Schaumburg library trustee reflects on 44 years in the books

Debby Miller, who's played an integral role in the evolution and growth of the Schaumburg Township District Library since 1971, will be stepping down from the board of trustees next month with many happy memories and no regrets.

“I'm really ready,” the 76-year-old Miller said of her imminent retirement from her longtime position. “It's been on my mind a long time. I've been on the board more than half my life. Not half my adult life, half my whole life. It's been a blessing.”

Newly elected board members will be sworn in May 18, but Miller considers tonight's meeting, at the Hoffman Estates branch, to be her last as a decision-making trustee.

Though she sampled life off the board for two years a decade ago after being removed from the election ballot for a nominating paperwork error, her involvement has been constant in some fashion since she first moved to Hoffman Estates and wanted to learn more about how the local library worked. She was somewhat surprised to be asked to join the board after becoming familiar with the issues being discussed at its meetings.

Libraries have changed a great deal since the early 1970s, and Miller has had a clear view of the gradual impacts of new technology.

“The biggest change is going to the electronic delivery of materials,” Miller said.

But that being said, few libraries have changed as much in the expansion of their services as the Schaumburg Township District Library during the past 40 years.

Miller attributes much of this to the two library directors she's worked with — Mike Madden, whom her boards inherited, and current director Stephanie Sarnoff, whom she and her colleagues hired in 2008.

Bob Lyons, who left the board two years ago after serving since 1969, said there are elements of the library's quality he would attribute directly to Miller.

“She played the most active role on the national level of any board member,” Lyons said, referring to Miller's membership with the American Library Association and other organizations. “You learn a lot about what's going on elsewhere. I think it contributed significantly. And Debby was always a champion of freedom of information.”

Most visitors to the Schaumburg library are familiar with the statue of the man reading a book on a bench near the main entrance. While some state funds helped pay for that statue, Lyons said almost every other piece of art in the building was paid for by the book sales organized by Miller and her husband, Bob.

Miller acknowledged that her proudest contribution to the library is its artwork, which she considers to be an important means of human communication.

Though Miller is strongly Democrat and Lyons is a Republican, they agree that the library board was a place where people of all political persuasions could come together with the quality of the library as their main concern. Both agreed it was unfortunate that local Republican organizations began playing a larger role in the most recent campaign.

Miller said partisanship has no bearing on what makes a good trustee.

“Just have a deep abiding love for the library and the people who use it,” she said. “That's all you need.”