Gail Borden candidates talk library hours, services

The six candidates running for three open seats on the Gail Borden Public Library board generally agree the library serves the community well, but have different ideas about expanding hours and adding services.

The board decided in November to buy the half-empty building that contains the branch in South Elgin. Library officials said the nearly $1.2 million purchase was about $20 per square foot below market.

The South Elgin branch, which opened in summer 2016, has had exponential growth in patrons and usage, incumbent Patricia Harkin said. And while a branch expansion might not happen right away, the building already is used to store materials for the library's "Gail's Sales," she said.

Challengers Amanda Garcia and Tiffany Henderson said the purchase was a good move, while challenger Randy Hopp said it was rushed. He questioned its financing method, arguing the library could have secured a better interest rate.

"The decision may turn out be acceptable, but the way it was handled was not," he said.

Incumbent Sue Moylan, who serves as treasurer, said the board relied on the advice of its bond counsel, selecting the best among several financing options.

Incumbent Beth Kruger, who did not attend that November board meeting, said the decision was too quick, but it was sound. "We barely just opened that library (branch)," she said. "I wanted to see how it grew and how it was served."

Henderson said she wants to better publicize resources like "Studio 270," a digital media lab for teens on the second floor of the main library. "I want people to see it more for the things that are not book related, but that are culture related," she said.

The library has been very successful in increasing library card holders, program participation and ease of checkout in the last four or five years, Moylan said. "We're sort of a cultural center," she said.

"I'm amazed at the amount of things that the library does," Garcia agreed.

Still, the library should enhance resources for small business entrepreneurs, and financial advice resources for 20- and 30-somethings, Garcia said. She also would push to make the intersection of Grove and Kimball avenues more friendly to pedestrian and bike traffic, she said.

Hopp said he wants laptops available to patrons at the main library, like they are at the Rakow and South Elgin branches.

Harkin advocated extending hours for the main library on Fridays, when it closes at 6 p.m., and opening it on Sundays. That would increase staffing and utility costs, but more hours "are really needed and desired by our patrons," Harkin said. A survey to that effect would be a good idea, she added.

Being open on Sundays would be great for high school students who work on projects at the last minute, Henderson said. Still, it's important to figure out how to staff extended hours, which would likely rely on volunteers, she said.

Moylan said the library's administration could be tasked with figuring out how to make it happen.

Garcia said that, while it's a good idea to extend hours, she'd hesitate to create more work for staff members. "Thinking creatively of new avenues of income would be first thing," she said.

The library should look at all its hours of operation, including at the Rakow and South Elgin branches, and possibly shorten some while expanding others to keep staffing levels unchanged, Kruger said.

Hopp said extending Friday hours at the main library is a good idea, but hours should be consistent at all locations. He also said there are too many librarians at the information desk in the main library.

Hopp, a former trustee, is banned from the Rakow and South Elgin branches, and for a few years was banned from the main library - allowed only to attend board meetings - after staff members complained of harassing behavior.