Stripling Heads NYC School Libraries

Education veteran vows to change the misperception of media specialists

By Debra Lau Whelan -- School Library Journal, 2/1/2005

Barbara Stripling, former head of the education reform organization New Visions for Public Schools, was recently appointed director of library services for New York City's department of education. She replaces Sandra Kennedy Bright, who retired in October 2004.

Stripling, who started her job January 3, says she'll oversee approximately 1,200 K–12 media centers throughout the city's five boroughs at a time when schools are "hurting for money." With 1,335 schools serving 1.1 million students, state law only mandates certified media specialists in the city's secondary and high schools. Yet many fail to meet that requirement. "We're scrambling to find qualified librarians," Stripling says.

Changing the "perception" problem—that most teachers and administrators don't understand school librarians' contribution to student achievement—will be Stripling's top priority. "The first thing I want to do is unite us around a common vision of libraries that empower kids to learn and that make a difference for students, teachers, and parents," she says.

How will Stripling tackle such an enormous task? She plans to boost staff development and networking opportunities for school librarians and add more resources, such as the latest studies by Ross Todd and other library researchers, to the department's Web site. Increased collaboration with public libraries, after-school programs, and other nonprofit agencies, such as New Visions, will also be key. Stripling is already in discussions with the New York Public Library, the Brooklyn Public Library, and the Queens Borough Public Library to develop "a number of programs that connect libraries and schools on shared curriculum, collection development, and professional development."

She's also working with the department of education's fundraising arm, the office of strategic partnerships, to create "model libraries" throughout the city, which will serve as examples of excellent facilities that offer great programming and collections. So far, they've raised $10,000, and Stripling's office is in the process of weeding through 170 applications for 60 grants. And of course, her department will continue its ongoing collaboration with the Robin Hood Foundation to renovate New York's elementary school libraries.

Stripling is well aware that there will be many obstacles along the way. For one, the state provides a mere $6 per student for school library materials in all public schools, barely enough to cover the cost of one-third of a book. And with a growing minority population, the pressures will just keep mounting. "We have a long way to go," she says. "Not because people haven't been trying. It's just that it's such a big system that's been so underfunded for so many years." But one thing is for sure: hiring Stripling, who has had close to 30 years experience as an educator and media specialist, sends a clear "message that school librarians are important," she says.