Through the upheaval and degradation of the ImagineIF library system over these last few years, we have lost quite a few leaders within the library. Despite this, one servant of the people and the library stood by his post and remained a consummate professional to the end. Sean Anderson was not the librarian we deserved; he was better than what we deserved, and we were lucky to have him as long as we did.
Of course, library trustees are not professional librarians, and cannot be expected to know the ins and outs of the job when they begin their terms of service. For this they rely on the expertise of those who do have the training and experience of a professional. Sean was this professional; he spoke calmly and candidly when trustees had questions, even more so when they had misguided notions of how the library worked or ought to work.
Imagine trying to maintain civil and professional discourse with the very people who have shown time and again their intent to alter and degrade the institution you have helped build into a library worthy of praise. Even as they continued on their misguided errands steadily eroding the quality and leadership of our libraries, Sean still worked to correct their ignorance and mitigate the damages. For this he was asked not to return to their meetings.
Much easier it is to plow forward in ignorance when you don’t have anyone knowledgeable in the facts to dispute you. Even as I attended library board meetings and left feeling sick as I saw the trustees in action, I always felt better knowing that Sean was there day in and day out, standing up for what a library is and ought to be. We thank you for your service and wish you well.
Jared Sibbitt
Bigfork