18th State Librarian

Ray C. Walling was named Acting State Librarian by Governor Laura Kelly on June 1, 2022.  On January 19, 2023, the Kansas Senate unanimously confirmed his appointment as the 18th State Librarian.

Born in Texas and raised in Pennsylvania, Walling earned a bachelor’s degree with college honors in history from Westminster College and a master’s degree from the University of Michigan specializing in library and information services.   After a year working in Michigan’s government documents center, Walling moved to Kansas to work for Baker University as their Electronic Services and Government Documents Librarian and, subsequently, their Director of Library Services.

Tasked with supporting both the information needs of the state government and expanding information access to all Kansans, Walling holds to the original motto of his alma mater, ‘connecting people, information, and technology in more valuable ways,’ through thoughtful leadership.