Schaumburg library director retiring after 41 years

To hear Mike Madden tell it, he's had a lot of jobs, beginning with selling flowers on Maxwell Street in Chicago. He also sold shoes and toys, worked as a waiter and a disability claims adjuster. All these jobs and more before he discovered the library.

Mike Madden was a teacher in Chicago when he took a library course in order to get his teaching certification. The teacher encouraged him to consider a library career and to enroll in the Library School at the University of Chicago. He did enroll and also accepted a position in a suburban high school library. After two years, he left to work at the American Library Association's headquarters in Chicago.

In l967, Madden went for a job interview in "rural" Schaumburg Township, home to approximately 10,000 people. The trustees of the Schaumburg Township Public Library were looking for their second director. In those days, Schaumburg was so rural, Madden took a wrong turn on the way home from his evening interview and ended up in a farmer's back yard. But the job offer came and Madden accepted the challenge of keeping up with Schaumburg's amazing growth in both residential and commercial development.

Today, 41 years later, Schaumburg Township has a population of 134,000 and the library is considered one of the most innovative in the nation. Madden will be leaving the helm at the end of the year with many accomplishments to be proud of. The library is ranked among the top 10 libraries in its class according to Hennen's American Public Library Ratings.

Madden himself has been singled out on many occasions for his leadership and initiative. In l998, he was recognized as "Librarian of the Year" by the Illinois Library Association. In 2004, he received the Gale Group/BRASS Business Librarianship Award from the American Library Association. In 2006, he was awarded the North Suburban Library System's Lifetime Achievement Award. And this is only a sampling.

Characteristically, Madden is extremely modest about his achievements and can always be relied upon to give the credit to the library's trustees and staff. I have a story about that, too.

When I first came to North Suburban, almost 20 years ago, one of the people I most wanted to meet was the famous (in library circles) Mike Madden. So I met him and he was polite and congenial, but lightening did not flash nor was I stunned by his remarks to me. Later, I asked a mutual friend, "What's Mike's secret weapon? How can he accomplish so much when he is obviously such a nice, unassuming person?"

My friend explained, "Mike chooses good people and he works with them." Through the years I have observed the positive effect of recognizing talent and forging a team poised to take advantage of the next big thing. Schaumburg was one of the first libraries to embrace audiovisual materials. Later it led the way with public access computers and computer instruction. Madden's strong service mission inspires all who work with him. No wonder the Schaumburg Township District Library is a leader by every measure.

Come Friday, Dec. 30, Madden will leave his position as the library's full time executive director. He'll be back on a part-time basis until Feb. 2, when Stephanie Sarnoff will arrive. Sarnoff, currently the director of the Scarsdale (NY) Public Library, has been chosen by the Trustees as Madden's successor. 

And what will Madden do next? Listen to my podcast interview with this amazing man at www.librarybeat.org for all the details.