Lorain Public Library System Board Of Trustees Welcomes Two New Members
The Lorain Public Library System’s
(LPLS) Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the appointment of
two new members:
Elaine Novak, of Lorain, and Susan Jane Hatch, of Sheffield Lake. They will begin serving in their roles on January 1.
Board President Anthony Campana said Novak and Hatch were selected because they are both longtime library advocates and users; both bring valuable, practical and professional experience to their role on the Library Board; and they both bring an understanding and appreciation of our library system’s entire service area.
Novak will serve a full term as Trustee for the period of January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2019. She is replacing outgoing Trustee Victor Leandry, who served a full, seven-year term.
Hatch will fill the unexpired term of Trustee Douglas Petersen, for the period of January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2017. Petersen served for 14 years on the Library Board.
Elaine Novak
Novak is a longtime library user and advocate. She and her husband, Rick Novak of the Lorain Port Authority, have long supported the Lorain community, she said. Her two daughters graduated from Lorain City Schools and have each achieved their higher education degrees.
“The Library provides an opportunity to share information and connect with the world that everyone has a right to have,” she said.
Novak, who has a background in Human Resources and Education, has previously served on the LPLS Board of Trustees.
Novak said she wants to continue to maintain fiscal security for the library system and wants to maintain access to information and technology for everyone.
“The Library is not just a building with books anymore,” Novak said. “The Library is a meeting place where knowledge is shared, a place for technology, to connect online and connect with the world,” she said.
During her previous tenure on the Library Board, she played a role in the planning and design of the South Lorain Branch Library.
She also advocated for the placement of computer portals with Internet access throughout the Branches, and for the placement of the infrastructure necessary for the 21st century technology.
She also brings extensive experience working with levy campaigns for the LPLS library system, Lorain City Schools and the Lorain Port Authority.
Susan Jane Hatch
Hatch, whose background includes office management and education, is currently serving as the secretary for The Friends of the Domonkas Library.
She said her goals while serving on the Library Board include spreading the perception of the Library as a friendly place for learning new skills, keeping the Library up-to-date and looking to fulfill its future needs.
Serving her first tenure on the Library Board, she said, “This is a good fit for me at this time.”
She and her family are also longtime library users and advocates.
“I have five children and we lived at the (Domonkas) Library. You get to a point that you want to give back, she said. “This is something where I might be able to serve back,” she said.
Hatch and her husband have four daughters, one son and 16 grandchildren.
Her children now live in Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Columbus, and Lakewood.
The Library has played an important role in her family.
Utilizing mostly the Domonkas Branch Library, her five children used the Library for their homework and research, her third oldest daughter volunteered at the Library, and she and her parents have helped organize The Domonkas Friends Book Sales, she said.
“A Library is a wonderful, magical place that transports you somewhere else,” Hatch said.
“In a day and age that everything costs so much money, the Domonkas Branch Library and all of Lorain Public Library System offers so much and for free. That’s one of the greatest benefits of Libraries,” she said.
“I’m looking forward to this,” (serving on the Library Board), she said.
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