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DIY Film Festival: Valentine’s Day
“The sight of lovers feedeth those in love” – William Shakespeare, As You Like It It’s February, again, which means love is all around us. Typically, Valentine’s Day is defined by roses and chocolates. But in the Florida heat, flowers wilt, chocolate melts, and all things end under heaven. So instead, why not…
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5 Questions with Beverly Jenkins
Beverly Jenkins is a bestselling author of historical and contemporary romance novels, most often focusing on 19th Century African American life. She has received multiple awards including the 2017 Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award from Romance Writers of America – her moving and inspiring acceptance speech can be found on her website. Beverly was also…
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Window World of Central Florida Donates $50,000 to Support OCLS Summer Reading Program
Window World of Central Florida, a locally owned provider of window and door replacement based in Orlando, has donated $50,000 to Orange County Library System in support of its annual Summer Reading Program. The donation will help the library provide learning opportunities to children of all ages and promote literacy to thousands of children living in Orange…
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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…
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Preschool Fun: Snow!
It rarely snows in Florida, but that doesn’t mean we can’t pretend! 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 is snow? Where does it come from? What color is it? READING: Read any…
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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…
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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…
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Our History Speaks Volumes: Captain Albertson’s Gift
One hundred years ago, a private citizen donated his personal library to the City of Orlando. The rest is history. The year 1921 was an important one for Orlando: Before Disney World had made Central Florida a landmark tourist destination, Orlando was an up-and-coming city whose growth was fueled primarily by citrus farming. In that year,…
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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…
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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 –…
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