TRAVERSE CITY -- Mike McGuire was 25 years old when he took a job as a librarian in Traverse City in 1975.
Nearly 34 years later, McGuire, 58, said he's retiring from the Traverse Area District Library at the end of September. His tenure included 30 years as library director.
"When the kids I hired had kids who are starting to have kids, you've been there long enough," he said. "I've seen a lot of changes and got done pretty much all I wanted to get done."
The 1999 opening of the main library building on Woodmere Avenue stands among the most notable accomplishments under McGuire's leadership. He also helped transition the library from a city department to a district library system in 1982.
The district includes branches in East Bay Township and Kingsley, and member libraries in Peninsula Township, Fife Lake and Interlochen.
McGuire is "leaving some pretty big shoes to fill," said Bob Thompson, library board president.
"You can sure look back over the decades he's been involved in the library and see the significant changes he's made and the huge improvement in library services the county has received," Thompson said. "The most obvious thing is the Woodmere main library facility. He was very instrumental in bringing that about."
McGuire received a bachelor's degree in political science from Indiana University, where he worked for the school library.
"There's really not much you can do with a bachelor's in political science," he said. "I said, 'well, I might as well go to library school, because I like people.'"
He earned a master's degree in library science at Indiana. In 1974, he went to work for the Benton Harbor library system, but federal funding cuts cost him that post.
McGuire started as a librarian in Traverse City in October 1975 and worked his way up to become the director in 1979.
He seldom took a day off work, said office manager Dawn Buchanan.
"He's not one of these directors that sits up in his office and never talks to anybody," she said. "He's involved with everything and it'll be very strange not to have him out around, working at the desk greeting people."
McGuire said he'll miss his co-workers and library patrons, but won't miss having to get up every morning for work.
"I would like to do some traveling," he said. "I have a flower garden I have not paid enough attention to in the last 15 years. I'm sure there are a few things I can find to do around the house."
New director search
The library board met on Tuesday and discussed options for finding a new director. Board members formed a committee to look into consultants or other outside help in seeking applicants. The board currently does not appear interested in hiring an interim director.
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