Virginia Carlson: 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: LombardWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Lombard Library Board Age: 73Family: Husband, Emrik Carlson2 children, Doug and Elisabeth2 grandchildrenOccupation: retired educatorEducation: B.S. University of IllinoisMEd University of IllinoisCivic involvement: Lombard Garden Club memberMaster Gardener volunteeractive member First United Methodist Church, LombardP.E.O. memberElected offices held: Board President of Helen Plum Library trustees for 3 terms, 6 yearsQuestions 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 am interested in being re-elected to the Board of Trustees so that we can enact our successful referendum and get the new library built. Given the progress we have made up to this point, I feel that it is important to see this accomplished.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.Over the twelve years that I've been on the library board, I have had as my goal to make the library function as well as it could to meet the needs of our community. We have vastly improved the computer system in the library, made computers available to the public to use, converted our card catalog to a computer system, renovated and remodeled the physical facilities of the building, and done a great job of keeping the materials, I.e. books, DVDs, children's materials, up to date. As president, I have worked to make our board function efficiently and to participate actively in the management of the library.Do you have a library card? How long have you had it? How often do you use it?I do have a library card and have had it since 1971 when I first moved to Lombard. I use the library often, probably twice a week, sometimes more, sometimes less, mainly to obtain reading materials. When my children were young, we used the library extensively. From time to time, I attend meetings at the library.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.Helen Plum Library recently successfully passed a referendum to build a new library. Space has been an issue for some time at our library. The new building would address that problem and allow us to display materials so that they are more accessible to patrons. We have also tried to make the collection of materials at Helen Plum relevant by replacing outdated materials with up to date items. We now have data bases instead of encyclopedias.What impact have economic and technological changes had on libraries? How does a library remain relevant? How should its role in the community change?During the Great Recession, we saw a surge in library usage and although that has leveled off somewhat, we still have heavy usage of our facility. There has been a big increase in the use of computers at the library and also an increased use of the library as a place for meetings of community groups and businesses. You can now register to vote in the library, obtain a passport and check out books in a variety of world languages. Libraries will always be a source for information.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Candidate did not respond.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Barak Obama as he has led us through a bad economic time, kept us out of any major war and did it with finesse.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?To study hard, get good grades and do a good job in my chosen field, which was teaching.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?To set my career goals higher, I could have chosen a career in science or business but that was not something women did then.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?MathmaticsIf you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Strive to be faithful to your goals and be kind.