By Lee Burnett
The woman hired to manage Goodall Memorial Library in the absence of a credentialed director has submitted her resignation.
Acting Director and General Manager Julie Norsworthy said Wednesday that she is leaving with notice to take a position working more directly with children. She is a former teacher at the Sanford YMCA who has served as manager since the departure of director Ann Thomas in October 2024.
“I have decided to pursue my heart and passion, which is to continue working with children,” Norsworthy said on Wednesday. “It’s been a wonderful experience. I will always support the library.”
She declined to elaborate on the new position, except to say “I couldn’t pass this up. It’s now or never.” She referred other questions to the board.
Norsworthy has served during an especially tumultuous time. The library lost three staffers in one week during late April 2025. Norsworthy fired one and in response, another quit and a third retired early. In addition, library financial management has been sharply questioned by the Sanford City Council, which provides substantial funding. Under a memorandum of understanding approved June 2025, City Councilors Ayn Hanselmann and Nathan Hitchcock were appointed to the board, and the library agreed to submit an annual audit. Results of the audit are still pending.
In the midst of these challenges, the library is struggling to hire a director with a degree in library science. The position is being advertised for the third time since the departure of Thomas. In April 2025, the board disbanded a search committee that had interviewed several candidates and took over hiring itself. A director’s position was readvertised, and three candidates were interviewed without any of them being hired, according to November board minutes. The position is again being advertised on the Maine State Library website with applications due March 6. Some have questioned the adequacy of the advertised salary of $75,000, which is substantially less than the comparable salaries for credentialed librarians.
The Sanford Springvale News sought an update from the library in early January and submitted a list of questions about staffing, fundraising, audits, and other matters. Last Friday, board member Hanselmann replied to an email writer Lawrence Furbish with a statement that read: “The Sanford Library Association is continuing to diligently work toward finding a long-term person to fill our director position. … The Board is all working well together toward a bright future for the Goodall Library.”
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