Kristen M. Therens: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Kristen M. Therens

City: Wauconda

Office sought: Library Trustee

Age: 28

Family:

Occupation: Account Representative at American Hotel Register

Education: Bachelors' of Science

Civic involvement:

Previous elected offices held:

Incumbent? If yes, when were you first elected?

Website:

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Issue questions

What are the most important issues facing your library district and how do you intend to address them?

Why are you running for office? Is there a particular issue that motivates you? If so, what is it?

I am running for office to serve my community. I am looking to devote my spare time to give back to something I hold so dear. I descend from a long line of women who have worked in local libraries (Ela and Algonquin among them). I am passionate about literacy and fully understand the importance of having resources available to all those looking to learn. From 2014-2016, I served in the Peace Corps and it was disheartening to see how many students did not finish school partly because they didn't have the funding to purchase books. Borrowing books presented even more of a challenge as there were only 2 functioning libraries in the whole country. Our libraries do not just serve the youth but act as a nourishing environment for growth among adults. The programs and various offerings provide all people in different walks of life opportunities that they may not have otherwise.

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.

The largest contribution I hope to make is my time. I want to devote my spare time to helping foster the beautiful environment that is OUR library. I would like to act as an agent of positive change and development. I believe my history with libraries is befitting of this role and I plan to bring new ideas and initiatives tailored to the Wauconda community as a whole.

Do you have a library card? How long have you had it? How often do you use it?

YES! I am pretty sure I've had a library card before I was even born. Long line of librarians will do that to a child. Currently I use my library card about once a week sometimes more.

What impact have economic and technological changes had on libraries? How does a library remain relevant? How should its role in the community change?

Economic and technological changes have changed the requirements of libraries in order for them to remain relevant. This poses a great challenge as communities are sadly moving away from libraries and losing sight of their usefulness. In order for libraries to remain relevant they have had to shift gears from print to other sources of media. Now there is downloadable content for e-books you can rent, 3-D printers you may use, and computer lessons you may attend! In our ever changing world libraries should never go out of style.