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  • Book with "women" scratched out of title to read "Great Artists" next to a red, pink and black collage in the style of Lee Krasner

    Lee Krasner: Not a Peripheral Talent

    I love hosting art programs at Alafaya. I like profiling artists that aren’t often taught in schools. Kids have heard of Picasso and da Vinci, but do they know Lee Krasner? Krasner may be one of my favorite artists, and I wasn’t even aware of her until several years ago. Born Lena Krassner in Brooklyn…

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  • Green Girl Scout vest with embroidered patches

    Juliette Gordon Low’s Impact on Generations as founder of Girl Scouts of the USA

    Throughout my life, I have been inspired by many women, but two stand out above the rest—Juliette Gordon Low and my mother, Phyllis Hall. These two remarkable women have not only shaped my worldview but also motivated me to work with the next generation of young girls. Juliette Gordon Low, known as Daisy, was a…

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  • three Julia Child books fanned out on background of food item drawings

    Julia Child, Teaching America to Cook

    For Women’s History Month this year, I’m presenting a children’s cooking program on Julia Child. In preparing for the program, I learned so much about her fascinating life! She grew up in California in the early 1900s, attending boarding school and playing sports. When World War II broke out, she tried to enlist in the…

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  • From the Director, March 2025

    From the Director, March 2025

    Women’s History is Our History March is Women’s History Month and what better place than your library to discover and celebrate the stories of great women all month long. This year’s theme is “Moving Forward Together! Women Educating & Inspiring Generations.” OCLS is a treasury of resources – if you want to chat about a…

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  • Q&A with Women in the Arts, Inc. Purple background with silhouette of a woman's face filled with a painting of flowers.

    Q&A with Women in the Arts, Inc.

    Women in the Arts, Inc. will host its annual event, the Women in the Arts Expo, March 29 in the Melrose Center at Orlando Public Library. We spent some time with founder Maria Guerrero to talk about the organization, the Expo and the broad impact her organization has in the Central Florida arts community. Tell…

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  • Black woman wearing glasses pulls book from cart with books by Black and African American authors

    The Best Time to Read Black Literature

    So many little things have become intrinsic to me as a person through reading. There are lines that I quote daily. There are passages I tear up just thinking about. There are words that have become essential to my vocabulary. I can barely begin to express in words how much reading has changed my life.…

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  • Woman holds book "Aphrodite and the Duke" next to her face in front of green background

    Book Recommendation: “Aphrodite and the Duke” by JJ McAvoy

    I judge books by their cover. I know it is not what people should do, but when you have worked at as many bookstores and libraries as I have you start to know what will capture your attention. That is how I discovered Aphrodite and the Duke by JJ McAvoy. When I saw Aphrodite and…

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  • Drawing of a Victorian-era woman standing on pedestrian walkway of Brooklyn Bridge, facing the towers

    Brooklyn’s Bridge: a Victorian Woman in a Man’s World

    Featuring all Orlando talent for 17-performance show run in February 2025  Join us for the world premiere of Brooklyn’s Bridge, a new musical.  Following a workshop performance at Illinois State University in October 2019, a development production at Montclair State University in July 2021 and concert performances at Dr. Phillips Center in January 2024, Brooklyn’s Bridge is…

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  • Black Librarianship is Black History

    This year, as we focus on the theme of African Americans and Labor set by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), the Founders of Black History Month, we reflect on how African Americans contributed to vocations across the workforce. Whether through agriculture or service-led industries, education or entrepreneurship, Black…

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  • Photograph of a blood pressure monitor attached to a mans arm over a blue background.

    Libraries With Heart Brings Orange County Residents Vital Health Resources 

    When you think about your local library branch, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Maybe it’s engaging storytimes with toddlers, a book club for romance fans or an after-school language program. Orange County Library System (OCLS) offers all these great programs and many more, but did you know you can use your library…

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