Itasca library honors longtime board president

It shouldn't be any surprise Maxine Swanson ended up where she's been for almost 40 years.

The bookworm keeps a ledger of every book she reads, and her final 2009 list stands at roughly 100.

"The first thing that comes to mind of why I've been doing this so long is books: I love to read," she said.

For 38 years, Swanson has been a part of the Itasca Community Library board of trustees. Four years after joining she was elected president and still holds the post.

Last year, the library staff honored Swanson by dedicating the library building to her. State Rep. Dennis Reboletti even came to Itasca to present a resolution honoring her.

The decision to celebrate Swanson was easy, library Director Betsy Adamowski said.

"She deserved it," she said. "It was only fitting."

Under Swanson's leadership, the library has seen three building projects: a move to a new building; an addition; and a renovation.

The most recent work completed last year included removing mold from walls, rebuilding the exterior walls, roof repairs, new HVAC equipment, sidewalk replacement and construction of a patio on the east side of the library.

Swanson said she's proud of the progress since 1971, including the move to the current building in the mid-1980s.

"When we built the library we're in now, the board had the foresight to add a mezzanine upstairs," she said.

"We figured Itasca is landlocked and has room for a population of about 12,000, while right now we have just about 8,000. So we still have room for more books or CDs. We thought of the future when we built it, so we wouldn't have to move to a bigger space."

Adamowski said Swanson also deserves credit for helping usher the Itasca Community Library beyond books and into the digital age of computers, CDs, DVDs and more.

"Maxine's loyal dedication has pushed the library to always be on top of society's changing trends," she said.

But, at the end of the day, Swanson still prefers a good book for herself. Though she insists she doesn't have a favorite, she does proclaim herself a "mystery junkie."

"I'm always trying to find new authors and, once I find one I like, I start reading all the books they've written, starting from the first one published," she said.