It’s with great sadness that we report the passing of our longtime friend and colleague Danna Bell. Danna served the Library of Congress for more than 25 years and was a core member of our K-12 education team, where she played a crucial role in virtually every program area, including this blog.
Trained as an archivist, with degrees from Miami University of Ohio and Long Island University, Danna came to the Library after working at the NAACP, the National Equal Justice Library, the Washingtoniana Division of the DC Public Library, SUNY Stony Brook, and Marymount University.
Danna found joy in helping others—particularly teachers and students—discover the treasures of the Library’s collections, and in connecting people with information and with each other. As the voice of the Ask a Librarian service for questions from teachers, she guided several generations of educators to just the right resources, and she lent her seemingly limitless knowledge of the Library’s collections to countless K-12 projects through the years. She also was a powerhouse of this blog, bringing her distinctive voice and love of history to dozens of posts and shepherding more than a thousand through the editorial and publishing processes.
As essential as she was in her work at the Library, Danna was also endlessly generous with her energy and expertise outside the office. She was a national leader in her profession, serving as the chair of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference and as the 69th president of the Society of American Archivists, and gave her time to organizations as varied as the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and National History Day.
Much as her colleagues admired and respected Danna as a skilled and accomplished professional, we also cherished her as a friend, mentor, and personality like no other: a devoted pet owner, an acerbic commentator on the passing scene, an enthusiastic amateur fashion critic, an inexhaustible knitter, a generous soul who loved to help others and loved to laugh. She will be sorely missed, and we’re grateful that she worked with and inspired us.
Lee Ann Potter, Director, Professional Learning and Outreach Initiatives Office, the Library of Congress
When Danna served as the President of the Society of American Archivists (SAA), she provided remarks at an event and declared that she had “heavenly co-workers with great minds and passionate hearts.” I did not just remember what she had said, I wrote it down on a yellow post it note that I have kept in my desk drawer for years. Danna absolutely fit her own collegial description. Her vast knowledge of the collections, her keen research ability, her genuine curiosity were some of her many talents. But her ability to nurture the curiosity of others by sharing her knowledge and helping their research were truly her gifts. We miss her. But we are so fortunate that those gifts that she shared with us will forever linger and perpetually connect us back to her.
Emily Kilgore, Director of Education and Engagement, The Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library
I met Danna in summer 2018 when I began my position as Director of Education and Engagement at the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library. Danna served on the museum board and as my chair on the education committee, and was my biggest cheerleader as we navigated through how to engage with teachers in distance learning. Danna suggested I partake in the TPS self-paced course, and that opened a door to two in-person summer institutes as well as completing my requirements to become a TPS coach.
While attending the summer 2024 institute, Danna worked with us as we researched how to elevate voices in primary sources, and used her magic to help me find a specific collection, and encouraged me to use the manuscript reading room. She insisted they were very nice and would be very excited to help me pull a collection, and she was right, as my experience was wonderful. I will never forget her telling me “See, I told you we are all nice nerds here!” At the LOC and through her time on our museum’s board, she was always so supportive of me and I will miss her encouragement, her incredibly smart jokes and her laugh.
Michelle Krowl, Civil War and Reconstruction Specialist, Manuscript Division, the Library of Congress
Danna was a valued member of the Library’s Archives Forum Steering Committee. She never failed to suggest session topics of interest, connect us with relevant speakers, and volunteer to do whatever needed to be done. She also contributed her vibrant personality to our meetings, and we could count on Danna to share a good story or a laugh with appreciation at humorous conversation threads (of which there were many over the years). We will greatly miss both the personal and professional sides of our friend Danna, and all she contributed to the Archives Forum.
Laura Gottesman, Digital Reference Specialist, the Library of Congress
It’s hard to believe that Danna is gone, is somehow intangible – throughout my 20+ years of working with her at the Library she was always one of the most present and tangible of colleagues. She was forceful, she was funny, she was pragmatic, she was smart, she was rock solid — and she stepped up, over and over again, to take on new challenges. She was a connector, with her own gravitational pull, and she had an exceptionally rich network of friends and colleagues throughout and beyond the Library who will miss her humor, groundedness and warmth tremendously. I know I will.
Kris Pruzin, Digital Reference Specialist, the Library of Congress
From my first day at the Library, Danna was there providing guidance as I learned to navigate the Library’s website and the primary source collections in American Memory. Very importantly, she taught me how to communicate what the Library had to offer, especially to those teachers writing in about how to incorporate the online materials into their classroom activities. It was always inspiring to watch Danna interact with teachers as she encouraged them and explained the importance of having access to such a wealth of primary resources about our history. I appreciated the fact that she would reach out to me about opportunities to participate in activities during teacher workshops. I feel very lucky to have worked with her over so many years.
