ALA President-Elect Barbara K. Stripling
Barbara K. Stripling, assistant professor of practice at Syracuse University in Syracuse, NY, has been elected to the 2013-14 presidency of the American Library Association, ALA announced in a press release on May 4.
“I am both honored and humbled to have the opportunity to lead ALA at this critical and exciting time for our nation’s libraries,” Stripling said. “As we make our association more inclusive, diverse and collaborative, we can support our members’ efforts to transform their libraries into virtual and face-to-face community centers of conversation, equitable access to information, lifelong learning and civic engagement.”
Stripling campaigned on a platform of redefining libraries and librarianship, “and capturing the exciting possibilities offered by technology and social media, the explosion of information, and the challenges of maintaining a strong democracy while nourishing the expression of diverse viewpoints,” her website explains.
An ALA member since 1977, Stripling served as a member-at-large of ALA Council from 1992-present, and has played several other roles in the organization, including:
- ALA Executive Board (2001-2005)
- Member and Chair of the American Libraries Advisory Committee (1992-1996)
- ALA Policy Monitoring Committee (2010-present)
- ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee (2006-present)
- ALA Conference Committee (2002-2005)
- ALA Committee on Education (1998-2002)
- ALA Nominating Committee (1999-2000)
- ALA-APA Certification Committee (2002-2007)
- Co-chair of ALA President Molly Raphael’s Empowering Voices initiative (2010-present)
- Trustee of the Merritt Fund (2011-present)
“Barbara brings a wealth of ALA experience to her candidacy from years of work in divisions, on committees as well as serving on ALA’s Executive Board,” former ALA President Ann K. Symons said in an earlier endorsement. “Barbara knows the issues that are important to us, ALA’s members, works to make sure that we have the information we need for informed discussions and decisions. Among the strengths that will make her a good president are her ability to network, to listen, and to act.”
Stripling is also past president of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and has held numerous committee positions within AASL. She was a recipient of the Retta Patrick Award from the Arkansas Library Association in 1989, and was named the Arkansas School Library Media Specialist of the Year in 1990 by the Arkansas Association of Instructional Media.
In this year’s election, Stripling defeated Gina J. Millsap, chief executive officer of the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library in Topeka, KS. Stripling received 6,272 votes, while Millsap received 4,486 votes in the April 27 election, according to ALA, which confirmed the vote today.
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