Oralia Garza de Cortes


Oralia Garza de Cortes is a librarian, advocate, bibliographer, and scholar. She is a past president of REFORMA having presided 2000-2001. She is also a cofounder of the Pura Belpré Award, named after New York Public Library|NYPL's first Latina librarian, which honors outstanding Latino authors and illustrators who create works for children. She holds a Master's of Library and Information Science from the University of Texas at Austin, obtained in 1988.

Career

She currently works Austin, Texas as a Latino Children’s Literature Consultant. She works to create justice and equity of access to books, library services and book publishing. Specifically, Garza de Cortes advocates for Latinx children's access and publishing standards for books written by and featuring Latinx protagonists and storylines. However, Garza de Cortes works to represent marginalized and disadvantaged children outside of the Latinx community as well. She has worked toward providing information access and literacy advocacy for child refugees recently, and spoke about this work at the 2016 ALA annual conference in Orlando, Florida. Garza de Cortes has served on the Caldecott Committee in the year 2000 and the board of directors of Association of Library Services for Children, and was the first Latina in either of those positions.

Honors, decorations, awards and distinctions

Garza de Cortes served on the Caldecott Committee in the year 2000. Garza de Cortes received the Advocacy Award from the Joint Conference of Librarians of Color in 2012. And was named one of the "Women in Library History" in 2013 by the Feminist Task Force of the American Library Association. In 2015 she was named as one of Library Journal's Movers and Shakers; Garza de Cortes worked with Lucía Gonzalez and Patrick Sullivan to create a program to provide books and backpacks to children in detention centers working through immigration processes or awaiting deportation.

Published works

Contributor, “Public Library Services and Latino Children: Getting it right in the Twenty-First Century” in Ayala, John and Sal Guereña, editors. Pathways to Progress: Issues and Advances to Latino Librarianship. Libraries Unlimited, 2011.
Contributor, Celebrating Culture, Reading, & Family Literacy @ the Library with the Latino Reading and Literacy Programs El día de los niños/El día de los libros and Noche de Cuentos. Paper presented by Jamie Cambell Naidoo at World Library and Information Congress, 76th IFLA International Federation of Library Associations General Conference and Assembly, Gotenburg, 2010.
Desarrollando la cultural de lectores en la comunidad con el programa comunitario El día de los niños/El día de los libros/ Developing a Culture of Reading in the Community through El día de los niños/El día de los libros. Proceedings of the Mexican Library Association, Zacatecas, Mexico, 2010.
Contributor, “Give them what they need: Library Services for Latino Children” in "Library Services for Hispanic Youth.” In Whole Library Handbook: Current Data, Professional Advise, and Curiosa About Libraries and Library Services. Edited by George M. Eberhart. American Library Association, 2006.
Contributor, The Pura Belpré Awards: Celebrating Latino Authors and Illustrators. Edited by Rose Zertuche Trevino. Chicago: American Library Association, 2006.
“Critical Issues facing Today’s Public Libraries." The New Advocate. Vol.14, No. 2. Spring 2001.
Contributor, Nick Jr. Magazine Annual Holiday Book List. Dec. 2002.
Introduction, The Power of Language/El poder de la palabra: Selected Papers from the Second REFORMA National Conference. Edited by Lillian Castillo-Speed and the REFORMA National Conference Publications Committee. Libraries Unlimited, 2001.
Contributor, “ The Power of Language: To Imagine, to Learn, to Act / El Poder del Idioma: Para Imaginar, aprender y actuar ” in The Power of Language/El Poder de la Palabra: Selected Papers from the Second REFORMA National Conference. Libraries Unlimited, 2001.
Contributor, Venture Into Cultures: A Resource Book of Multicultural Materials and Programs. Second Edition. Edited by Olga R. Kuharets. American Library Association, 2001.
Contributor, ” Developing the Spanish Children’s Collection” in Library Services for Latinos. Edited by Sal Guerena. McFarland, 2000.
Contributor, “Give them what they need: Library Services for Latino Children” in Library Services for Hispanic Youth.” Edited by Kathleen de la Peña McCook and Barbara Immroth, McFarland, 2000.
Reprinted in Whole Library Handbook: Current Data, Professional Advise, and Curiosa About Libraries and Library Services. Edited by George M. Eberhart. American Library Association, 2006.
Contributor, “Behind the Golden Door: The Latino Immigrant Child in Literature and Films for Children. In The New Press Guide to Multicultural Resources for Young Readers. Edited by Dahne Muse. New York: The New Press, 1997.
Co-author ” Mexican American’s Children’s Literature in the l990’s: Toward Authenticity” in Using Multiethnic Literature in the K-8 Classroom. Edited by Violet J. Harris. Christopher-Gordon Publishers, l997.
The Role of the Public Library in Lifelong Learning” in Teacher to Teacher: A professional’s Handbook for the Intermediate Classroom. D. C. Heath, 1995 and Teacher to Teacher: A professional’s Handbook for the Primary Classroom. D. C. Heath, l995.
“Through Our Eyes: Latino Video for Young People” in Videoforum: A Videography for Libraries- Latino Issue. Chicago: MacArthur Foundation Library Video Project, l994.
Contributor, Venture into Cultures: A Resource Book of Multicultural Materials and Programs. Chicago: American Library Association, l992
Contributing editor, Our Family, Our Friends, Our World: An Annotated Guide To Significant Multicultural Books for Children and Teenagers. New York: R.R. Bowker, l992.
“Pulling Together” In Images. Vol.3, No. 6: Cultures. D. C. Heath, l995
Compiler with Louise Yarian Zwick. Rimas y Cancioncitas Para Niños. Houston Public Library, l984.
With El Andar staff. Homenaje: Con su pluma en su mano. El Andar”. Vol. No. 3, Winter 1999.
“Justice in the Publishing Field: A Look at Multicultural Awards for Children’s Literature.” In Multicultural Review. Vol. 8 No. 2. June, l999.
“Behind the Golden Door: The Latino Immigrant Child in Literature and Films for Children“. Multicultural Review. Vole 4. No. 2. June, l995.
” Cesar Chavez and La Causa: Books for Children and Teenagers” in Multicultural Review, March, l995;
Para Niños” – Children’s Book Review Column, REFORMA Newsletter. 1994-1999..
With Louise Yarain Zwick. “Library Programs for Hispanic Children” in Texas Libraries. Spring, l989.
“Developing a Culture of Literacy through El día de los niños/El día de los libros” presented at World Conference of the International Board of Books for Young People. Santiago de Campostela, Spain. 2010. International conference theme: “The Strength of Minorities”.
Celebrate Dia’s Tenth Anniversary. Criticas Magazine Online. April 15, 2006.
Reading Matters. Coral Pasadena. Pasadena, Ca. A Project of the James Irvine Foundation.
Books for Hispanic Heritage Month – 08/01/2005 – It is a joy to prepare for Hispanic Heritage Month this September knowing that there are plenty of Spanish-language and bilingual titles to honor the breadth of culture and experience included in what it means to be Hispanic.
Pura Belpré Awards: Honoring Latino Work for Kids 05/01/2004. Criticas Magazine Online.