Lauren Rosenthal: Candidate Profile

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: Fox River GroveWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Fox River Grove libraryAge: Candidate did not respond.Family: Married, three childrenOccupation: Adult Outreach Librarian, Crystal Lake Public LibraryEducation: Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Duquesne UniversityMaster of Library and Information Science, Dominican UniversityCivic involvement: FRG PTO Treasurer, SS Peter Paul Religious Education Instructor, FRG Rec Council All Star Day Chairperson, FRG Rec Council website designer, Center for Economic Policy Volunteer Tax PreparerElected offices held: FRG Library District Trustee 2004 - presentHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoQuestions 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'm running for FRG Library District trustee because I'm a passionate advocate for libraries and their importance in the local community. Libraries are a public good: consumption of their services benefits the entire population, not just the individual.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.I've been the board president since 2008, and during my tenure the board has refinanced the bonds, saving taxpayers more than $43K. It's of utmost importance to the entire board that we continue to operate the library with a fiscally conservative mindset, because that's what the FRG taxpayers expect and deserve.Do you have a library card? How long have you had it? How often do you use it?I've had a FRG library card for 15 years, as long as I've lived in the Grove.Space is usually an issue at 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.Space really isn't an issue at the FRG library because our building is pretty new. To best meet patrons' needs, resources are devoted to areas of the collection that are most popular, such as DVDs and music CDs, and less to print reference materials.What impact have economic and technological changes had on libraries? How does a library remain relevant? How should its role in the community change?Discussions about the waning importance of libraries have been going on for decades, yet the number of patrons visiting and quantity of items being checked out keep increasing. Libraries are not ""book museums"" but rather are smorgasbords of information and entertainment options including movies, music, video games and of course print materials. Folks want library access 24/7, so with the library's online e-book and audio book downloads, patrons can access content on their own time - and read or hear the latest bestsellers on their ipods or e-book readers. Libraries also fulfill service needs to the local community, such as the FRG library's new computer lab to enable job seekers in applying for positions online. Libraries are and will continue to be relevant as long as people want to learn and have fun.