Susan Moylan: 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: ElginWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Gail Borden Library Board (4-year Terms)Age: 71Family: Bill and I have been married for 47 years. We have four daughters--Elizabeth, Catherine, Rosemary, and Martha--- and eleven grands---six boys and five girls.Occupation: Was Director of the Business and Industry Training Center at Elgin Community College until I retired in 2004.Education: BS in History from Loyola Univeristy in 1964 MsEd in Adult and Continuing Education from NIU in 1999Civic involvement: Rotary Club of Elgin---President in 2001 PADS--Board of Directors Elgin History Museum--docent Gail Borden Library FoundationElected offices held: 1985 -1993 Elgin City Council 2009- prersent Gail Borden Public Library Board of DirectorsHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Maintain and expand the services of Gail Borden Library to continue to meet the needs of the citizens of the District.Key Issue 2 As Treasurer of the Board,continue to keep a close eye on finances, and the future financial needs of the district.Key Issue 3 Continue to update technology to serve the public needs.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?Gail Borden Public Libaray is a center for the community of Elgin. The four years I have served have been times of great growth and expansion. I am running to continue this positive trend of service and responsiveness.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.For the past two years,as board treasurer, I have scrutinized the expenses of the Library on a monthly basis. I was liason for the Library with the Lincoln Train exhibition and dinner. With staff, I initiated the Armchair Generals--a monthly discussion of the Civil War.Do you have a library card? How long have you had it? How often do you use it?Yes I do. It was the first thing I did in 1977 when we moved to Elgin. Frequently. I just finished reading a book that I loaded to my new IPad.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.Both the Main Library and the Rakow Branch were constructed to be flexible in the use of space. Technology has allowed the reallocation of space at the main library to serve new purposes.What impact have economic and technological changes had on libraries? How does a library remain relevant? How should its role in the community change?The recent economic challenges many of our patrons have experienced, have led us to offer a variety of new services to assist in upgrading skills, and in job seeking. Our computer labs have accomodated many new classes. Serving as a community center for information and enjoyment becomes even more critical when economic challenges are present. By hiring staff, offering book and media, as well as programming in various languages the Library reaches out to all segments of the community.