Emily Swistak: 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: NapervilleWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Lisle Library Board Age: Candidate did not respond.Family: I reside in the Lisle Library District with my husband and our three sons.Occupation: current stay-at-home mom, former French teacher department chair for Fine Arts, World Languages, ELLEducation: BA FrenchMS Ed Educational AdministrationCivic involvement: Candidate did not respond.Elected 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?As a mother with a young family, I want to continue the wonderful programs, resources, and literacy support systems initiated by the library.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.As a teacher with over 14 years of experience in educating students, I would focus primarily on what libraries do best - providing resources for educating one's self or family. Librarians are a vital part of that. I would want to work with them and the community to make sure that we are getting the best resources to meet the needs of our population. I would like to work on ideas for how we can expand our active patrons and be the educational epicenter of the community.Do you have a library card? How long have you had it? How often do you use it?Yes. I have had a library card since October 2012, when, as a new stay-at-home mom, I started regularly attending storytime with my youngest son. I am at the library 1-3 times every week. My sons regularly attend the Monday Funday activities and PokÃcirc;©mon Club. We also check out books, playaways, DVDs, and video games on a regular basis, as well as spend time at the library reading books, playing board games, doing puzzles, and playing cards.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.We would have to look at what has already been proposed and how much time is being spent in the spaces of the library. Recent studies show that almost all people prefer paper books and texts to digital resources so I would not want to do away with those resources just because there is a digital equivalent.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 library has and must continue to evolve as it has done recently to meet new family demands. The library needs to continue to offer paper books, digital books, and computer resources for its patrons, as well as quiet spaces for study and larger meeting spaces for teens and adults. The programs offered for its younger set are very popular. We are fortunate to have a very relevant library for everyone in town.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Laura Bush once said that one of the most valuable things in her wallet was her library card. I want to help the library continue to thrive and show the community all the resources it has to offer.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Malala Yousafzai's fight for education and equal rights has been an especially inspiring story to me.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?My grandpa always said, "Never stop learning." I have tried to reflect each day on something I have learned that day.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Everything that has happened in my life has contributed to who I am now. If anything was done differently, I would not be me.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?French. It allowed me to immerse myself in another language and culture and then share those experiences with others.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Treat others the way you want to be treated.