Tom Bober, school librarian and former Library of Congress Teacher in Residence
Professionally, what amazed me about Danna was her uncanny ability to connect people with the information from the Library. Whenever I had struggles in my search for sources, Danna came through with so much more than I thought was possible. And that wealth of knowledge was paired with a humbleness that was equally impressive. I was always excited to share Danna’s name as I revealed the person sitting on the other side of Ask a Librarian for educators and students.
Personally, Danna was always someone I sought out on visits back to the Library. She would meet me with a smile, a hug, and a great conversation to catch up with each other. A scarf that Danna knitted for me will continue to be a great reminder of her kindness.
Rebecca Newland, school librarian and former Library of Congress Teacher in Residence
Danna was the most knowledgeable person I knew about the Library collections. While this made her an amazing resource for me and for anyone who wrote in to “Ask a Librarian,” it also speaks to her as an archivist and thinker. She loved being able to share all the treasures of the Library of Congress she had discovered over the years. In person she was kind, thoughtful, and generous of spirit. She will be sorely missed.
Thomas Padilla, former intern in the Library’s K-12 education office
Danna was curious about people. She was curious about me. My background and what I hoped to achieve. She made you feel you were worth something. Danna made me feel welcome. And the welcoming never stopped. Throughout my career, work would take me to DC and I would run into Danna and Danna was always Danna. She often had a bemused smirk on her face and when we spoke she would tell me how proud of me she was. She was invested in me and cared to share that with me. Her care for me made me a better me.
I give tribute to Danna by trying to be more like Danna. We should all be more like Danna.
Neme Alperstein, Summer Teacher Institute participant
For me it is an imperative to reflect on my wonderful experiences with Danna and all that she taught me over the years. Her insights were powerful nuggets of information, useful well beyond the use of primary sources in the classroom. Danna was modest, and a phenomenon with her generosity of spirit. Time spent with her was time well spent.
She had an uncanny way of simplifying complex questions so that I often would say, “Why didn’t I think of that?” She had a wicked dry sense of humor. Her blogs were brilliant and within them were embedded links that could support a unit for an entire year.
Danna made primary source searches look simple. She would demonstrate how to locate a resource using simple key words. So why couldn’t I do the same? I just wasn’t Danna. Simplicity my foot. Diamonds are simple, too, and Danna was the Hope Diamond.
What a privilege it has been to be connected to her all these years in education. Lucky me and my lucky students whose lives were touched by her beacons of light. What a gift Danna was.
Comments (19)
How can I sum up Danna except she was an amazing human who dedicated herself to empowering everyone who intersected her path. Danna’s archival and research knowledge itself is another form of Google! She patiently supported and coached me as a Teacher in Residence and opened up opportunities for me due to her connections.
Danna was truly interested in everyone’s lives and what made them tick. This deep curiosity about people and knowledge made her a secret weapon of the Library of Congress. The world is a little less bright without your sparkle, but we will try to live out your legacy of empowerment through knowledge. Danna, you were and are a gem.
Danna was a kind, generous, and thoughtful human. I was lucky to work with her and I know she has made the world a better place.
I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Danna at one of the LoC teaching institutes several years back. She was so immensely helpful to me during that week, and I lost count of how many times I used the “ask a librarian” through the website, knowing full well SHE was the voice behind every answer I sought. Danna was a lovely lady who went above and beyond to help find answers and resources whenever she was asked. I have taught literally hundreds of students using lessons she helped me craft, and I hope she realized the enormous ripple effect her love of information and primary sources had on their love of learning and history. I’m so sad for the loss of a one-of-a-kind genius behind the LoC and a loving friend and mentor to many.
As a colleague of Danna’s I learned so much from her. Some of those things have already been mentioned and there are other things that shall go unmentioned in this forum 😉. After a wobbly start to our beginning, we became friends and it is this friendship that I will miss most. She was brilliant, kind, so, so funny and always there for others. She was incredibly generous, tenacious and dedicated (to her pups and us). She embodied the best of the Library and worked tirelessly to serve its audiences. I will remain inspired by her and I take solace in the luck that I had to call her friend.
I will Join the chorus of praise for Danna, a knowledgeable and energetic colleague, indeed.
When we launched American Memory, Danna helped make the connection between digitized historical content and the teachers who could put it to work in schools. She will be missed!
Danna was an extraordinary colleague and leaves a hole in the world. The AFC Mummers dedicated this year’s performance to Danna (and to Karen Lund, a colleague from the Music Division). She will be forciously missed.
