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(Lit)erary

  • From the Director April 2019

    From the Director, April 2019

    Libraries equal strong communities.  That’s the theme of this year’s National Library Week, a national initiative sponsored by the American Library Association to encourage people to celebrate the contributions libraries (and library workers) make that help shape the world we live in.  Think, for a moment, what libraries do for those around you. They give…

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  • A Conversation with Melanie Benjamin, 14th Annual Southwest Author Series

    14th Annual Southwest Author Series: A Conversation with Melanie Benjamin, author of Mistress of the Ritz

    Melanie Benjamin has captivated readers with her bestselling historical novels, including The Aviator’s Wife, The Swans of Fifth Avenue, and The Girls in the Picture. And, she is about to do it again. Benjamin’s forthcoming Mistress of the Ritz tells the compelling story of the extraordinary real-life American woman who secretly worked for the French…

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  • oclsreads_EARLYliteracy-02

    #OCLSReads: Early Childhood Literacy Calendars

    The Public Library Association (PLA) has developed a new product designed to boost early childhood literacy programming in libraries, schools and daycare centers. PLA’s 2019 Early Childhood Literacy Activity Calendar is now available for Orange County Library System customers. Based on the core practices of Every Child Ready to Read @ Your Library, PLA’s parent-education initiative, the publication emphasizes…

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  • From the Director March 2019

    From the Director, March 2019

    When you think of the library, what comes to mind? Perhaps you think of it as the place you visited as a child, where you learned to sit quietly while you listened to adults reading you stories. Maybe you think of it as the place you went in college to escape the din of your…

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  • Eating Healthy Never Tasted So Good!

    Eating Healthy Never Tasted So Good!

    At the end of 2018, I attended a pot-luck dinner party with some friends. The majority of us brought holiday favorites such as casseroles, cheese platters, sugar cookies, etc. One of the guests at the party brought what I assumed to be a delicious platter of buffalo chicken bites. After asking her how she made them,…

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  • Book to Big Screen

    Sense and Sensibility: Book to Big Screen

    Which book was the first to be adapted to film is the matter of surprising debate and we’ll leave the curious to venture down that internet wormhole on their own. It is a safe bet, though, that from even that first film adaptation in the late 1800s, people were discussing whether the film or the…

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  • OCLSReads for Black History Month

    #OCLSReads For Black History Month

    Try as I might, I simply cannot recall an instance when I was ever not reading a book. Reading is one of my favorite forms of relaxation, and with it being Black History Month, I believe it’s a superb way to celebrate the occasion. While I am unquestionably a proud proponent for diversity and inclusion…

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  • top 10 checkouts-01

    Top 10 Books Checked Out From The Library in 2018

    This year was a popular year for fiction at the Orange County Library System. From fiction veterans such as David Baldacci (who spoke at the library earlier this year) to the breakout thriller The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, the interests of readers were diverse in style but decidedly committed to…

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  • Best Picture Books of the Year, as Chosen by a 4-Year-Old

    The Best Picture Books of the Year, as Decided by a 4-Year-Old

    My four-year-old loves books. We read up to five before bed, and several more during the day. As penalty for the audacity of having a full-time job, I’m required to bring her home at least three books a day. I guess it’s a good thing I’m a librarian.  As the year ends, there are many…

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  • Follow Your Heart

    Follow Your Heart

    “There are only two ways to live your life,” Einstein said. “One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” I’m in the latter group and my mantra is, “Everything happens for a reason.” Sometimes I can’t see it right away, but eventually when the dust has settled and I have…

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Your Library Has a Fresh New App!

Discover a new way to experience your library with the OCLS app – a gateway to a world of books, music, events and more wherever you are. Download it today! >

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Independence Day Closure

Orange County Library System will be closed Friday, July 4, in observance of Independence Day. The library system will resume normal business hours on Saturday, July 5. View a complete list of holiday closures >