Patricia Harkin: Candidate Profile

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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: ElginWebsite: n/aTwitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Patricia Harkin CampaignOffice sought: Gail Borden Library Board Age: 72Family: Husband: James J SosnoskiSons: Jonathan H. Daniel, Gregor J. Sosnowski4 grandchildrenOccupation: Retired Associate Dean and Professor of English and Communication U of Il @ChicagoEducation: BA (English) U of KentuckyMA (English) U of VirginiaPhD (English) Miami U OhioPost doctoral work: U of California IrvineCivic involvement: Northeast Neighborhood Assn 2011-15President, 2014-15; Board member 2011-2014; Chair (2015) and co-chair (2016) of Homes for the Holidays Tour.Elgin Area Branch, American Association of University Women 2011--Vice President,2015-17 Elgin Symphony League 2013--Secretary 2016--Volunteer, Gail Borden Public Library 2011-- 700 hoursElgin History Museum, volunteerElgin Area Chamber of Commerce Certificate of Appreciation for Volunteer Service, 2016YWCA Marjorie Leonard Award for Community Service, 2014Elected offices held: Trustee Gail Borden Library District Board of Trustees; 2013-17Secretary: 2015-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 hope to continue to support our award winning library through advocacy and thoughtful oversight. As a former UIC English professor I have spent my life fostering literacy. As a Dean, I've handled large budgets. I have the necessary skills and experience to help GBPL maintain its excellence. I'm motived by a desire to address what I think is the misconception that libraries have lost relevance in an age of Google and Wikipedia. In my view, our library has changed with the times to become a center for community engagement and a provider of necessary services.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.1. I currently serve as Secretary to the Board. 2.Along with the majority of my colleagues I voted for the South Elgin Branch.3. I participated in the interview process through which GBPL awarded scholarships to 20 students so that they may earn a high school diploma ONLINE using Gale Cengage courseware. These adults' high school education was interrupted for various reasons. So far, the results are promising.4. With Jean Bednar and (former trustee) Donna Kline, I proposed and presented a program on advocacy for Trustees at the annual meeting of the Illinois Library Association in October, 2016.Do you have a library card? How long have you had it? How often do you use it?I got my GBPL library card within a week of moving to Elgin in 2002. I use it about once a week.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.I do not see this as an either/or situation. I answer "both/and." I support Gail Borden's policy of continuously "weeding" materials that no longer circulate. But these books and media are not "done away with." Instead, they are sold in Gail's Sales(the GBPL Foundation Bookstore)and/or at the Annual Book Sale.(I serve on the Gail's Sales Steering committee and volunteer at the Annual Book Sale.) These earnings (approximately $50,000 in 2016) support services such as the Robot, Space, Crocodile and Dinosaur Exhibits and the Summer Reading Program. Unsold Gail's Sales stock is sent to a thrift distributor, who pays us by the pound. I also support GBPL's recent expansion: the opening of the South Elgin Branch, which was specifically requested by the South Elgin Village President and Board. Like our Rakow branch, South Elgin holds comparativly few books ON THE PREMISES. Materials are quickly transported from the main library to both branches. The Rakow and South Elgin branches serve not only as a repository for circulating materials but also as much needed community meeting centers.What impact have economic and technological changes had on libraries? How does a library remain relevant? How should its role in the community change?GBPL derives much of its revenue from property taxes; currently there are efforts to "freeze" them. Additional income comes from grants from the National Endowments for the Humanities and the Arts and from state entities. They too may be reduced or eliminated. Technological changes save space but cost more than many patrons realize. Providers of E-books, for example, enforce stringent rules and high fees. For these reasons and others GBPL maintains a well-managed reserve fund. Moreover, we rely on the generous gift of time and labor from 600+ volunteers. If that labor were paid, it would cost the library hundreds of thousands of dollars. I do not foresee our having to reduce services in the near future.We "remain relevant" because we are much more than just books! You can come to our library to use its computers, get device advice from Andy Lego, see movies, join book groups, listen to concerts by ESO artists and volunteer pianists Karen Maxwell, Ted Turner and John LeBorn, earn a high school diploma, get tax advice, listen to stories with your kids, and soon, apply for a passport. In short, Gail Borden Library is a vital center for community activity and outreach. Our role in the community is changing and expanding through partnerships with (e.g. U-46) with whom we collaborate on a summer reading program. This program includes outreach to lower income kids who cannot visit the library during the summer.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I hope to investigate the possibility of extending weekend hours for the Library. Several patrons have asked us to keep the library open later (until 8 PM) on Friday and/or Saturday evenings. We need to determine how many patrons want this change, how much it would cost, and where we can find the money.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Karen Shock, President of the Elgin Symphony Board and Chair of Gail's Sales--she works locally to effect change.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?PersistenceIf life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?More time with family.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?English, which I taught at the university level for 44 years.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Think carefully and believe in yourself