Danna was a treasured colleague who had such joy in helping others discover the Library. Every time I have a blog question, it takes me a moment to realize I can’t just pop Danna an email like I used to. When I was new to the staff, she taught me how to navigate loc.gov, and then I saw her do it countless times with the many ILO and PLOI interns I’ve worked with. The Library is America’s treasure chest, but colleagues like Danna prove the greatest treasure is the people who make the LOC what it is.
We met as colleagues, but quickly became friends. Her professional skills, as many have noted, were extraordinary, but those of us privileged to call her a friend know that those were only a fraction of her gifts.
Danna could find the exact right primary source, but she could also find the perfect birthday card or skein of yarn. She offered a wry quip or a comforting word with equal panache. Above all, Danna thrived on helping others, and her bright light will be sorely missed.
Danna was such a great colleague and person, very knowledgeable but also very approachable and easy to talk to. What a rare combination. I heard she had an illness, but was still shocked to hear of her passing. She will be greatly missed.
Danna and I got to know each other via the LC chapter of Warm Up America (sponsored by LCPA), which had been started by Mary Jane Cavallo years earlier, and which I had taken over when Mary Jane retired. Danna was a moving force in our little group. She was the one who arranged for deliveries/pick-ups of the blankets, scarves, hats, and other warming items that members of our group produced. She also found a home for our “bow-wows,” little blankets made with leftover yarn that were, at times, bow-wow ugly in their color schemes: they were given to dogs who were being fostered by a rescue group and were waiting to find their forever home. Dogs have limited color vision and cared only that these bow-wows were a source of scent comfort as their lives were rearranged, so it was win-win for both canines and humans. Our final donations of people blankets and bow-wows will be given in loving memory of Danna, who warmed both human and canine hearts.
I first met Danna in 1998 when I was hired by the District of Columbia Public Library’s Washingtoniana Division to wrap up its DC Newspaper Project. I was thinking about enrolling in library school and she would bring me archive management books and say, “Read these!” She was always warm and smiling when going out to eat, meeting at MARAC meetings, or sharing knitting yarns. She left far too soon…
I had the great pleasure of working with Danna for ten years at the Library. In that time, I learned so much from her, and also really enjoyed her warm personality, doggie stories, and sharp sense of humor! As others have already stated, her knowledge of the Library’s collections and ability to navigate them was unmatched. I will miss her very much. But I am also happy that the great work she did on so many projects here will live on, and that many of those on here will continue to honor her memory by using what she taught us to help others.
I met Danna during my last year in graduate school. She was very generous with her time. She gave me good advice and was always willing to answer questions about how she made decisions about work. She really loved her job and she will be greatly missed.
Danna was an exceptional colleague and even kinder friend.
During the three years that I have worked at the Library of Congress, Danna was my ‘desk mate.’ The two feet separating our cubicles left little to no room for casual conversation. We quickly opened up to one another and became fast friends. She was a gem in more ways than one, but one of her greatest gifts was making her friends and colleagues feel seen, appreciated, and important. Many of us in the office reminisced that a compliment from Danna was treasured because she was so intentional and genuine – a truly authentic and kind soul.
As someone still early in my career, I thank Danna for sharing advice, institutional knowledge, and wisdom with me. Ultimately, she showed me that just one person can make a large and lasting impact on the people and the institution that we serve. We will all miss Danna very much.
I knew Danna as a fraternity brother (yes – brother) in Alpha Phi Omega, national service fraternity, and fellow Scott Hall resident while we were students at Miami University. Her service leadership goes way back. We lost touch after graduation, but the fates had other ideas and we ran into each other at the National Council of Teachers of English conference several years ago. Imagine my delight to hear her call me across a crowded conference hall. For several more years we met for lunch to catch up on each other’s careers. She helped me design several civil rights units that I still use. Fly high, Danna! You are so missed!
I am one of countless teachers who Danna made to feel special. I last saw her as we were both judges at the National History Day contest, so it is fitting that I last saw her doing what she always did: volunteering her time to help some one else.
Danna Bell was the most enthusiastic advocate for the Library, its collections and its staff that I’ve ever met. Every time I ran into her in the hall or worked an open house for the Summer Teachers, her words, her praise, and her postivity reminded me why I have worked at the Library for so many years. She embodied what we do, why we do it and we are poorer for losing her too soon, but so much richer for having known her.
Danna was a terrific colleague and I am saddened to hear of her passing. She supported my team’s TPS grant work for the five years I was at iCivics developing and expanding our DBQ product for middle and high schoolers. What a resource she was! Sending all of her colleagues and loved ones comfort and peace at this time.
I am heartbroken to hear of Danna’s passing. She was an amazing role model and supporter of diversifying the archival community, especially SAA. Sincere condolences to her family; she will be missed.