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  • How Ali Learned English With The Library

    How Ali Learned English With The Library

    Did you know the Orlando Public Library is now offering English from Zero? Located in the heart of downtown, the location will offer the course on Sundays starting June 9. English from Zero is a basic English course for speakers of other languages, no matter the language. To give you a little more insight on

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  • Melrose in the Mix

    Melrose in the Mix

    Melrose in the Mix is a live recording session held regularly in the Melrose Center. The series began in April 2017 with a session by Swamp Sistas, a society of women singer/songwriters led by popular roots musician Beth McKee. Since then we’ve hosted 17 sessions, with acts ranging from local hip-hop standouts E-Turn and Sean

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  • From the Director May 2019

    From the Director, May 2019

    I want to take a minute to tell you about the Friends of the Orange County Library System. They’re an all-volunteer nonprofit organization that exists to help fund library programs that aren’t covered by our budget. They are the organization that runs our bookstore and gift shop, helps coordinate our volunteer program and funds the

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  • How to Find Books For a 1-Year-Old

    #OCLSReads: How To Find Books for a 1-Year-Old

    Last year I wrote a post from my 4-year-old’s perspective, listing her top books of the year. Today I’m bringing you some of my 1-year-old’s favorites, and this was inspired by several interactions. As a librarian, many parents ask me for book recommendations, specifically for babies/toddlers who aren’t interested in books yet. They don’t take

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  • 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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  • FB_NationalLibraryWeek-01

    7 Ways to Participate in National Library Week

    “To build up a library is to create a life,” Argentinian author Carlos María Domínguez once said. “It’s never just a random collection of books.” When you take a look at the Orange County Library System and the communities we serve, you get some sense of what Domínguez means. This month we celebrate National Library

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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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  • From the Director

    From the Director: February 2019

    It has been 30 years since the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English came up with the idea to sponsor an African-American Read-In. The event, held each year during Black History Month, highlights the contributions of African-American authors to literature. Since the NCTE adopted the concept, the African-American Read-In has gained

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  • English Classes for Families

    English Classes for Families: NOW at Chickasaw

    English Classes for Families was a new series offered last year at the North Orange Branch thanks in large part to funding from the Florida Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities. This series was designed to develop English skills for the whole family. Over the course of the series, bilingual teachers help parents and children work on

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  • From the Director Header-01

    From the Director, January 2019

    Every new year is an opportunity to learn, grow and connect to the world around you – a chance to set new goals and look forward to the future.  The start of the new year is exciting, but it can also be overwhelming. Whether you’ve got a list of resolutions a mile long, or you

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