Kristy Norris: 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:BioQA Bio City: WOOD DALEWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Wood Dale Library Board (4-year Terms)Age: 45Family: I have been married to John K. Norris for 20 years. We have two sons, Sean 14 and Colin 11. They both currently attend the Wood Dale Junior High School. We have lived in Wood Dale around 18 years.Occupation: I am currently a stay at home mom and active volunteer.Education: I have a Bachelor of Science Degree in Sociology, from the University of Central Arkansas, 1990.Civic involvement: I am the past President of the Wood Dale District 7 PTO boards for Oakbrook and Westview Schools. I served 3 years in total. Currently I am a volunteer for the PTO serving on several committees.Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoQuestions 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 am running for re-election because I feel that the Library is the center of the community. Families can meet there for story times and other activities. I see a real value in the Library and like to be able to contribute my time to this purpose.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 special contributions you could make.Candidate did not respond.Do you have a library card? How long have you had it? How often do you use it?Yes, I have a Library card. I have had one for about 15 years. I use it once a month. But I mainly enjoy the Library environment so visiting the library and attending the events offered at the library is how I utilize the library. I don't often check books out for my use at home.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.At the Wood Dale Library our Director is an amazing planner and user of space. The team is forever weeding our shelves to be sure we have enough space for everything we need as well as updating our current collections.What impact have economic and technological changes had on libraries? How does a library remain relevant? How should its role in the community change?I believe that technology has incresed the value of the library. Our library offers Music downloads, E-readers, computer time as well as classes on computer usage for our patrons. With the economy in the state it has been, I feel that the Library is needed more now than ever. We offer free computer use and events like resume writing classes to help our patrons advance their careers.