David Barry: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Dave Barry

City: Bartlett

Office sought: Bartlett Public Library District Trustee

Age: 69

Family: My wife Christy and I will celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary this May.

Occupation: I retired from the practice of law at the end of 2017 after a career of providing legal services to families and small corporations in DuPage and surrounding counties.

Education: JD, Thomas Cooley Law School, 1992; BA, St. Mary's College, 1971.

Civic involvement: I am a member and the current president of the Bartlett Lions Club; I am active in the Bartlett Fourth of July Committee; and I am an active member of St. Peter Damian Catholic Church.

Previous elected offices held: Trustee, Bartlett Public Library District Board (2013 to present); President, Bartlett Public Library District Board (2015- present) (elected by fellow Trustees); Board Member, Reaching Across Illinois Library System (2014 - present) (elected by member libraries across northern and west central Illinois); President, Reaching Across Illinois Library System (2016-2017) (elected by fellow Board Members).

Incumbent? If yes, when were you first elected? I was elected to office in 2013.

Website: http://www.reelectdavebarry.com

Facebook: re-elect Dave Barry Bartlett Public Library District Trustee

Issue questions

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

The most pressing issue facing our library is how to provide library patrons an excellent experience with available funds. In order to do so, we will ask our patrons what they expect and draft a budget that meets those goals. I will closely examine our budget and propose innovate and cost effective ways to provide an excellent library experience.

The above issue is directly related to this issue: how does our library remains an essential community resource. I believe the use of new technology, providing programs to meet community needs, and becoming a trusted information resource will ensure the library's role in the community.

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

I was chosen as 2017 Illinois Library Trustee of the Year by the Illinois Library Association so I want to bring my skills and experiences that led to that honor to our community for second term.

My motivating issue is bringing library services to our youngest patrons, our children. Time and time again, I've watched the excitement and wonder in our children's eyes as they participate in library programs, and I've listened to many parents who praise the library for its programs. Yes, we have many programs and services for all ages at the library, but I believe we have a special responsibility to our children.

I'm also running for re-election for a second term because our library is an essential part of our community and I believe to my skills and experiences will ensure the library will remain an essential community resource. My experiences include serving as Bartlett library trustee for the past six years and serving as the Board's President for the past four years; serving as a board member and President of an Illinois library system; and presenting seminars on trustee issues at the annual conferences of the Illinois Library Association.

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'm proud to have served as Board President during the construction of an 1.5 million dollar library renovation that was completed in January 2016. I wish to point out that this renovation was a collaborative process by the entire board that began in 2013 and the renovation was driven by what the community wanted in their library. To complete the renovation, the library did not ask the community for any additional revenue, but used its savings from prudent management to fund the project.

I urged the board to investigate joining a library consortium so as to enlarge the collection of library materials available to our patrons. However, I agreed to shelve the idea since it would not be cost effective at the present time.

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

Yes, I was five years old when I first received a library card. On average I use it monthly whether I'm checking out materials in person at the library or at home when I check out e-books online.

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

Today's economic realities act as a brake on those library boards with grandiose ideas about spending taxpayers' dollars. This reality has pushed prudent library boards to use technology to provide cost effective ways to stretch its budget, e.g. the use of bar codes to track materials as they arrive at the library and when they are checked out. It sounds very mundane but it's a big deal, just imagine how much the labor and materials would cost without this technology.

A library remains relevant if it meets its community's needs so it is incumbent on the library to reach out to the community and ask, what they want from the library. The Bartlett Library surveys the residents, its trustees hold "Coffee with the Trustees" events throughout the year, and the library regularly sends out newsletters to the community to inform residents of upcoming programs.

A library board needs to balance the library professionals' needs with the community's needs in order to determine its role in the community.