Barbara for president

The polls are open. If you are an ALA member you can vote for our ALA President. Likely you were notified by email and provided with your passcode and you will have until Friday, April 27 to vote.

When you vote, I urge you to support my friend and mentor, Barbara Stripling for ALA President.

I’ve known Barbara for most of the many years I’ve been a teacher librarian.  I met her at the very first state conferences I attended.  She shared ideas from the brilliant book she’d written with Judy Pitts, Brainstorms and Blueprints.  And she transformed my fledgling practice.

Most recently, she displayed her leadership as Director of Library Services at the New York City Board of Education, where she advocated for strong library programs and empowered school librarians.

Barbara is one of our clearest thinkers, one of our most powerful voices, one of our strongest leaders.

She is simply, inspiring.

Barbara is kind and warm and friendly.  She knows how to talk to people. She knows how to make our case for our communities.

At the I Love My Library Awards, Caroline Kennedy shared:

Barbara has transformed school libraries throughout this city. She is a generous friend, an inspirational leader and has made a real difference in the lives of the 1.1 million students in NYC public schools. Under Barbara Stripling’s leadership, the DOE has created a new curriculum which is a national model, and trained an energized, creative, professional cadre of school librarians who understand that they have the power to make a difference, that they are no longer the person who just keeps the books in order, and tells everyone to be quiet, but that they are one of the most important teachers that the students have.

Our profession is at a tipping point and Barbara Striping is the best person to represent and lead us at this critical moment.

Barb will work across ALA divisions to move our organization forward.  She has integrity,grace, vision, experience.  She lives our library values.

I want Barbara to represent us.

• Visit Barbara K. Stripling’s website
• See her impressive list of endorsements
• View her What I Believe videos
• View the ALA Presidential Candidates’ forum,

Vote for Barb.

Image created by Gwyneth Jones.

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