Jennifer Kulak, Rochester resident and candidate for the Plumb Library Board of Trustees, says parents are missing out.

A mother of three and frequent visitor to the library, Kulak says the library is an essential resource for increasing a child’s literacy and getting more involved with the community.

“I love the intimacy of the library and how kind everyone is,” Kulak said. “They have a lot of programs for children, and because I only moved here a few years ago, it’s a great way to meet people and for my kids to meet people.”

Kulak, 39, moved to Rochester in 2009 with her husband Andrew and their three children – Tyler, 11, Colin, 9, and Felicity, 7.

Since moving to town, Kulak says she and her family, “all avid readers,” have made time for the Plumb Library every week.

Kulak is running against residents Winston Sharples, Jr. and Mary Duryea Levenson for one of two seats on the board. Rochester’s town election is scheduled for April 11.

Kulak said she decided to run for the Board of Trustees because there is a need for young children to be introduced to all the library has to offer.

“The main thing I want to do is to get the word out more,” she said. “A lot of people with kids don’t use the library the way it should be used. We need to make sure we can increase the number of people visiting the library and get more program involvement.”

The way it should be used, she said, is simple. It’s a place to read, learn and socialize.

The library hosts many programs to accomplish this goal, Kulak said. There are book groups, summer reading programs, craft fairs, arts and crafts workshops, and guest speakers.

The library funds the programs for the purpose of bringing the community together, Kulak said, but some go unnoticed by the public.

Kulak said she would like to get the word out, starting in the schools. Luckily, she won’t have to go too far.

Kulak works in the Rochester Memorial School cafeteria, where she said she would like to see more kids use both the school library and the Plumb Library.

“I want to show kids how to read a book as opposed to how to read a Kindle,” she said. “It’s hard. My kids read because we always read to them. I think we need to get more parents to read to their kids when they are younger because then they might love to read when they are bigger.”

Encouraging a love of reading, she said, goes hand-in-hand with the world of Kindles and tablets.

“My kids don’t watch TV or play with their electronic devices during the week so it’s hard for me to get into Kindles,” she said. “But it’s where we’re all going. I think there’s a market there that might help increase patronage to the library.”

The current Board of Trustees is planning to utilize e-readers to boost circulation of the library catalogue. The board is also planning an expansion of the library, scheduled to take place in three years. Both plans, Kulak said, will require the board members to aid in securing funding for the projects.

The term for a trustee member is three years. If elected, Kulak said she would like to go beyond the one term.

“Life changes so quickly and you just have to wait and see what life presents,” she said. “But I would definitely like to continue on the board as long as I can.”