Maria Dilorenzo
wilmette library board
candidate video
responses to voter guide questions
1. Why are you running for library board and what are your qualifications?
I am running to become a WPL Trustee because of my desire to serve the local Wilmette community and to contribute to the stewardship of WPL, one of our most vital public assets. Growing up I spent a significant amount of time at my local library and experienced the limitless joys and discoveries of books from a young age. I am passionate about the importance of WPL, and public libraries in general, as places of information access, learning and inclusion. I believe WPL, a nationally recognized 5-star library, increases our quality of life and makes our community a stronger and a more desirable place to live.
I am fortunate to have been a Wilmette resident and community member for almost 24 years. My husband and I have four children who were raised in Wilmette and educated in Wilmette public schools, and our youngest is still being raised here and attends Wilmette public school. In addition to being a long-standing community member I bring valuable professional experience to the WPL Board. I’m an attorney with over 30 years of experience in private practice and as an in-house attorney for public and private retail companies. I have broad expertise across many legal and operational areas that are relevant to serving on a Board of an organization such as WPL. As a senior attorney and executive I’ve also had responsibility for managing and balancing multi-million-dollar departmental budgets and working with diverse teams. My personal style is to be hands-on and work collaboratively. I am prepared to learn more about the WPL, apply my skills and experience as a WPL Board member and work together with the Board, its Director and staff.
I also have relevant prior volunteer experience including: Board Member of the Evanston McGaw YWCA; Member of the Evanston Civil Service Commission; Leadership Evanston Program Graduate; Volunteer Mentor at Jobs for Youth; and Evanston McGaw YMCA Project SOAR Youth Mentor. I have volunteered my time doing pro bono legal work for years, and continue to do so. I volunteer as a “HearPeers” peer mentor working with those who like myself, have hearing loss, and who are contemplating a cochlear implant. Finally, I am an active member of the National Association of Women Lawyers and a member of its Diversity Committee.
I am prepared to use this experience to help support WPL and its mission to serve the informational, intellectual, cultural and leisure needs of the Wilmette and Kenilworth resident and business communities.
2. What are your priorities for Wilmette Public Library (WPL) and how will you work with the board and library staff to address them?
I will work with the Board, the Library Director and Staff to help WPL maintain and enhance its high level of service and programming while maintaining fiscal responsibility. This involves careful and thoughtful consideration when reviewing the budgets, expenses and the general and special fund reserves. I will work to continue innovating to find ways to best reach underserved groups within our community. WPL has worked diligently to provide needed services to the community and especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, has adapted to changes to ensure its relevance in providing needed materials, technology and physical space, innovative programming, while incorporating a wide variety of compelling events, both in-person and virtually. I will work with the Board, its Director and Staff to review learnings from these Covid-19 procedures and how we move forward with the Strategic Plan consistent with community feedback gathered from the 2022 surveys. Finally, I will support continued open dialogue and transparency in governance as a WPL Trustee.
3. What have you done to educate yourself on the workings of WPL, including its operations and finances?
I have reviewed the WPL budget, public records of WPL prior Board meetings and decision making, the WPL Strategic Plan, and outcomes of the community surveys conducted in 2022. I have also been attending WPL Board meetings as an observer.
4. How well is WPL meeting its Strategic Plan goals and are there any areas you would like to address?
I believe WPL has made strong progress on certain of the Strategic Plan goals, in particular with heightened engagement in communications related to WPL services. This is demonstrated through the email communications, newsletters and WPL website content. Another area of progress noted is in providing convenient patron access to all library resources. Progress has been made with the self-checkouts, the installation of external lockers, and expanding online catalogue offerings. In increasing knowledge and discovery goals, the WPL has executed well on the goal to implement the “Library of Things” which has been well-received by patrons.
The disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic prevented progress in other areas due to the need to quickly shift and change priorities. The Library Director and Staff were able to adapt and maintain services to the community, including offering parking lot pick up, virtual events via Zoom, and appointments to visit the library. This period has been challenging, but WPL has learned from this experience how to be nimble in responding to rapidly changing circumstances, and how to prioritize services to best support its patrons.
Areas of the Strategic Plan where I believe there are opportunities to do even more, are within the area of inclusivity. As we seek and listen to feedback from community members, there are always ways to do more in creating a welcoming atmosphere to all patrons. Per input received from the 2022 community survey I am also prepared to help evaluate how best to leverage spaces in the building, provide additional services for children and families and enhance how patrons can best access collections.
5. How do you view WPL’s value to the community beyond books and other media?
Beyond books and media, WPL is a unique resource available to all, which brings us together for a wide range of needs and purposes. It is as much a place for toddlers exploring physical play spaces and participating in an interactive story time as it is a place for teens to meet or study with friends or try a new art project or technology from WPL’s “Library of Things” collection. It is as much a place for adults, whether virtually or in person, to plan educational or career advancement, learn a new technology or skill, participate in learning events or discussions with authors, as it is a space to gather socially or be entertained. The value of these enriching experiences and possibilities is immeasurable.
