Schaumburg Township District Library serves around 130,000 residents in Schaumburg Township, including portions of Elk Grove Village, Hanover Park, Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg and Streamwood. Each year, more than 1 million visitors come through the doors of our three branches.

Vision Statement

Inspiring a lifetime of learning, personal growth, and community engagement.

Mission Statement

We spark curiosity and enrich our community by connecting services, resources, and people.

Values Statements

Service

We are passionate about service and treat all people with courtesy and respect by:

  • Providing timely and accurate information
  • Being responsive to user needs
  • Maintaining safe, comfortable and appealing state-of-the-art facilities
  • Being accessible to all and easy to use
  • Maintaining a convenient, 24-hour Virtual Library Branch of information, collections and services

Trust

We provide high-quality resources, programs and services to meet the needs of our community through responsible financial stewardship.

Dedication

We are committed to and connected to our community. We open doors to learning, fun, curiosity, culture, economic development and personal growth. We support the freedom to explore, hold and express ideas and information.

Leadership

We are a leader in our community and libraries nationwide. We promote innovation and creativity and foster strong community partnerships.

Harmful Content Statement

Language in our library catalog

Our collection, much like our community, is diverse and dynamic. Part of organizing materials in our collection includes the use of standardized metadata and descriptions in our catalog. At the Library, we are committed to creating inclusive descriptions that accurately describe our materials. However, we recognize that there may be language in our collection descriptions that are outdated, insensitive or inaccurate. Such descriptions do not reflect the Library’s viewpoint, but rather the social attitudes and circumstances of the period or place in which it was created. We are dedicated to finding ways to mitigate use of harmful language in descriptions in our catalog.

We acknowledge that we are often describing communities of which we are not a part. We recognize our responsibility to describe our collection respectfully and carefully. We also recognize that we may sometimes fail and are dedicated to a process of constant reflection and improvement.

How are materials described, and why are some of the descriptions harmful?

When processing our collections, staff make choices about what language to use when describing our materials. Some of these descriptions were written many years ago, using language that was acceptable at the time. Librarians often use a standard set of terms, such as the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH), to describe materials. Some of these standardized terms are outdated, offensive, or insensitive. Staff sometimes make mistakes or use poor judgement. We are committed to working to improve access and update descriptions that are harmful.

How are we working to address this problem and help users better understand this content?

  1. Working directly with misrepresented and underrepresented communities to improve the ways they are represented
  2. Informing users about the presence and origin of harmful content
  3. Proposing changes and additions to standard vocabularies to promote more inclusive and accurate access to works
  4. Implementing vocabularies from alternative vocabulary and classification systems
  5. Including descriptive metadata in the original script for works in languages that do not use the Latin alphabet
  6. Favoring terms used by the communities and individuals being described in our collections
  7. Engaging in ongoing discussions dedicated to examining our legacy and historical cataloging practices

How can I report harmful content?

Maintaining updated and accurate description of materials is an ongoing process and we may not always make the right decisions. We encourage feedback from all members of our community, so that we can learn and adjust our practices. You can reach out to us here.

Strategic Plan

In 2021 and 2022, we began a strategic planning process that allowed us to gather feedback from our staff, Trustees and community. Over about nine months, we gathered information and listened to our community in order to form a strategic plan for our Library. We took the time to learn, dream and plan for the future of our Library, finding the best ways we can grow and adapt to meet the ever-changing needs of our community. The result is our 2022-2024 Strategic Plan that will help guide the priorities and activities of our Library over the next three years.

You can read the complete Strategic Plan and Learning Report or view the one-page summary.

Organization Chart

View the Library's organizational structure and departments.

Library History

1960 Fox River Valley Regional Library Association starts bookmobile service to Schaumburg Township.
1962 Voters approve the formation of a tax-supported Schaumburg Township Public Library.
1963 The Library opens in a house near the corner of Roselle and Schaumburg roads.
1963 Colleen Amundsen is named the first library director.
1965 A new Library building is constructed and opened.
1967 Michael Madden is named library director.
1968 The lower level of the Library is finished and the Children's Department opens.
1970 A referendum for a new, larger Library passes.
1987 An addition to the Central Library building is completed.
1992 The Hoffman Estates Branch Library moves into a new facility in the Hoffman Estates Village Hall.
1993 The Hanover Park Branch Library opens.
1995 A referendum approving the new Central Library passes.
1997 Ground breaks for a new Central Library building in Town Square.
1998 The new 166,500 square foot Central Library opens.
2002 The new 9,700 square foot Hoffman Estates Branch Library is rebuilt at 1550 Hassell Road.
2006 The new 9,000 square foot Hanover Park Branch Library opens on Aug. 24.
2009 Stephanie Sarnoff is named executive director.
2012 The Library celebrates 50 years of service to the community.
2012 The Teen Place opens in November.
2016 On Dec. 28, the Library opens "The Commons," remodeled from the lobby and audiovisual department.
2017 Monica Harris is named executive director.
2019 Annie Miskewitch is named executive director.
2020 The Library goes fine free in April. In September, First floor renovations are completed.

Transparency in Coverage

In accordance with the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury's Transparency in Coverage Final Rule, you can find the negotiated rates between the plan/issuer and in-network providers and the out-of-network allowed amounts for the Library's health insurance plans here, in the form of machine-readable files.