Fellow: Daniel Noonan

Daniel Noonan, digital preservation librarian at The Ohio State University, will be inducted as a Fellow of the Society of American Archivists (SAA) on July 30 during an awards ceremony at the Annual Meeting of SAA in New Orleans, LA. The distinction of Fellow is the highest honor bestowed on individuals by SAA and is awarded for outstanding contributions to the archives profession.

Noonan’s twenty-five-year career trajectory has positioned him at the intersection of archival theory and technological change. He began as the digital documents librarian for the New Jersey Institute of Technology before joining state government at New Jersey’s Division of Archives and Records Management, where he developed the Public Records Image Processing Certification Program, and finally moved to Ohio State University in 2006, progressing from electronic records manager/archivist to associate professor and digital preservation librarian. His continual professional advancement reflects growing expertise and broad influence. 

Noonan has made important and lasting contributions in digital preservation, where his work has contributed to moving the field from an emerging practice toward shared, enduring approaches. An influential example is his 2014 EDUCAUSE Review article, “Digital Preservation Policy Framework: A Case Study.” In support of Noonan’s nomination, one supporter states, “At a time when many institutions were still struggling to define digital preservation as more than a technical concern, Noonan articulated a clear, organizationally grounded model for embedding it as a core library responsibility. By framing digital preservation as a coordinated set of policies, principles, standards, and institutional commitments rather than a single policy document, he offered a practical, adaptable approach that has informed the work of many research libraries beyond Ohio State. The article thoughtfully builds on prior foundational work in the field while making an original and widely applicable contribution.”

Noonan's projects and publications tackle challenging issues within the profession. His American Archivist article “Data Curation and the University Archives” (2014, co-authored with Tamar Chute) presciently recognized university archives’ evolving role in research data management, while his “Does Size Matter in the Digital Age? Reappraisal Considerations for Syllabi” demonstrated intellectual courage in questioning commonly accepted practice. A longtime colleague notes that “His work on defining and disambiguating our use of the terms analog, digital, and electronic got our community thinking and learning as good practice evolved, a very important and often overlooked aspect of community-focused contributions.” These examples highlight Noonan’s uncanny abilities “to observe, analyze, and explain developments in core parts of archival practice as a basis for identifying recommendations and next steps.”

Recently, Noonan has been applying process improvement methodologies to digital preservation workflows. His work visualizing workflows using mapping and project management tools provides archivists with instruments rarely seen in archival literature. His 2024 poster “Embracing the Gray of Digital Preservation” for the International Conference on Digital Preservation (iPRES) acknowledges the confusion of implementation and helps practitioners feel less alone in facing complex operations.

Noonan has served SAA in the Electronic Records Section, on the Program Committee, and on the Committee on Public Policy. He was elected to the Nominating Committee and recently joined the Digital Archives Specialist Subcommittee. He is a Digital Archives Specialist instructor, teaching “Arrangement and Description of Digital Records” and “Preserving Digital Archives.” Outside of SAA, Noonan served on the Ohio Electronic Records Committee and was chair of the Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board. He is active in the Digital Library Federation, iPRES, and the National Digital Stewardship Alliance.

As a supporter put it, “In my mind, Dan is the quintessential archivist, a person who helps people find information, makes connections, and reveals...a person’s interest or [makes] an organization’s interest more knowable.” Another wrote that he “is deeply respected by peers not only for his expertise, but also for his integrity, generosity, and commitment to the public good.”

Noonan is one of six new Fellows named in 2026. There are currently 212 Fellows of the Society of American Archivists.