The Scoop

Update: The Miami Herald’s obituary for Liz.

Liz Donovan, one of the best news researchers ever, died of lung cancer in Gainesville, Ga. Truly a pioneer among news librarians, she was instrumental in everything from research for Woodward and Bernstein during Watergate to embracing (and leading other researchers to adopt) the use of blogs, wikis and other new technologies in newsrooms. She worked at the Washington Post and Miami Herald before retiring to the mountains of North Carolina where she continued to learn and spread her knowledge (and some beautiful photographs of the area).

Liz and Margot Williams were the first to welcome me to the News Division and to encourage me to participate in conferences, the mailing list and other activities. Liz encouraged me to write about the technological challenges and opportunities faced by newsrooms, and was generous to a fault with her colleagues seeking help. She was a constant innovator, a skilled researcher and a wonderful person. Among the people in journalism, it is rare to find someone about whom no one has a bad thing to say. Liz was one of those people. I’ll miss her friendship, advice and leadership.