Join the Committee
Thank you for your interest in the Spanish CLEL Bell Award Committee!
This committee is a wonderful opportunity to contribute to early literacy advocacy, gain experience working on an award committee, and build your resume!
We look for librarians or early childhood professionals passionate about children’s books for ages 0-5 and sharing early literacy with children and their caregivers, and who advocate, champion, and seek diversity in the books they share.
The application for the 2025 Selection Committee is now closed. The opportunity to apply to join the 2027 Selection Committee will open in 2026.
Follow CLEL on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), and become a CLEL Member to receive updates on the CLEL Bells. Please send any questions to spanishbellawards@gmail.com. Thank you!
Celebrate excellence in books written in Spanish that support early literacy!
Meet the Spanish CLEL Bell Committee
Carolina Saldivar (she/her/ella)
Co-Chair
Carolina Saldivar is a bilingual librarian at the Denver Public Library, Hadley branch. Loves living in Colorado and enjoys the winter. She helped create Vamos a Leer (Welcome to Reading) kits for the Denver Public Library focusing on reading motivation. Carolina was a member of the 2022 Pura Belpré Award Selection Committee. She enjoys traveling and visiting libraries when she is not working. This is her second year on the CLEL Bells and first on the Spanish.
Melanie Borski-Howard (she/her)
Co-Chair/Advisor
MELANIE BORSKI-HOWARD has over 25 years of library experience. She currently works at the Boulder Public Library in Colorado as a Youth Services Specialist where she does storytimes and participates in state wide Early Literacy Education systems. She has been reading stories to children for over 20 years. She has presented several training webinars including how to do Musical, Drag Queen, Virtual and Embracing Race in Storytimes. She has an on-demand storytime show, Read with Us, on the local TV Channel 8 in Boulder, Colorado. Melanie is a member of the Colorado and American Library Associations and CLEL (Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy) She also has co-authored the book: Storytime and Beyond: Having Fun with Early Literacy. This is her 4th year on the CLEL Bells and first on the Spanish.
Lilian Bucio
Lilian was born and raised in Mexico City. When she moved to the U.S. as an adult, the Boulder Public Library became her refuge. For 17 years she has worked in the library and early literacy has become her passion. During the last 9 years, she has been performing bilingual story-times and creating innovative Spanish conversation programs for kids. She now works as the Bilingual Outreach Coordinator for the Longmont Public Library, where she has continued creating and performing bilingual early literacy programs outdoors. Building a community through bilingual library outreach services is one of her favorite things in life; she serves her community to improve their quality of life. This is her second year on the CLEL Bells and first on the Spanish.
Kate Fitzpatrick (she/her)
Kate Fitzpatrick is a Bilingual Children’s and Teens’ Librarian for Longmont Public Library. She does weekly bilingual storytimes for preschool children, along with regular school visits and bilingual programs for families. Before working as a librarian, she taught Spanish and English. Kate is excited to share her love of languages, promote literacy, and share diverse books (in English and Spanish!). This is her second year on the CLEL Bells and first on the Spanish.
Carina Oliva Quiroz
Arapahoe Libraries
Rosina Revello de Garcia (she/hers/ella)
Rosina is currently the Youth Services Bilingual Library Specialist II at the Main library of Boulder Public Library District. She joined BPLD almost one year ago, after working for six years at Jefferson County Public Library. She was the Spanish teacher K-6 in traditional and Montessori schools in Douglas County for six years. Her work with children and families started in her native country of Uruguay, where as a poet, author and illustrator of children’s books, she was one of the founder members of IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People). She loves working with kids and families in a public library setting that respects diversity and inclusion. She also enjoys art, writing, reading, drawing, crafts, international films, nature and spending time with family. This is her first year on the CLEL Bells.
Karen Walker (she/her)
Has been an active ally to kids and families and the Spanish speaking community in Jefferson County Colorado for over 20 years as a teacher, librarian and volunteer. Sharing picture books from diverse perspectives in English and Spanish with our youngest learners is very important to her. She is very excited to join the CLEL Bell Selection Committee to continue to elevate her joy and knowledge of Children’s books and share that love of books with the children and families we all serve. When she isn’t immersed in books and Cuentancuentos story time outreach, she loves to ski, hike, mountain bike and nature journal wherever her travels take her. This is her second year on the Clel Bells and first on the Spanish.
