Commissioner's Corner: Finding a good book

Sometimes there is no greater pleasure than spending an afternoon reading a good book. I read as much as I can, particularly historical nonfiction books like “Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption” by Laura Hillenbrand. The book details the struggle of American airman Louis Zamperini who had to fight to survive alone in the heart of the Pacific Ocean following a plane crash during the Second World War. Another great book is Patrick D. Smith’s book “A Land Remembered.” This historical fiction novel chronicles three generation of a family that settled in Florida in the 1850s and gradually left their rural lifestyle behind as their success and wealth grew. It is one of my favorite books and a must read for every Florida resident. You can read great books like these and many others at one of the Orange County Library System’s many branches countywide.

Our library system has items for nearly every interest. Our library’s collection houses more than 1.7 million individual items including books, films, and periodicals. You can download e-books, music, videos and 250 magazines titles from the library’s website, ocls.info You can even have items dropped off at your doorstep free of charge. Simply check out items via the library website or by phone at 407-835-7323. To return an item, simply mail it back or drop it off at your nearest branch.

Orange County’s first public library – the Albertson Library – opened in 1920. Since then, the library system has expanded to 15 branches. The current main library in downtown Orlando was opened in 1966 and has grown to the size of a city block. The number of library branches has doubled since 1980 to meet the needs of Orange County’s ever growing population. Today, the library system has a staff of 350 and a budget of $35.3 million per year.

The library offers many other services as well. Our library system has the largest genealogy collection in the Southeastern United States. The library also runs the Orlando Memory archive to document stories, images, and personal recollections of Orlando residents of years past. The library hosts approximately 1,000 seminars and educational programs per month across all of its 15 locations ranging from arts and cultural events, activities for children and teens, technology classes, and musical programs. Earlier this month, the downtown library opened the Dorothy Lumley Melrose Center for Technology, Innovation & Creativity. The center provides hands on experience with audio and video recording and mixing, fabrication using a 3D printer, and various computer programs from QuickBooks to Photoshop.

The Orange County Library System has branches within easy reach of most District 5 residents. Residents of the northwestern part of the district, including Maitland, the west side of Winter Park, and College Park can access the Eatonville branch at 200 E. Kennedy Blvd. and the Edgewater branch at 5049 Edgewater Drive. Downtown, Baldwin Park, and southern Winter Park residents are within a short distance away from the downtown main library at 101 E. Central Blvd. and the Herndon Branch at 4324 E. Colonial Drive. Residents on the east side can visit the Alafaya branch at 12000 E. Colonial Drive. Additionally, both the City of Winter Park and the City of Maitland operate their own libraries, which offer similar services. They are located at 460 East New England Ave. in Winter Park, and 501 S. Maitland Ave. in Maitland, respectively.

With so many locations and programs available, I hope you will take advantage of all our public libraries have to offer. Our library is a symbol of Orange County’s commitment to improving the quality of life for our residents. If you need assistance finding your nearest library branch, obtaining a library card, or have any other questions or concerns about county government, please feel free to contact me or my staff, Edgar Robinson and Lynette Rummel. We can be reached at 407-836-7350 or by email at [email protected]