I am running to become a WPL Trustee because of my desire to serve the local Wilmette community and to contribute to the stewardship of WPL, one of our most vital public assets. Growing up I spent a significant amount of time at my local library and experienced the limitless joys and discoveries of books from a young age. I am passionate about the importance of WPL, and public libraries in general, as places of information access, learning and inclusion. I believe WPL, a nationally recognized 5-star library, increases our quality of life and makes our community a stronger and a more desirable place to live.
I am fortunate to have been a Wilmette resident and community member for almost 24 years. My husband and I have four children who were raised in Wilmette and educated in Wilmette public schools, and our youngest is still being raised here and attends Wilmette public school. In addition to being a long-standing community member I bring valuable professional experience to the WPL Board. I’m an attorney with over 30 years of experience in private practice and as an in-house attorney for public and private retail companies. I have broad expertise across many legal and operational areas that are relevant to serving on a Board of an organization such as WPL. As a senior attorney and executive I’ve also had responsibility for managing and balancing multi-million-dollar departmental budgets and working with diverse teams. My personal style is to be hands-on and work collaboratively. I am prepared to learn more about the WPL, apply my skills and experience as a WPL Board member and work together with the Board, its Director and staff.
I also have relevant prior volunteer experience including: Board Member of the Evanston McGaw YWCA; Member of the Evanston Civil Service Commission; Leadership Evanston Program Graduate; Volunteer Mentor at Jobs for Youth; and Evanston McGaw YMCA Project SOAR Youth Mentor. I have volunteered my time doing pro bono legal work for years, and continue to do so. I volunteer as a “HearPeers” peer mentor working with those who like myself, have hearing loss, and who are contemplating a cochlear implant. Finally, I am an active member of the National Association of Women Lawyers and a member of its Diversity Committee.
I am prepared to use this experience to help support WPL and its mission to serve the informational, intellectual, cultural and leisure needs of the Wilmette and Kenilworth resident and business communities.
2. What are your priorities for Wilmette Public Library (WPL) and how will you work with the board and library staff to address them?
I will work with the Board, the Library Director and Staff to help WPL maintain and enhance its high level of service and programming while maintaining fiscal responsibility. This involves careful and thoughtful consideration when reviewing the budgets, expenses and the general and special fund reserves. I will work to continue innovating to find ways to best reach underserved groups within our community. WPL has worked diligently to provide needed services to the community and especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, has adapted to changes to ensure its relevance in providing needed materials, technology and physical space, innovative programming, while incorporating a wide variety of compelling events, both in-person and virtually. I will work with the Board, its Director and Staff to review learnings from these Covid-19 procedures and how we move forward with the Strategic Plan consistent with community feedback gathered from the 2022 surveys. Finally, I will support continued open dialogue and transparency in governance as a WPL Trustee.
3. What have you done to educate yourself on the workings of WPL, including its operations and finances?
I have reviewed the WPL budget, public records of WPL prior Board meetings and decision making, the WPL Strategic Plan, and outcomes of the community surveys conducted in 2022. I have also been attending WPL Board meetings as an observer.
4. How well is WPL meeting its Strategic Plan goals and are there any areas you would like to address?
I believe WPL has made strong progress on certain of the Strategic Plan goals, in particular with heightened engagement in communications related to WPL services. This is demonstrated through the email communications, newsletters and WPL website content. Another area of progress noted is in providing convenient patron access to all library resources. Progress has been made with the self-checkouts, the installation of external lockers, and expanding online catalogue offerings. In increasing knowledge and discovery goals, the WPL has executed well on the goal to implement the “Library of Things” which has been well-received by patrons.
The disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic prevented progress in other areas due to the need to quickly shift and change priorities. The Library Director and Staff were able to adapt and maintain services to the community, including offering parking lot pick up, virtual events via Zoom, and appointments to visit the library. This period has been challenging, but WPL has learned from this experience how to be nimble in responding to rapidly changing circumstances, and how to prioritize services to best support its patrons.
Areas of the Strategic Plan where I believe there are opportunities to do even more, are within the area of inclusivity. As we seek and listen to feedback from community members, there are always ways to do more in creating a welcoming atmosphere to all patrons. Per input received from the 2022 community survey I am also prepared to help evaluate how best to leverage spaces in the building, provide additional services for children and families and enhance how patrons can best access collections.
5. How do you view WPL’s value to the community beyond books and other media?
Beyond books and media, WPL is a unique resource available to all, which brings us together for a wide range of needs and purposes. It is as much a place for toddlers exploring physical play spaces and participating in an interactive story time as it is a place for teens to meet or study with friends or try a new art project or technology from WPL’s “Library of Things” collection. It is as much a place for adults, whether virtually or in person, to plan educational or career advancement, learn a new technology or skill, participate in learning events or discussions with authors, as it is a space to gather socially or be entertained. The value of these enriching experiences and possibilities is immeasurable.