INSIDE
SPORTS Fox leads Central past Plainfield S. Page 11
NEWS Democrats pick County Board leadership, titles Page 3
Our Village, Our News
www.jolietbugle.com
DECEMBER 5, 2012
A wealth of knowledge New director brings academic edge to Joliet Public Library By Jonathan Samples Staff Reporter
Most people never think about the differences between public libraries and their academic counterparts. While academic libraries serve mostly a homogeneous group of student and faculty researchers, public libraries assist a wide variety of community interests. As the new executive director for the Joliet Public Library, Kevin Medows thinks about it quite a bit. He brings experience in both settings, experience he hopes will help expand the facility’s offerings to the community. “That experience almost always has to do with making sure individuals in the community who have unique interests still have a chance to access those rarer materials,” said Medows, who begins his duties Jan. 7.
Photo Courtesy of Maggie Sillar
Kevin Medows was named the executive director of the Joliet Public Library to replace current director Dianne Harmon, who will retire in January 2013.
Medows explained that most public libraries’ primary goal is to provide the community access to materials it may not otherwise have access to, such
as popular reading materials. However, many have limited resources for academic research. Interlibrary loan is one way he hopes the Joliet Public Library
will be able to offer more specialized materials to patrons. “That is our way of allowing an See DIRECTOR, page 5
Vol. 5 No. 14
McFarland to run for Joliet City Council Troy Township Clerk Jim McFarland officially announced his candidacy for Joliet City Council Monday. He is running for one of the three at-large council seats open in the April 2013 election. “During the past few months, several community groups, labor organizations, and Joliet citizens have encouraged me to run for City Council. Their confidence in my abilities as a consensus builder and effective problem solver, as well as my desire to improve our neighborhoods, has inspired me to run for City Council,” said McFarland. McFarland is a lifelong Joliet resident. He has served as the Troy Township Clerk for the past year. McFarland served as Troy Township trustee and served six years on the Joliet Junior College Board of Trustees, including two terms as chairman. “It’s time to rebuild Joliet,” McFarland said, referring to the theme of his campaign. “I look forward to representing and improving the quality of life for all of our residents.” For more information on the Jim McFarland Rebuild Joliet campaign, visit jimmcfarland.com.