Michele Stricker

As Deputy State Librarian Michele Stricker oversees the Library Development Bureau’s programs to increase libraries’ capacity to serve their local communities. Services include grant administration, continuing education and training, interlibrary loan and other statewide resources, evaluation, and development of new special initiatives serving libraries statewide. She has also been responsible for library trustee and director education and training, strategic planning, and preservation best practices for special collections, disaster preparedness, and community resiliency. Michele was named one of Library Journal’s Movers and Shakers of 2019. She was commended for her work with the State Library in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, stewarding the Ports in a Storm Summit. She serves as the chair of the New Jersey Cultural Alliance for Response.

Prior to working at the New Jersey State Library, she was the Director of the Library Company of Burlington for 13 years. In addition to an MLIS from Rutgers University, she has an MFA in Museum Studies from Syracuse University, and an MA in Art History from the University of Pennsylvania. She received her certification in Preservation Management from the Rutgers School of Professional Development and has taught Preservation of Library & Archival Materials for the Rutgers Graduate School of Communication & Information.

Michele most recently served on the CCAHA Board from 2016 - 2021