Susan Wiggins: 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:BioKey IssuesQA Bio City: LombardWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Lombard Library Board (4-year Terms)Age: 57Family: Married for 35 years; 1 son, 1 grandsonOccupation: Secretary for Lombard attorneyEducation: Associate of Arts, Bethany Lutheran Jr. College, 1975 Accounting and office classes at College of DuPageCivic involvement: Past: District 45 Reading Committee (2 years) Friends of the Library (6 years) Boy Scout Assistant Scoutmaster (3 years) Current: NoneElected offices held: Library Trustee 2005 Library Trustee 2009 Library Trustee 2011Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Make residents aware of the numerous services our library offersKey Issue 2 Provide a safe comfortable environment for all patronsKey Issue 3 Better utilization of the property at 126 W. Maple AveQuestions 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?The library has always been important to me. It is hard for me to understand why there are Lombard residents who do not have a library card. I understand that many of those residents believe that the library has nothing to offer them; that they can obtain everything they need over the internet. Those residents need to be better informed of what our library has to offer.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 special contributions you could make.I do my best to provide a voice of reason in all discussions by relying on my professional and personal experiences to make recommendations. I chaired the policy committee that did a 3-year review of all the Board policies. I am a member of the Director Relations committee that developed a form for the Library Staff to provide a yearly review of the Library Director; and we did a complete overhaul of the Board's evaluation form of the Library Director.Do you have a library card? How long have you had it? How often do you use it?My goodness, I would feel lost without my library card. I use my card no less than twice a month.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.Not everything on the internet is correct. Books and reference material are essential to provide accurate, historical facts. Our library staff is constantly reviewing the collections for items that may be withdrawn to make room for new additions. Expansion of the current building is hopefully in the future. Expansion would involve the Library's adjacent property to the West at 126 W. Maple. To accomplish any expansion, a financial plan involving fund raising and public approval for referendum would be necessary and would include involvement by a committee of residents.What impact have economic and technological changes had on libraries? How does a library remain relevant? How should its role in the community change?Technology changes have made it necessary for Libraries to provide 25+ computers for public use which requires libraries to free up square footage for computers and make budget allowances for not only computers, but also for hardware and software for the computers. In response to technology requests by our residents, our library website provides patrons access to many reference tools. E-books are available for our patrons and our staff provides assistance in showing residents how to use the available technology including their personal E-Readers. These services are provided to our card holders at no additional charge. Preparing a sound budget and adhering to a balanced budget is even more necessary in these hard economic times.