Deborah Gitlitz

Deborah Gitlitz is an experienced Youth and Community Outreach Librarian and consultant based in Portland, Oregon. She has worked in culturally and economically diverse public libraries for over 25 years. Bilingual in Spanish and English, Deborah is the founder of the statewide consortium Libros for Oregon, which helps the state’s small and rural libraries take advantage of the resources of the Guadalajara Book Fair through cooperative book-buying. 

Deborah is also co-creator of the free, research-based, K-3 afterschool literacy programming resource (with bilingual components), Fostering Readers. She consults for libraries and educators; offers early literacy staff training for the Oregon Registry of childcares; and served for many years as Storyteller for the nonprofit Portland Chamber Music. Deborah has been honored to serve on the prestigious selection committees for two of the “Oscars” of US youth literature: the 2022 national Caldecott Award and the 2026 Pura Belpré Award. Although she is home-based in Portland, since 2014 her family's other home has been in the village of Santa Cruz Etla, just outside Oaxaca City. Deborah’s extended family sponsors LPP together.