Schaumburg Twp. Library board may add student spot

Schaumburg Township District Library trustees are exploring an idea to add one or two more people to their ranks to bring in the perspective of a new generation.

Trustee Adam Sesso has proposed having a student trustee of high-school age join the board in an advisory capacity.

The board voted unanimously to draw up specifics on the position and look for examples of other library boards doing this successfully.

Sesso said he was inspired by the way he saw the Harper College board in Palatine use a student trustee.

"It makes it a more diverse board that's representative of the community, and I think the student trustee will come away with a lot," Sesso said.

Though details are still being worked out, he imagines a minimum age of 16 and a likely term length of 1 year.

The student trustee wouldn't be allowed to vote on major issues but could voice opinions, share perspectives and even introduce new ideas.

"We just want whoever it is to feel comfortable and able to contribute," board President Anita Forte-Scott said.

She added that if two student trustees were used, it would probably be based on the idea of having each serve two years -- as both a junior and senior -- and overlap with one another.

Student trustees would be expected to live in the district, be upperclassmen, have good academic records and submit three professional letters of recommendation.

The teen could be a student at any high school in the district, a private school outside the district or even home-schooled.

Vice President Robert Lyons, a board member since 1969, said trustees seem enthusiastic about the idea.

While it could be made a board decision to appoint the student trustee, Lyons said the board might prefer to leave that to a vote of the library's teen advisory board.

Many details about the position are expected to be worked out by the board's April meeting, with the aim of having the position advertised for and filled by July 1.