Lyons ends 44 years with Schaumburg Township Library

Schaumburg Township District Library Trustee Robert Lyons will end his 44-year tenure on the library board Monday, May 20 — one of the longest examples of continuous service by any elected official in the Northwest suburbs.

Lyons decided not to seek re-election last September, feeling the board he’d joined in the spring of 1969 was in good hands and the library in sound financial shape.

“Obviously, I do so with a great deal of pride,” Lyons said of his imminent departure. “I’ve gotten more from being on the board and part of the library than I could claim to have given to it.”

Thanks to longtime director Michael Madden and his talented successor Stephanie Sarnoff, Lyons said, the Schaumburg Township District Library has grown from being small and standard to one of the largest and most innovative in the state.

“To me, it’s incredible to see the kids in the new Teen Center using the technology,” the retired schoolteacher and coach added.

At peace with no longer being a decision-maker on the board, Lyons believes he and his colleagues set a standard their successors should be able to follow.

“There has been a culture on our board of keeping local politics out of library business,” Lyons said.