.
He was director-at-large for the ALA’s Rainbow Round Table, where he helped develop a series of annotated bibliographies on LGBTQ resources, such as this 2015 bibliography on LGBT Latinos and Latinas. He was also a member of the editorial board of Homosaurus, an international linked data vocabulary of LGBTQ terms that supports improved access to LGBTQ resources within cultural institutions.
Walker contributed major revisions to the International Thesaurus of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex Terms. His work with the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services’ Online Audiovisual Catalogers and the Program for Cooperative Cataloging helped establish cataloging standards and guidelines that are used by librarians across the globe. He was also a volunteer at ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives at the USC Libraries for 25 years, serving as board member (1999−2002) and chair of the library committee (2000−03). Walker was a founding member of ACT UP/L.A., organizing and participating in demonstrations in response to the AIDS crisis.
At the library, we remember Walker for his trademark dry humor and cataloging acumen, as well as his care and support of his colleagues. As Cynthia Becht, head of archives and special collections, recalled, “with Walt, I found instant cataloging family.” As Student Engagement Librarian Raymundo Andrade recounted in “Thank you, Walt,” Walt was a supportive manager to his cataloging staff: “The impact you had on my life changed everything.”
In August 2021, the library hosted a virtual symposium to celebrate Walker’s memory, called “Cataloging Queer Library Issues.” This half-day virtual event brought together friends, family, and scholars from around the nation to celebrate his impact and discuss many of the issues that surrounded his work in libraries, including cataloging programs, projects, outreach, and initiatives, from areas of academic library and archives work. Archivist Shawn(ta) Smith-Cruz, assistant curator and associate dean for Teaching, Learning, and Engagement at New York University Division of Libraries, was the keynote speaker. We additionally heard presentations from representatives of the ONE Archives, ALA’s Rainbow Roundtable, and Homosaurus, as well as poster sessions from scholars on a variety of topics related to the intersection of cataloging, archives, and queer studies.
Last year, in honor of Walker and his work with ACT UP/L.A., the library acquired a 1989 art poster of “Ignorance = Fear” by Keith Haring as a legacy artifact. Haring’s street art represents an iconic moment in the history of the AIDS pandemic and social injustice in America. The characters in his art, often presented without race or gender, promote powerful messages for a global community. We also acquired a 1989 mailer that Haring designed for ACT UP. With these two acquisitions, we are dedicated to expanding our collections in this area.
In the generations to come, LMU students, faculty, and staff will continue to benefit from Walker’s work and the inspiration he gave to his colleagues and friends. It is impossible to put into words the impact that he had in our library and in the community more generally. We miss him.
By John Jackson, M.A., M.L.I.S., Associate Librarian, Head of Outreach and Engagement
DEI Buzz
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- Celebrate LGBTQIA+ pride all year with the LGBTQIA+ Community hub.
- Cultural Consciousness Conversations is a yearlong dialogue that aims to bring our community members closer together; we build bridges of understanding by sharing our stories, listening to others, and discussing important topics that shape our worldviews and cultural experiences. The cohort consists of faculty, staff, and administrators across various sectors of LMU, and all from diverse backgrounds.
