DONNA SCHEEDER

1947 - 2022

SCHEEDER Donna Scheeder A longtime professional librarian at the Library of Congress and community activist on Capitol Hill died peacefully at her home on Monday, March 7,2022 at the age of 74, surrounded by loved ones. Donna Wills Scheeder was born November 8, 1947 in Buffalo, New York, the only child of Detta Gorman Wills and Joseph Morris Wills. She attended Mount St. Joseph Academy in Buffalo and later attended and graduated from the Georgetown School of Foreign Service in 1969. Donna had a successful career at the Library of Congress and played an outsized and active role in her Capitol Hill community as well as the international library community. On Capitol Hill, she launched her political career in the 1970s with a surprise win as precinct captain on her first attempt. She is perhaps best known for her role as chair of the Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee (EMCAC), where she shepherded a $22 million rebuild of the historic structure after it was gutted by fire in 2007. She was a founding board member and foundation president of the Hill Center and active in numerous community projects. Donna was president (2015-2017) of the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) serving on the governing board and visiting scores of countries to promote libraries. She was a member and past president of the Special Libraries Association (SLA). At the Library of Congress, Donna began her career as a research assistant in the 1970s and rose through the ranks, retiring in 2015 as Deputy Chief Information Officer of the Congressional Research Service. She was an early advocate for integrating computers into libraries and introduced a number of new services during her career, including the Electronic Briefing Book for members of Congress. Donna loved her Capitol Hill home and her beach house on Fenwick Island, DE. To close friends, she was a tremendous hostess and chef, and an avid baseball (Go Nats!) fan. She loved a Friday night game of Tonk at the American Legion Post on Capitol Hill. She is survived by her partner of many years, Peter Waldron of Washington, DC and her cousin Lauretta Ashbrook of Springfield, PA. A memorial service will take place at Hill Center at a date to be determined. In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to: Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital, 921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, Washington, DC 20003.