Meet Your Candidates: Lane Hart, Oak Park Library Board of Trustees

Lane Hart, 53, looks to retain seat on the seven-member Oak Park Public Library Board of Trustees, the group responsible for shaping the library's fiscal and operating policies. 

Members serve four-year terms. This year, three seats are up for election and only three candidates — incumbents Hart and and write-in candidate — are running, making the election uncontested. 

Hart, who works in technology for J.P. Morgan Chase, is completing his first term on the library board, where he served as both vice president and board president. 

Patch: How would you assess the state of the library’s budget?

Lane Hart: The library staff has done a great job in continuing to deliver materials, programs and services without a significant increase in revenues via taxation. It is on course to begin adding to its fund balance.

If expenses need to be reduced, exactly what would you cut? Please be specific.

The largest part of the budget is in terms of salaries and wages paid to employees. If expenses need to be reduced some would have to come from this line item of the budget. Such a reduction, while not contemplated, would be accompanied by a corresponding decrease in the scope and duration of our services.

If more revenue needs to be raised, exactly what would you propose? Please be specific.

The Library Board continues to search for alternate sources of revenue short of an increase in the tax levy including fund raising initiatives and possible sale of naming rights.

The library seems to have robust offerings of eBooks, audiobooks, etc. Are you aware of any other developing technologies that patrons can use? 

The library has a twitter account to keep the public informed of new programs and services. The library is about to launch its first smart phone application, which will offer more functionality than the current web site.

How would you rate the WiFi connection at the Main Branch?

I am not aware of any complaints regarding the WiFi connection.

What are you currently reading?

Polio: An American Story by David Oshinsky and Bloodlands by Timothy Snyder.

Is the library adequately reaching out to diverse populations, i.e., people with primary languages other than English, people with visual difficulties, others?

The library offers materials, programs and services to a wide variety of patrons from babies to seniors. It is also home to an award-winning transgender collection.

Does the library get adequate feedback from patrons? If not, how would you increase the flow of communication? Please be specific. 

There are multiple channels for patrons to provide feedback to the library. We can increase that flow by continuing to leverage our social media channels.

Please assess the Oak Park Public Library’s facilities. Do they need improving?

I don’t believe any structural improvements are required at any facilities. What is a challenge is make optimal use of the space we have, whether its improving the lobby in the Main library or re-designing the layout of the Dole library.

What else would you like voters to know about your positions on issues, point of view or qualifications?

I think it’s important that we begin to discuss as a community what the library will be like in an age of increasingly digitized delivery of materials.  We need to adapt to these changes in a way that we can continue to deliver materials to all segments of the population, regardless of income level.