Sean Ferguson holds bachelor's and master's degrees in music history from The Ohio State University, and a Master of Library Science degree from Kent State University. He has been a presenter at conferences of the Music OCLC Users Group, Music Library Association and International Association of Music Libraries. As editor-in-chief of the Repertoire International d'Iconographie Musicale (RIdIM), he oversees the project's database of music-related visual artworks.

In Philadelphia, he studied classical guitar at the University of the Arts and was a winner of the WFLN Radio Instrumentalists Competition. He has performed on guitar and lute as a soloist, accompanist, chamber musician and opera orchestra member, including productions for Ohio State and Opera Columbus. He has worked at OCLC Online Computer Library Center and is currently president of the Columbus Guitar Society.