Warren County Public Library executive director receives national recognition

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Congratulations are in order for Court Stevens, the executive director of the Warren County Public Library.

Stevens has been named a 2025 Mover and Shaker by Library Journal in the Community Builders category, according to a release Monday by WCPL.

The library says this national honor recognizes Stevens’ “visionary leadership and creative strategies that have positioned the library as a cornerstone of community connection, resilience and innovation.”

WCPL says it has grown from a four-branch system to a network of over 10 locations in under five years while under Stevens’ direction.

One such location includes the LifeWorks Satellite, which is Kentucky’s first public library location designed to serve neurodiverse patrons, according to the release. This particular library is located inside of LifeWorks.

Another location at the International Center of Kentucky supports new Americans as they establish their life in the Bowling Green area.

“There’s a little bit of library everywhere, and the community loves it,” Stevens says. That love is reflected in numbers: in 2024 alone, WCPL’s programs drew over 170,000 participants—surpassing the total population of Warren County, which is approximately 140,000.

She has also led WCPL into becoming one of the county’s two official Red Cross Resilience Hubs, the release says, with focuses on disaster preparedness and recovery in a joint effort with the American Red Cross Community Adaptive Program.

A key part of this work, the Little Free Shuttle, serves as a green 15-passenger van that offers free public transportation to those in low-income neighborhoods. The shuttle stops at locations such as grocery stores, library locations and medical facilities.

It also helps during potentially dangerous weather conditions by transporting people to warming centers or shelters.

Start Here Warren County, an online resource directory connecting residents to local services, further supports community resilience. Stevens has also created a new staff role, the community resilience lead, to ensure the sustainability of these efforts.

The full profile of Stevens and the complete list of 2025 Movers and Shakers can be found in the May issue of Library Journal and online at LibraryJournal.com.