W. Gene Looft: Candidate Profile

Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioKey IssuesQA Bio City: Buffalo GroveWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Indian Trails libraryAge: 72Family: widowed , 3 adult children , 7 grandchildrenOccupation: Retired . Former business manager in aerospace industryEducation: Bachelor's degree in engineering , Purdue Univ. 1960Civic involvement: former Wheeling /Prospect Hts Chamber of Commerce board of DirectorsElected offices held: Board of Education , Lisle Dist #203 from 1974 - 1981 , Chrm ISO Committeee on Aerospace bearing standards from 1978 to 2004Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Optimizing customer service program offerings , within the budget realities of today's economyKey Issue 2 Making sure that Indian Trails Library has the facilities and systems to meet the community's needs - today and in the futureKey Issue 3 Candidate did not respond.Questions Answers Why are you running for this office, whether for re-election or election the first time? Is there a particular issue that motivates you, and if so, what is it?While Indian Trails is a very good library , there are several areas that need attention , like meeting space . I'm hoping our team can address that need in the near future.If you are an incumbent, describe your main contributions. Tell us of important initiatives you've led. If you are a non-incumbent, tell us what contributions you would make.The 'management team' , consisting of the board of trustees in concert with the senior staff , have operated the ' library business ' in a professional manner , including a balanced budget .Do you have a library card? How long have you had it? How often do you use it?Yes - at Indian Trails for 6 or 8 years - but my use is sporadic , depending on time , travel , etcSpace is usually an issue at libraries. If that's the case at your library, would your solution be to expand the physical plant or make room by doing away with parts of the collection that technology has made less critical? Explain.At ITPL , we 'weed' our collections on a regular basis - thus the available shelf space is used to best advantage . However , the currect shift to electronic format is - and will continue to have - a dramatic impact on how to best use the physical space within any library building . Our challenge is to monitor those changes and make sure our facilities , equipment and systems optimize related service and value to patrons and taxpayers .What impact have economic and technological changes had on libraries? How does a library remain relevant? How should its role in the community change?See comments above on electronic book formats , which along with on line access , continue to change the mode of operation of libraries . While information is available in a variety of forms , the ' meeting place ' role of libraries is one I believe will actually grow in the future .