Election 2011: Indian Prairie Public Library Board of Trustees

Patch contacted each of this year's five candidates running for four open seats on the Indian Prairie Public Library Board. We asked each of them the same questions regarding their background, qualifications and concerns for the library.

Listed here in no particular order is a look at what the candidates said. Click on the candidate's name to see their full response to our questionnaires. At the time of publication, John M. Klempir did not respond to our questionnaire.

• Home town: Darien
• Age: 57
• Family: John Zyzik, husband, 58; daughter Eve Zyzik-Hammonds, 35
• Education: Master of Arts in Library and Information Science, Dominican University; Master of Arts in English Philology, Jagiellonian University, Cracow, Poland
• Occupation: Professional academic librarian
• Previous elected offices: None
• Related experience: As a professional librarian I understand the library context very well and am up to date on the latest developments in the field. Also, as a longtime resident of the district, I am familiar with the educational and cultural institutions of the area and the role they play in our communities.

What will be your single most important priority if you get elected?

The most important issue for me is to make sure that our library will continue to operate and provide the highest quality services to our patrons under severely diminished state support, which forces us to face fixed budgets. Also, a major issue affecting our library and its services will be the merger of four library systems, including the Metropolitan Library System, of which the library is a member.

• Home address: Darien
• Family: Single
• Education: BA, English; MALS, Library Science
• Occupation: Public librarian
• Previous elected offices: I have served as an Indian Prairie Library trustee for the past eight years.
• Related experience: I have 20+ years experience working in a public library. I therefore have a full understanding of library collections, programs and services. Being a trustee as well as a librarian gives me a well-rounded, complete picture of how valuable a public library is to the residents it serves.

What will be your single most important priority if you get elected?

 My priority will be to continue to operate the library with a balanced budget.

• Family: Larry, husband; two daughters; seven grandchildren
• Education: Masters in Education, Loyola University
• Occupation: Retired Junior High School reading and language arts teacher
• Political party affiliation: No political party affiliation
• Previous elected offices: Currently an Indian Prairie Public Library Trustee
• Related experience: My more than 20 years experience as an Indian Prairie Library Trustee has included the merger of two library districts, the building of the current library and the recent renovation.

• Home address: Darien
• Family: Widow
• Education: Loyola University of Chicago, B.S.Ed., M.Ed.
• Occupation: Retired sales and marketing executive

What will be your single most important priority if you get elected?

With the recent completion of the library’s renovation project, my priority would be to maintain the library’s high standards and continue to respond to the needs of the patrons we serve.  

John M. Klempir