(Lit)erary
-
From the Director, February 2021
One positive thing that has come out of this pandemic has been some new opportunities available to us due to our extensive use of virtual programming. Orange County Library System used to be an entirely in-person operation – all of our events and programs happened at one of our 15 library locations. Now, though, we…
-
Six Facts About Braille for Braille Literacy Month
January is Braille Literacy Month, which also honors Louie Braille (born on January 4, 1809), creator of the braille system. Braille created this code system at the age of 12 after an accident left him blind at three-years-old. He discovered a French military code called “night writing” that allowed soldiers to communicate in darkness without having…
-
Barbershop Books Fosters Reading Among Young Black Boys
Alvin Irby was getting a haircut when inspiration struck. One of his students was also at the barbershop, clearly bored. “He should be practicing his reading,” Alvin thought to himself. That thought led to Barbershop Books. The non-profit leverages the cultural significance of barbershops in Black communities by placing bookshelves, stocked with books geared toward…
-
The Book Nerd Community Thrives on Instagram
One of the benefits of social media is being able to find people with the same interest as you, and, let’s face it, reading can often feel like a solitary habit. Type “bookstagram” into the search bar on Instagram and you’ll uncover a worldwide bibliophile community that not only embraces reading but does so with…
-
Best Books Of The Year, as Chosen by a 3 and 6-Year-Old
I have two very opinionated readers. The eldest, L, has helped me make these lists the past two years. The youngest, M, is now joining the blogging game and is excited to share her favorite books that were published in 2020. As noted in previous years, these are favorites as chosen by my children –…
-
Top 10 Circulating Titles of 2020
From modern classics, to the latest in popular fiction, Orange County Library System customers read a surprisingly diverse selection of titles in 2020. Here were the most popular checkouts from across the system this year: 1. Where the Crawdads Sing / Delia Owens Originally published in 2018, Delia Owens’ sprawling novel, Where the Crawdads Sing continues…
-
Preschool Fun: Snowmen!
Do you want to build a snowman? I do! Let’s go have some fun! These activities are based on Every Child Ready to Read, which helps our friends learn pre-reading skills. We’ll cover Reading, Writing, Talking, Singing and Playing. TALKING: What color are snowmen? What are they made from? What is on their heads?…
-
#OCLSReads: 2021 Early Childhood Literacy Calendars
Now available! Our 2021 Early Learning Calendar, which includes twelve months of learning activities, book lists and nursery rhymes. One side has a calendar with a fun skills-building activity for every day of the month, and the other contains supplementary content like nursery rhymes, early literacy tips, song lyrics and suggested reading material. Scan the provided QR…
-
Great Short Story Collections to Keep You Occupied
In a variety of contexts, storytellers are obligated to provide readers, or audiences, with engrossing tales of struggle, love, tragedy, comedy and horror. Some storytellers write these stories within the span of 400 pages while other writers choose to write these same types of stories in less than 100 pages. In either case, the result is…
-
Our History Speaks Volumes: Bookmobile
On November 22 1949, Orlando Public Library, in partnership with Sorosis Club of Orlando, unveiled Orange County’s first mobile library: A $6,000 Studebaker bus uniquely equipped to deliver library services to the outlying areas of Orange County. At the time, there were only three library locations within the county, and they were mostly centralized to the…
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 media DIY family fees film recommendations friends of the library from the director guest writer history holds home delivery interview library library staff local wanderer melrose center mobile movies music music national library week our history speaks volumes OverDrive preschool reading requesting reservations searching summer reading program YA books
