1. News Release Contact:
Lina A. Belkewitch, Coordinator
Public Relations and Community Outreach
February 26, 2016 973-266-7057 fax: 973-675-6128
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE lbelkewitch@eopl.org
East Orange Librarian Wins National Scholarship
East Orange – East Orange Public Library’s (EOPL) Teen and Social Media Librarian
Christina Vortia, of Orange, NJ, is one of five recipients of American Library Association’s 2016
EBSCO/ALA Annual Conference Sponsorship Award. As such, Vortia was able to use the award
to defray costs to recently attend the ALA Midwinter Conference in Boston. The goal of the
award is to help facilitate the rich opportunities for professional development and networking that
the conference offers librarians.
As part of the application process, the librarians were asked to write an essay to explain
how attending the conference would contribute to their professional development. Applications
were judged by an ALA-designated jury. The scholarship recipients were honored by EBSCO and
ALA representatives at a breakfast during the conference.
Christina Vortia, who received her Master of Science in Library and Information Science
(MLIS) from Pratt Institute, was recently nominated to the ALS’s Young Adult Library Services
Association’s (YALSA) 2017 Printz Award Committee which recognizes the best titles in young
adult literature in a given calendar year. Committee Members must have strong interpersonal
skills, good analytical skills, the highest level of ethics and integrity, an ability to work year-round
in a virtual environment, and good time management and organizational skills.
Prior to joining EOPL, Vortia was the Youth Services Librarian for the Orange Public
Library and a Library Associate for the New York Institute of Technology. Besides her work at
EOPL Vortia is the creator of Hype Lit, a fresh hip book review site with programming and
professional development tools for librarians in the Greater New York City Area. She also leads
the Uptown Girls Harlem Book Club where she organizes monthly book discussions at various
venues throughout NYC.
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit professional organization of more
than 57,000 librarians, library trustees, and other friends of libraries dedicated to providing and
improving library services and promoting the public interest in a free and open information
society.
EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) is the preeminent provider of online research
content for libraries, including hundreds of research databases, historical archives, point-of-care
medical reference, and corporate learning tools serving millions of end users at tens of thousands
of institutions. They are the leading provider of electronic journals & books for libraries, with
subscription management for more than 360,000 serials, including more than 57,000 e-journals, as
well as online access to more than 700,000 e-books. EBSCO is dedicated to supporting the library
community around the world and maintains a long tradition of co-sponsoring scholarships to ALA
conferences that provide funds for conference registration, travel, and expenses.
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2. Photo Caption Contact:
Lina A. Belkewitch, Coordinator
Public Relations and Community Outreach
February 26, 2016 973-266-7057 fax: 973-675-6128
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE lbelkewitch@eopl.org
East Orange Librarian Wins National Scholarship
East Orange – East Orange Public Library’s (EOPL) Teen and Social Media Librarian
Christina Vortia, of Orange, NJ, is one of five recipients of American Library Association’s 2016
EBSCO/ALA Annual Conference Sponsorship Award. As such, Vortia was able to use the award
to defray costs to recently attend the ALA Midwinter Conference in Boston. The goal of the
award is to help facilitate the rich opportunities for professional development and networking that
the conference offers librarians.
A gateway to knowledge, the East Orange Public Library helps people of all ages meet
their informational, educational, and recreational needs through professionally selected print and
non-print resources. For further information about this and other programs, please visit the Web at
www.eopl.org, or contact the Adult Services Department at 973-266-7049.
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