Wayne Kankovsky: 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: LombardWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Lombard Library Board (4-year Terms)Age: 61Family: Married for 35 years with one adult daughter.Occupation: Building consultant employed by US inspect, LLC.Education: Bachelor of arts in chemical physics from North Central College.Civic involvement: Trustee of the Helen M Plum Memorial Library District from 1997 to present; Board President from 2005 - 2007 and from 2007 2009; Treasurer from 2012 to present. Lifetime member of Friends of the Library. Board member and co-chairman of the economic restructuring committee of Lombard Town Centre, 2008 to present. Coordinator of Lombard Town Centre downtown Wi-Fi project. Treasurer of the Kiwanis club of Lombard, 2007 to present. Various past leadership positions with the Lombard YMCA Indian Guides Programs. Past co-chairman of tools committee for the TogetherWood Park project. Previously active in School District 44 music parents organization and School District 87 music boosters. Active member of the Lewis University Community Jazz Ensemble and the Freenotes, Inc. big band. Previous member of the Addison Community Band. Previous member of the Wheaton Symphony Chorus and the West Suburban Choral Union.Elected offices held: Trustee of the Helen M Plum Memorial Library District from 1997 to present; Board President from 2005 - 2007 and from 2007 2009; Treasurer from 2012 to present.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Develop a secure budgeting plan for the funding of major repairs and replacements of our aging facility. We must consistently set aside funds each year in anticipation of major inevitable expenses that are outside of our typical annual budget.Key Issue 2 Increase the visibility of library services to our local business community. The expertise of our librarians as a local business resource is one of the best kept secrets in Lombard.Key Issue 3 Increase the interaction and cooperation between the library and other local governing bodies and civic groups. The sharing of expertise and coordination of services leads to a better community.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?Three things: To secure the Helen Plum library's financial and physical viability for the long-term. To promote the library's many services to our community. To play a small part in supporting an institution whose legacy stretches back millennia to the great library at Alexandria.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.In cooperation with Mr. Bob Harris, our library director, I developed, and promoted the use of, a budgeting strategy to provide secure funding for the future repair and replacement of major mechanical components and structural systems.Do you have a library card? How long have you had it? How often do you use it?I have a library card, which I got when we first moved into Lombard in 1983. On average, I use it at least once a week.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.The Helen Plum Library is roughly about half the size of other libraries in comparable communities in the Chicagoland area. Even so, it has significantly more circulating materials on a per capita basis. While providing more space for patron use has been a hope for some time - given the foreseeable financial forecasts, significant increases to the library's size are unlikely. The library board and staff remain committed to making the best use possible of our existing space. To that end we have just completed a major interior renovation. Among other things, we were able to consolidate our periodicals collection into a new, quiet reading room on the second floor of the library. Unfortunately, this reallocation of space required the elimination of a multipurpose room used for library programs and civic organizations? meetings. In addition, library staff continuously reviews our collection. As a result, some of our non-circulating reference materials are periodically replaced with corresponding subscription online services.What impact have economic and technological changes had on libraries? How does a library remain relevant? How should its role in the community change?Technological changes have vastly extended the reach of librarians providing informational services to our patrons. The explosion of information sources (both good and bad) have made the expertise of library professionals ever more essential. They are the experienced, credentialed guides to separating the accurate, relevant and truthful from the informational chaff and outright falsehoods. As the voice of the community, it is the library board's responsibility to set policies that will guide the library's future and maintain its relevancy to a changing community. With Trustees? dedicated, conscientious leadership and guidance, libraries will maintain their position as vital centers of the community. As columnist Caitlin Moran has observed:A library in the middle of a community is a cross between an emergency exit, a life raft and a festival. They are cathedrals of the mind; hospitals of the soul; theme parks of the imagination.? I don't see these functions becoming outdated.