The Village of Lincolnshire named longtime Vernon Area Public Library Trustee George I. Goldstein their 2026 Citizen of the Year.

Each year, the village bestows this distinction on an outstanding individual who has volunteered their time and effort over many years, without pay, to significantly benefit the Village of Lincolnshire and its residents.

Goldstein, a Lincolnshire resident since 1978, has served on the Vernon Area Public Library Board of Trustees since 1989. His 37 years of unpaid, elected service make him the longest-serving trustee in the library’s history.
 
Early in his tenure, Goldstein served as Chair of the original Building Committee directing the construction of the current library building, which opened in 1993. In more recent years, he helped guide a 2013 interior refresh, supported the addition of a drive-up window and Library Learning Garden in 2021, and currently provides vital institutional guidance as the board considers a proposed renovation and expansion project. Over the course of his decades of service, Goldstein has filled multiple leadership roles, including 10 years as Board President.

Beyond brick-and-mortar achievements, Goldstein spearheaded the creation of the Foundation for the Vernon Area Public Library District in 2007, serving as its founder, director, and inaugural donor. The Foundation provides private funding to enhance patron services — such as the annual summer reading program and the MOSAIC cultural arts series — without increasing taxes for property owners.

"George is the library’s ‘champion in chief’ and a lifelong advocate for the Lincolnshire community," said Library Director Anne Rasmussen, who nominated Goldstein for the award. "His enduring service has given Lincolnshire a world-class resource to be proud of. Every public library should be so lucky as to have an elected official like George."

Goldstein’s dedication to public service extends beyond the library doors. As a prominent member of the regional medical community, he served on the Lake County Medical Society Board from 1980 to 2000, leading the organization as President from 1989 to 1990. He also contributed 20 years of service as a Lake County delegate to the Illinois State Medical Society.

Goldstein will be officially honored by the Village of Lincolnshire for his contributions during a special presentation at North Park on Friday, July 3, beginning at 3:15 p.m.

Goldstein will also ride in Lincolnshire’s “Red, White, and Boom” Independence Day parade on Saturday, July 4, and his name will be permanently engraved on the Citizen of the Year plaque displayed inside Lincolnshire Village Hall.

The library will receive $75,150.20 from the most recent round of funding of the annual Illinois Public Library Per Capita Grant program. 

The library will use the funds primarily to offset increasing costs of e-books and other digital resources. 

E-books can cost libraries up to six times more than they cost individual consumers, and library e-book licenses often expire after a set period of time or number of checkouts. This $75,000 grant helps insulate Vernon Area Public Library District residents from that financial burden.

Neighbors in Buffalo Grove no longer have to worry about which side of the street they live on when it comes to checking out library books. 

Effective immediately, residents can visit either library to verify their residency and walk away with a fully active library card, regardless of which service area their home falls within, thanks to a new intergovernmental agreement.

Unlike many municipal services, the borders of the library districts in Buffalo Grove cut through neighborhoods and individual streets. Historically, this meant a resident might visit the Vernon Area Library, only to find they "belonged" to Indian Trails. Under the old rules, staff had to send the patron to the other district’s physical building just to register.

"It was a lot of running around," noted Vernon Area Public Library Director Anne Rasmussen. "We wanted to replace a frustrating administrative hurdle with an experience that is easy and simple. This partnership puts patron needs ahead of zip code maps."

As a result of a new administrative partnership, both libraries can now verify residency and issue cards for the neighboring district on the spot, providing a "one-stop" registration experience, relieving residents of the burden of knowing district boundaries.

"It’s a friendly administrative solution to a long-standing local quirk," added Indian Trails Executive Director Brian D. Shepard. "We want our residents to spend their time reading and learning, not navigating district maps."

This seamless service is made possible by both libraries’ participation in the Cooperative Computer Services (CCS) consortium. Both VAPLD and ITPLD share the same database, catalog, and registration procedures.