In her 35-year library career, Stripling has been Director of Library Services for the New York City schools and a school library media specialist and school district director of libraries in Arkansas, a library grant program director in Tennessee, and director of library programs at a local education fund in New York City. She received her Doctorate in Information Management from Syracuse University in May 2011 and has written or edited numerous books and articles. Stripling is a former president of the American Association of School Librarians and is the 2013-2014 President of the American Library Association.