Breaking New Ground on the Future of Orange County Library System
Just a couple of weeks ago, we were delighted to have been asked by the City of Orlando to participate in the groundbreaking ceremony for the Southeast Government Center in Lake Nona. That center is going to be the site for the new Lake Nona Branch library, which we’ve been planning ever since the city offered to work with us to help make the new library a reality.
Well, weather in Florida in the fall being what it is, our groundbreaking plans were stormed out when Hurricane Milton all but shut most of Florida down in early October. As a result, we don’t have celebratory photos from the event to share with you this month, but we do have some artist renderings of how the branch is starting to take shape. While the details are still subject to change, here’s what we have in store:
Technology and space will be our inspiration. Each of those bright, colorful windows you see in the branch exterior renderings represents a punch card (sometimes called an IBM card), which stored data via a series of holes punched into paper cards used in early computers. We think it’s a cool way to remind people just how far we’ve come in our technological advances.
Our children’s area and plaza will be space themed and will feature interactive elements for kids to explore and facilitate their learning. The outdoor plaza will have a shaded stage, perfect for outdoor programming and activities for families. And we also plan to have plenty of meeting spaces in the branch for programs, activities and public use.
In the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing more details about the branch as they come together. We will share photos, renderings and updates on our website, social media, blog and in Books & Beyond to keep you informed as we make progress.
Speaking of progress – we also have some exciting news for Horizon West residents. A groundbreaking for that location is now scheduled for November 13, so we hope to have more news for your community soon, too. If you live in Horizon West or Lake Nona, and you want to have updates about your location delivered to your inbox, sign up to be subscribed to one of our e-newsletters, which we expect to be launching soon. All you have to do is visit ocls.org/enewsletters.
