As the Orange County Library System turns 100, the library finds its mission is still as relevant as ever, even in an ever-changing, fast-paced digital world.
While OCLS has been celebrating its centennial all year, the public library system marks its official anniversary on Nov. 8 with free cookies for visitors at all branches (while supplies last) and the option to wish the library a happy birthday with handwritten cards.
In Orange County, the library system now includes 15 branches serving 1.5 million people, who circulated 3.3 million items and downloaded 2.6 million items in the last year, plus 430,000 items delivered to doorsteps.
But this massive community service began with the support of Orange County voters and a New York police inspector, Capt. Charles Albertson, who donated his personal library of nearly 12,000 books to the City of Orlando. Soon after, Orlando had its first Black librarian, Eddie T. Jackson, at the Booker T. Washington Branch.
“We opened our doors on Nov. 8, 1923, as the Albertson Public Library. It was right at the same spot that the library is in now,” said Erin Sullivan, the chief marketing and public relations officer for OCLS. “It was made possible because the voters of Orlando voted to have a publicly-supported, taxpayer-funded library.”
In 1966, as Orlando was growing, architect John Johansen designed and built the Brutalist library that still sits at the corner of Rosiland Avenue and East Central Boulevard, which was expanded in the 1980s to occupy an entire city block.
“It was controversial, but it was also a big deal. It was modern and new in downtown Orlando. It was kind of cutting-edge at the time,” Sullivan said.
As the decades went on, the library system marked other milestones and expansions in service, such as home delivery, which began in the 1970s, and free internet access at all locations by the mid-1990s.
Today, the library remains focused on books but also on a range of services such as career support, ESOL classes for people to learn English and a “Local Wanderer” program that provides cardholders with free admission to local cultural institutions. In the last year or two, OCLS has eliminated fines for overdue materials and created a special library card for children living in group homes.
Thanks to a $100,000 donation from the Sorosis of Orlando Women’s Club, the system is finding new ways to meet people where they are through book bikes and a new planned bookmobile.
“Looking at our future, we have a new community engagement department which is going out to senior centers, Head Starts and hospitals,” Sullivan said. “We’re working hard to be out there in the community so more people can take advantage of what we have to offer.”
To learn more, visit ocls.info.
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