Jillian Rose Bernas: Candidate Profile

Back to Schaumburg Township Library Board

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: SchaumburgWebsite: www.votejillian.comOffice sought: >Schaumburg Township Library BoardAge: 32Family: Proud daughter of Robert and Patricia Bernas and sister of Rob BernasOccupation: International Relations ManagerEducation: B.A. Spanish/Secondary Education - Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, IN Master of Education/English as a New Language Certification- University of Notre Dame Master of Public Policy - University of Chicago/University of Chile Board Leadership Certification - University of ChicagoCivic involvement: Notre Dame Women Connect Steering Committee Member Catholic Charities Junior Board Member - After School Reading Program, Senior Bingo, Annual Fundraising Committee Chicago Council on Global Affairs - Young Professional AmbassadorElected offices held: 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?This is the first time that I am running for office. The number one thing that motivates me to run is the gratitude I feel towards the community of Schaumburg that has given me so much. I have been a beneficiary of the programs and resources at the Schaumburg Township Public Library my entire life. I am very much looking forward to maintaining a long tradition of excellent programming, while maximizing the impact of tax dollars and keeping the resources and the program offerings relevant to the current times and the needs of our community.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 physical center of our township is our library. As library board trustee, I will be committed to making it the heart of Schaumburg. Our library is more than just a place to check out books, it is a place for all to study, a place to develop computer and job skills, a place to become a U.S. citizen, a place to learn a new hobby, and so much more. I commit my bilingual abilities, my experiences building my own businesses and as an academic advisor, my international connections, my education in teaching, statistics and economics, and my love of people to serving Schaumburg. Our library offers a wide range of programs, encompassing the diversity of interests within our community. A common concern that I have heard is the limited availability of rooms given the competition for space. As a library board trustee, I will emphasis the use of metrics to determine the programs that serve the largest number of patrons. At the same time, I will look for innovative ways through new technologies to offer groups opportunities to meet when space is not available. The success of our library is due to the resources that the hard working families of the township contribute and to the dedicated staff invested in its success. As a library board trustee, I will pay special attention to maximizing the returns on investment of these resources and making sure staff can focus on providing the best services without being weighed down by bureaucracy.Do you have a library card? How long have you had it? How often do you use it?I was born, grew up, and currently reside in Schaumburg and have had a Schaumburg Township Public Library card for as long as I can remember. As an early reader, I would check bags of books, games, and puzzles out from the old library and later use its books for reports at Collins Elementary School. While a student at Frost Junior High School and Conant High School, I used the libraryâ#8364;#8482;s resources for papers, projects, and studying for finals. Later, I attended Saint Maryâ#8364;#8482;s College in Notre Dame, IN where I studied Spanish and Education and used the library to save money on text books. After college, I was a teacher in the Master of Education program at the University of Notre Dame, teaching in Austin, TX. Resources from the library helped me complete my thesis. I then lived for 6 years in Santiago, Chile working as a teacher, then for the Fulbright office and at the U.S. Embassy, and even working on my own businesses. Using the libraryâ#8364;#8482;s online resources and Ebooks kept me connected to my hometown while so far away. Most recently, I completed my Master of Public Policy from the University of Chicago/University of Chile and relied on the audio books offered at the library for my daily commute. Currently, I am the International Relations Manager at AANS. The programs and resources at the library have helped me build my career and I look forward to using the library's travel guides to plan my business trips.Space is an issue at many 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.Our community is privileged to have had forward thinking leaders who worked to build a spacious library. However, resources, like space, are always limited and should always be optimized. I will not expand the library's physical plant now, but rather will look for innovative ways to distribute our collections among the community. Some previous efforts I have found creative are the book sharing rack at the Schaumburg Train Station and the book sales. I will look for additional creative ideas for our resources. I will also emphasize a continued coordination of efforts with our partner libraries to share resources in an effort to conserve space. Additionally, I understand that one of the biggest challenges is finding space for the various library and community programs. I will also not expand the physical plant now to create more meeting space, but will emphasize the use of new technologies to help groups meet when space is unavailable and partner with other community stakeholders to identify available meeting spaces.What impact have economic and technological changes had on libraries? How does a library remain relevant? How should its role in the community change?Our library is poised to be the most relevant it is has ever been. Many may think that the economic times have created a climate that restricts institutions, that technologies have rendered places full of books useless, and that, therefore, libraries are in decline. However, the library offers so many other important services that continue to build the fabric of our community in addition to books. The library is also continuing to respond to technological changes, building its collection of electronic resources. We are in an economy where many resilient individuals are building new skills to adapt and build successful careers and businesses. I have heard from many fellow community members and experienced myself that the library helps people develop new skills to weather hard economic times and evolve their careers. Our library has one of the best collections of business materials of any neighboring library. I will look into equipping the library with more comprehensive job resources for people of all ages to help them educate themselves for this labor force or help them build their businesses.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I am so grateful for the benefits I have received from our library over the years and I want to work to preserve it for many generations to come. Therefore, for me, it is of utmost importance to ethically manage the shared resources of our community and correctly steward the revenue collected, providing excellent services while avoiding further burdens on tax payers. This will mean responding to current times with innovative solutions and regularly taking the pulse of the community. I look forward to getting to work for Schaumburg.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Sheryl Sandberg, COO Facebook, a leader herself in the tech community, inspires me to lead.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?My parents taught me through their actions that everyone is valuable.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would have continued studying Mathematics after two semesters of Calculus for a minor. Mathematics is such a valuable skill in our job market.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?I looked forward to Spanish class every day. I am able to meet so many more people in this world because of it.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Be great to serve others, not yourself, because happiness comes by being of service to others.