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Eatonville History Preservation Project 2025
Orange County Library System’s Eatonville Branch and eSTEAMed Learning recently unveiled the Eatonville History Preservation Project Quilt, a community-wide art project that brings together oral history and visual storytelling. The project is a result of a diligent effort to preserve the heritage, culture and legacy of the town of Eatonville. The quilt was created by…
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Orlando 150 – Wells’Built Hotel
Dr. William Monroe Wells, one of Orlando’s first African American physicians, operated with the mindset that care extended beyond his patient’s physical wellbeing to the wellbeing of the community as a whole – leading to long-term investments in the Parramore District’s infrastructure and economy. When he noticed African Americans visiting Orlando could not find lodging,…
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Orlando 150 – Land of 100 Lakes
Lakes and rivers are a defining characteristic of Orlando and The City Beautiful boasts more than 100 lakes within its limits. From the iconic Lake Eola, with its historic fountain and bevy of swans, to tiny Lake Dot, a freshwater lake covering just 5.42 acres, the beauty of our city’s lakes and adjacent greenspaces offers…
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Orlando 150: Orange Avenue
Orange Avenue has been one of Orlando’s most significant thoroughfares since the town’s incorporation 150 years ago in 1875. According to a business district map from 1885, the street was populated with several businesses including hotels, saloons, grocery and dry goods stores, bakeries, drug stores and more. Orlando was developing rapidly and by the late…
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From the Director, July 2025
Summer Fun at Your Library is One Tap Away It’s easier than ever to unlock all your library card has to offer with our new mobile app, now available for download in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Our new OCLS app makes it easy for customers to sign up for classes and…
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Pride: The Importance of Queer Stories
“I often wonder what I’d do if there weren’t any books in the world.” – James Baldwin, Giovanni’s Room Reading queer stories, whether it’s romance, or horror, or literary fiction, always feels like coming home. A place to rest, to unwind after a long day, and be truly, utterly myself. I find comfort in seeing…
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Embracing the Aloha Spirit: A Celebration of AANHPI Heritage Through Culture and Connection
As we wrap up celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, I find myself reflecting deeply on the values, traditions, and spirit that shaped my upbringing—especially those rooted in my Native Hawaiian heritage. I was raised with the tradition and heritage of the aloha spirit—not just as a greeting or a…
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Book Recommendations: Picture Books for Mental Health Awareness Month
Celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month with these amazing picture books! Explore a diverse array of neurodivergent experiences, and the unique challenges (and triumphs) that come with them. While many children’s titles address juvenile mental health issues broadly (for instance, personifying anxiety as a monster), the entries on this list deal more specifically with symptoms of…
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With Books, I Was Never Alone
For years, I was floating by. I hated this feeling especially when it was combined with my intense moods. Grounding tools felt impossible to use; because I was an independently minded teenager, creating and maintaining healthy habits that people would advise for my success was not something I’d taken seriously. However, in 2014, after a…
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Mindfulness: More than a Buzzword
Mindfulness plays a valuable role in my well-being. I find it all too easy to settle into a daily routine that, while comforting in its consistency, can also be draining. Through simple mindful practices, I can take stock of my feelings and recalibrate. Mindfulness is defined as a type of meditation that focuses on being…
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