Walker, Barbara Jean, 2005 January 13

This is a Living History interview with Barbara Walker Faculty/Staff of Georgia Tech between 1969 and 2005. Conduced by Marilyn Somers on January 13, 2005 at the Georgia Tech Library in Atlanta, GA. The subject is Barbara’s life and experiences at Georgia Tech.

Ms. Walker was born in Lynchburg, Virginia and grew up in Cheraw, South Carolina. She attended Robert Smalls Elementary School, and later Long High School. She went to college at South Carolina State College. Her father died shortly after she graduated from college. Ms. Walker was a very good student. Her family was very musical, and some members were Native Americans. Ms. Walker attended college during the civil rights movement. She marched and demonstrated and was even arrested. She also heard Martin Luther King, Jr. Speak. Ms. Walker taught at Sterling High School for two years then went to Atlanta University to get her degree in Library Science. After she earned her degree, she worked temporarily for Emory University’s Upward Bound Program. Ms. Walker found out about the Maps Librarian position at Georgia Tech from an employment agency. Ms. Walker worked with Dorothy Crosland, Dr. Harrison, Dr. Petit, Dr. Crawford, and Safford Harris. Ms. Walker worked as the Maps Librarian, and was also in charge of the Patents Depository. Later she took over the Government Documents collection. Ms. Walker was at Tech for the transition to computers and the internet. She plans to retire in the Atlanta area and would also like to travel.