Upon his arrival at the Washington State Library, Sean Lanksbury became a member of the Washington State Heritage Center planning and design team, the Washington State Connecting to Collections project, and acted as historian and presenter on two genealogical educational programs in the state of Washington: The Ruddle Riddle, held at the State Capitol in 2010, and The Road to Spokane, held at Gonzaga University in 2011.  In his spare time he is also the compiler of the Pacific Northwest Quarterly bibliography “News Notes”. 

 “Sean has enriched our Special Collections program – he is the consummate professional, knowledgeable, meticulous and passionate about his work,” says his supervisor, Marlys Rudeen. 

Sean is also well-known in the regional historians’ community as someone who provides able and generous assistance in research projects of all kinds. 

Trova Heffernan from Secretary of State’s Legacy Project says, “Sean is a terrific employee, a hard worker and someone who goes out of this way to help all.  The Legacy Project and the Heritage Center regularly benefit from Sean’s wealth of knowledge and from his positive attitude.  He is a go-to guy who has been a tremendous asset in the development of our books and exhibits.”

A graduate of The Evergreen State College, Sean Lanksbury holds a Masters in Library and Information Science from the University of Washington Information School. He has worked in some fascinating institutions, including half decade of service as Interactive Development Technician at the Experience Music Project, various public library systems of the Puget Sound Region, and the Alaska State Library (ASL) as Assistant Curator of Historical Collections.

At ASL, Sean helped to design and implement the Alaska Archives Rescue Corps as part of the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ Connecting to Collections grants program in 2008-2009.  Sean was also a member of the initial planning group for the State Library Archives and Museum Project (SLAM), which began in 2007 and is currently in the preconstruction phase. 

Steve Willis, Manager of the Central Library notes, “Sean strikes the perfect balance between being a guardian of the collection in terms of preservation and security on the one hand while promoting and providing more access to the amazing resources in this library on the other.  I also appreciate not only his vast cranial catalog of Pacific Northwest historical facts, but also his appreciation and anticipation for the diverse schools of historiography while he is selecting materials.”

Sean Lanksbury, a valuable resource, a great friend.

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