November 1, 2000
Quarter century by the book
Library honors Mike McGuire's years of service
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Mike McGuire pitches in wherever needed.
As director of the Traverse Area District Library for the past 22 years, laundry was just one of the many tasks that became a part of his daily managerial life. Before the move to the new library almost two years ago, McGuire regularly took home and washed all the library's cleaning cloths.
McGuire has since hung up his laundry basket as the new facility includes a washer and dryer. But to this day, he does not mind doing even the most menial of chores for the library or staff, all in the name of a better library.
"You just do what needs to be done," said McGuire, who became director in 1978.
With a lot of good-natured ribbing and fond memories, community members plus library staff and volunteers came together Friday afternoon to celebrate McGuire's 25 years in Traverse City. They had a lot more than McGuire's good nature to celebrate.
In a region that has experienced explosive growth in the past two decades, the Traverse Area District Library has kept pace. When the former facility on Sixth Street began bursting at the seams in the mid-1990s, McGuire was integral in the planning and development of the new library, which opened in January of 1999.
Now the library is fulfilling his vision as a hub of the community. From community meetings to homework help to story time for toddlers, the Traverse Area District Library is a gathering place for people of all ages and needs.
"We had four events here last week that were taped," McGuire said. "This is a place where people gather."
Even in the Internet age, where billions of documents are available online with a mouse click, the Traverse Area District Library is thriving.
"People can use the Internet to get information from their homes," McGuire said. "But we help them find good information because there is a lot of bad stuff out there. Even with search engines, there is more than 500 billion pages of unindexed information."
Libraries worried more about dust than bytes when McGuire began his career in Benton Harbor in 1973. The Indiana native headed there after graduating from Indiana University with a master's degree in library science.
Since coming to Traverse City as a librarian in November 1975, McGuire has found his place. He settled in, raised a family and guided the library as it grew with the community.
Despite his longevity, Marie Kulibert of Traverse City remembered his earliest moments with the library in 1975. She met him on his first day on the job while she compiled reading lists for the Bicentennial celebrations planned for the next summer.
"I said to Mike, 'Isn't this great, working in such a beautiful area?" recalled Kulibert, who retired in 1990 but returned in 1997. "And Mike said, 'Well, I don't expect to be here long."
Perhaps 25 years does not meet McGuire's definition of long, but he's still here and going strong. A hands-on manager, patrons might have trouble finding him in his office because McGuire would rather be out on the floor, pitching in where needed.
"I'm typically on the floor here, doing a lot of meet and greet," McGuire said.
It is the people, not the books, that keep him enthused about his work.
"I love people and that is what libraries are all about," he said. "If you like to read, you don't want a job in a library - you won't have time to read."