from the director
-
From the Director, April 2024
Every April during National Library Week, we try to share with you the value that libraries bring to the community. From books to programs to meeting spaces to experiences, we provide an awful lot of stuff for a wide range of people. But this National Library Week, I want to focus the conversation on you…
-
From the Director, March 2024
Every year, Orange County Library System holds a Staff Development Day in November, where we bring everyone together to learn, network and get to know their colleagues. A big part of the day is celebrating milestones. We’re lucky to have a lot of staff who’ve made working for the library not just a job, but…
-
From the Director, February 2024
If you’ve been reading Books & Beyond over the past year, you’ve heard us talk a lot about diversity and inclusion. In the past year, we have placed an emphasis on making sure that everyone knows that they belong at the library. We want to meet people where they are, no matter their stage in…
-
From the Director, December 2023
When we kicked off our 100 Year Celebration on January 7, we promised you that a few good things were on the way: mobile services, programs in the community so people who can’t get to a library can still take advantage of what we have to offer, and a commitment to elevating community conversations with fun and…
-
From the Director, November 2023
This year, we’ve focused a lot on what our library system can do to be more supportive of our community. We want to be involved and engaged with those doing good things around us. So, when we learned that Orange County was open to having us participate in the annual Mayor’s Holiday Toy Drive, a…
-
From the Director, October 2023
In 2021, we were looking for a unique way to mark an interesting occasion: the 100th anniversary of a huge book donation by Captain Charles Albertson to the city of Orlando, which helped accelerate the progress the city was making toward the establishment of our first public library system. We thought it would be fun…
-
From the Director, September 2023
While doing some research on what OCLS was like in the 1990s, I learned something new: The first issue of Books & Beyond was published in 1996, which makes the magazine 27 years old. The first issue was a simple black-and-white newsletter, just four pages long, consisting of a few program listings, a story about…
-
From the Director, August 2023
On January 7, when we officially kicked off our 100 Year Celebration, we shared the news that Sorosis of Orlando Woman’s Club had donated $100,000 to help us bring mobile services back to Orange County. We’re using that money to support the purchase of book bikes and a bookmobile that can help us get books,…
-
From the Director, July 2023
This year, the library’s home delivery service turns 50 years old. It was launched in 1973 by former Library Director Glenn Miller, who was looking for a way to make library service more accessible for people in the county. The library had a bookmobile, but it was aging and the county was growing – it…
-
From the Director, June 2023
I grew up in rural northeast Pennsylvania. When I was a kid, my access to the library was limited to school or visiting a bookmobile. As a result, I feel like I missed out on a lot of opportunities to discover the world through books. I didn’t get to experience the journeys they can take…
About
From book recommendations to pop culture discussions, the Orange County Library System wants you to join the conversation with library staff about the world around us.
Featured Blog Posts
Tags
100 year celebration account activities adult fiction author author interview authors black history month book recommendations books checked out items children children's books computers crafts digital digital media DIY family fees film recommendations from the director great american read guest writer history holds home delivery international year of peace and trust interview library library staff melrose center mobile movies music music national library week our history speaks volumes OverDrive preschool reading requesting searching summer reading program YA books