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Small Business Month: Filmmakers Charlie Batista and Sabian Orazi of Bad Eggs
Charlie Batista and Sabian Orazi are lifelong friends who started making movies together in middle school. Starting with short films for their friends, the pair started their own Youtube channel where these shorts gained traction and support from new fans. They now create feature length films under their production company Bad Eggs (@badeggs.official on Instagram),
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From the Director, May 2026
Build Your Business Expertise at Your Library May is Small Business Month, and your library offers classes, events and resources to help grow your business ideas. Whether you’re an established owner or just getting started, the Orange County Library System has tools to support you. Check out the business feature on pages 18–19 of the
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Sew Slay: Q&A with Breanna Covington, WWE’s Layla Diggs
May’s Books & Beyond cover photo features a library user you may recognize. Breanna Covington wrestles for WWE NXT as dancing diva Layla Diggs (find her on Instagram at @layladiggswwe). Breanna talked with OCLS about how using the Sewing Studio and taking sewing classes at the library has helped her build confidence, develop her character’s
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What Lies Ahead for the “Martini Club?”
A guest blog from author Tess Gerritsen Tess Gerritsen is an internationally best-selling author known for medical and crime thrillers including the Rizzoli & Isles series and her newest series The Martini Club including The Spy Coast, The Summer Guests and The Shadow Friends, coming August 2026. Hear more from her on April 24 at the 19th Annual Southwest Author Series presented by the Rotary Club of Dr. Phillips. *** 36
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Inside Questline: The Voice that Connects OCLS
Today we are celebrating “Library Workers Day” as part of National Library Week and giving you a look behind-the-scenes. At the Orange County Library System, Questline staff are the friendly voice on the other end of the phone and chat screen, helping customers connect to everything the library offers. As OCLS’s call center and customer
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Find Your Joy: National Library Week 2026
National Library Week is here! It’s an annual celebration of all the amazing ways libraries enhance their communities. This year’s theme is “Find Your Joy,” an enthusiastic invitation for everyone to appreciate what brings them joy at the library. How can you find your joy at OCLS? We’ve compiled a list to help you celebrate! Visit Your Local Branch And bring a friend! We have 15 locations plus two more on the way. Or,
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You BEE-long at the Library During National Library Week
A week-long library celebration is swiftly buzzing our way, and we want you to be a part of it! Every year, during National Library Week, we celebrate the power of libraries in transforming lives and strengthening communities across the country. Here at Orange County Library System, it’s a sweet opportunity for us to celebrate both
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Inside Market of Lights
Q&A with Artist Mansour Masse If you haven’t been to the Orlando Public Library in a while, here’s your sign to do so. Local artist Mansour Masse’s captivating artwork is now on display (and impossible to miss) throughout the 1st and 3rd floors. These incredibly lifelike paintings, crafted from acrylic on canvas, showcase a Market of Lights; in it portraying a vivid representation of Haitian culture with recognizable social themes and
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Launch Your Curiosity at UCF Celebrates the Arts
Downtown Orlando: the final frontier. Every spring, the Dr. Phillips Center is invaded by otherworldly talent when the UCF College of Arts and Humanities presents UCF Celebrates the Arts, a two-week cultural extravaganza. Showcasing the creative, innovative abilities of both faculty and students, this festival offers our community the chance to experience and engage with the bright minds and big ideas incubating at UCF. Part of the festival’s goal is to provide greater arts
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From the Director, April 2026
You Bee-long at Your Library Orange County Library System is dedicated to enriching lives through experiences and opportunities to learn, grow and connect. Our area is growing fast and to plan effectively for the future, we need your input on how you use your library and what you’d like to see moving forward. Visit surveyhero.com/c/OCLS
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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.
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