August 19, 1945 - April 29, 2024

Nancy Elizabeth Gwinn, an internationally recognized library leader with a passion for service, passed away on April 29, 2024, after a spirited two-year fight with cancer. She was 78.

Gwinn was born in Sheridan, Wyoming. Her parents were George and Elizabeth (Libby) Gwinn. The Gwinn family were long-time owners of the Sheridan Commercial Company. She graduated from Sheridan High School in 1963 and from the University of Wyoming in 1967. She attended the University of Oxford on a Fulbright Scholarship and earned a Masters in Library Science from the University of Michigan. She completed a Ph.D. in American Civilization from George Washington University in 1996.

Gwinn began her library career in 1969 in the Legislative Reference Service at the Library of Congress, where she met her husband, John Y. Cole. Before joining the Smithsonian Libraries as an assistant director, she worked at the Council on Library and Information Resources and the Research Libraries Group. She was Director of the Smithsonian Libraries System from 1997 to 2020.

Among her many accomplishments were the establishment of the International Biodiversity Heritage Library, the launching of the libraries’ exhibition and outreach program, and the digital Cultural Heritage Library.

She was an active member of P.E.O., a philanthropic organization for women, and served on the Board of Trustees of Cottey College.

She is survived by her husband of fifty years, John Y. Cole, her brother Don (Joanna) Gwinn, and many nieces and nephews.

Donations may be made to the Elizabeth W. and Nancy E. Gwinn PEO Scholar Award at the PEO Foundation (www.peointernational.org) or to the Library of Congress John Y. Cole and Nancy E. Gwinn Fund at www.loc.gov/donate.

Services were held at the Chevy Chase Presbyterian Church.

The Sheridan Press - Aug. 3, 2024.