Linda Durec: 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: AddisonWebsite: www.lindadurec.comTwitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: facebook.com/linda.durecOffice sought: Addison Library Board Age: 66Family: Married to Mike with two adult children, Lisa 36 and Michael 27. One 7 year old grandson, Michael and one granddaughter expected February 2017.Occupation: Commercial/ Residential Real Estate SalesEducation: BA Northeastern Illinois UniversityCCIM - Certified Commercial Investment memberCivic involvement: I have lived in Addison since 1988 and have raised two children here. I volunteered extensively for functions and sports that they were involved with including chairing many school events. One of my favorites was the mom's welcome for moms with kindergarten children. I live in a wonderful subdivision in Addison called Friars Cove.I continue to be very involved, have participated in focus groups, and belong to the Addison chamber. I believe strongly in supporting the local business community. I attend the Mayor's Ball every year and am very proud of the strong cooperation among the intergovernmental groups.Elected offices held: current Addison Library TrusteeQuestions 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 running for this office because I strongly believe in the role the library plays as the center for a community gathering place. I am a strong advocate for the important role a library can play within a community. I am convinced that early reading in a child fosters and strengthens their resources throughout their life giving them the skills they need for success. As a current Addison library trustee, I strongly encourage our involvement in programs that give the families of these preschool children assistance and the tools that they need to prepare these children for school. Nothing warms my heart more than seeing an entire family visit the library as a social event. Because of our close proximity to the junior high, I have been a very strong supporter of the library having programs and a space that entice a teen to want to frequent the library. I also believe very strongly in the library sponsoring "English as a second language" classes for adults as well. Our library staff understands this commitment to the community. The Addison Public library is always one of the first local community libraries to embrace new concepts and I am very proud to be a part of that.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 am so proud to have been part of the initial library building project from the planning stage all the way through to construction and the grand opening. It was all done without needing a tax increase. We are so fortunate to live in a community where there is so much intergovernmental cooperation. Board members, myself included, conducted many focus group sessions and encouraged the local community to give their input as to what they wanted to see in the new building. It was a tremendous amount of work, many many special committee meetings but so worthwhile. I chaired the Gala celebrating the grand opening of the library. It was such an amazing event. Recently, in response to a space needs study, the library board moved forward with some renovations to better improve the library. One of the changes I am most proud of was the need to double our teen area. Most libraries experience problems with their teen population. We have managed to encourage this age of our community to view the library as a friend, hired a teen librarian, and given them their own very cool space. We offer homework help and well as encourage the use of the library to just meet their friends.Do you have a library card? How long have you had it? How often do you use it?The library records indicate I 've had a library card since 4/30/1992. My son was born in 1989. I remember so many visits to the library with him being a toddler and leaving with stacks of books. I'm one of those people that get obsessed with a book I'm reading and I don't read as much as I would like to. I usually save that for vacations and long plane rides. I love the ability to download books on an IPad online. I use my library card for access to many of the resources the library offers. I use Reference USA for business purposes and am very vocal in wanting to see the library bring more exposure to these resources to the business community.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.Our library is under 10 years old. We just recently went through a space needs assessment and a renovation that determined where we needed increased space. Addison is a very diverse community and our bank of computers is used continually. We were able to maintain the space we have now, but did choose to eliminate some of the collection in order to make room for our expanded teen center. In addition, we altered our quiet reading room into more of a meeting area. We also turned areas that had less usage into more meeting rooms. Should space be an issue in the future, we do have the ability to expand the library footprint.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 role of the library in a community changes continually. We are fortunate to be very fiscally stable and have hired some very young talented staff that have brought very new and innovative programs. Embracing technology, we offer classes on computers and computer software,sessions on Android and Iphones, Introduction to Skype, after school virtual reality, finding love online, harnessing the cloud, LinkedIn 101. In addition our newer creative studio offers help and equipment to digitize photos, slides, and VHS tapes. We have a sound studio, 3d print, a vinyl cutter, and even a singer sewing machine. My favorite class that makes me smile to even say is that this library even offers Zumba classes. It doesn't get any more relevant than that.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?The continuity of the library board. Prior to my being appointed to the library board, the Addison library board had gone through a difficult period of disaccord. The library board today is a very cooperative group that values each other opinions. My strongest asset that I bring to this library board is the ability to listen and see the other side of an opinion even if it is different than mine. One other area that is very important to me is the industrial and business community. The Addison Community is very fortunate to have one of the largest industrial areas in the state. This is one area that I would like to see our library concentrate on. I'd like to see more programs aimed at this segment to encourage the owners of these businesses to take advantage of services the library can offer. A large percentage of our tax dollars come from this group and the library is underutilized by them. We have meetings rooms available as well as online resources. One of my future goals as a library trustee would be to ensure that the library does a better job of reaching out to this segment.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.This was tough to answer given the current political climate. I would have to say Michelle Obama. "When they go low, we go high!"What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?My mom rarely volunteered for anything and I never saw her really give back. I knew that I wanted to be different.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would have had more children. You are young yourself and so busy living life that you don't realize what a precious gift children are.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?History.I learned many skills in basic research. Right now I'm disputing that a landlord is not in violation of Illinois law and embrace the challenge.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?One of my favorite songs is by Tim McGraw. I would have to say to be "humble and kind".