James S. Outland: 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: Carol StreamWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Carol Stream libraryAge: 70Family: Married, two children, two grandchildrenOccupation: Chemical EmgineerEducation: Bachelor of Science in Chemical EngineeringThe Ohio State University, 1963Master of Science in Chemical EngineeringTexas A. M. University, 1967Civic involvement: NoneElected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 To raise the level of and continue to broaden the scope of services to the community, especially for school-age children and senior citizens, in this challenging economic climate.Key Issue 2 Develop new revenue streams that do not depend upon taxation.Key Issue 3 Raise the level of community awareness of services available through the library.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?I want to see the library continue to fulfill a vital need within the community, especially with regard to the use of computers and other electronic media.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.I am currrently on the Board as I was appointed to fill a vacant position. I feel the library mets a essential need within the community. Therefore, it needs to continue to have a physical presence in the Carol Stream community.Do you have a library card? How long have you had it? How often do you use it?Yes, I have a card from the Carol Stream Library. I have had it for over 4 years. I got it the first week we lived in Carol Stream. Previously, I had a card from the Park Forest Library for 18 years.I have something checked out of the library almost continuously.Space 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.One of the important functions of the library personnel is to keep the collection relevant, which means there must be a continual ""culling out"" of materials that have outlived their usefullness. Libraries must make use of electronic storage for less used materials and consider the possibility of parterning with other libraries to reduce the amount of ""shelf-space"" required in any one library.What impact have economic and technological changes had on libraries? How does a library remain relevant? How should its role in the community change?Libraries used to be a repository for ""the written word"". Now, in the so-called ""information age"", the library needs to be a place where all forms of information are available and can be readily disseminated to the users. A library remains relevant by how well its serves the communty in the dissemination of this information, including assisting patrons to find what they want and/or need.