Celebrate 100 Years with Orange County Library System

In 2023, Orange County Library System (OCLS) celebrates 100 years of service to the community! All year long, they will be hosting special events and programs that illuminate the Library’s history and enhance its present.

The year-long celebration kicks off Saturday, January 7, 10:30am – 5pm with a rededication ceremony and ribbon cutting by local elected officials. The celebration takes place at the Orlando Public Library in downtown Orlando at 101 E. Central Blvd., and continues all day with music, refreshments and a variety of activities that you and your family can explore.

View the 100 Year Celebration Kickoff Event Details

OCLS will host a wide variety of events throughout the year including programs that spotlight things like 100 years or art, books, foods, crafts and much more including the rich, 100-year history of library itself. In-person and online classes are available.

Three Library Pop-Up Family Storytime events are already scheduled for 2023! Plan to bring the whole family because Storytime offers an opportunity for families to gather with fun stories that are designed for all ages to enjoy together.

Mark your calendar! The first event is Citrus Storytime, presented by OCLS and Citrus Church at 10am on Thursday, January 19 at The Grovehouse, located at 14393 Bridgewater Crossings Blvd. Suite 130. Pre-registration is encouraged to ensure we have enough supplies for all participants. 

After that, the next Horizon West Pop Up Storytime events are planned to be held on Saturdays, March 25^th, April 22^nd, and May 27^th at 10:30AM at the Waterleigh clubhouse located at 16150 Pebble Bluff Loop. No registration is required.

OCLS staff is steadfastly working on bringing the Horizon West branch to life! Several meetings have taken place with the architects, Borrelli & Partners, and the construction team, HJ High, to discuss library’s programmatic requirements, design, and LEED certification. Because the Horizon West library branch will be located within a county park, OCLS has also been working with Orange County Parks & Recreation for approval on a site plan. Currently, the architect team is working on the design plan.

The Horizon West library branch will be 20,000 square feet. It will have three large meeting rooms. One will be 1,500 square feet, and the other two will be 750 square feet. The goal is that the rooms will be able to be combined into one large meeting room of 3,000 square feet, making it flexible enough to accommodate larger groups when requested. The meeting rooms will also have access to an outdoor area. 

Also planned are two small study rooms of 400 square feet each, and two training rooms where the library can host classes and events. 

One special highlight of this branch is that it will have an outdoor stage with a grassy seating area to host large events and outdoor programming. It will be the first branch to feature such an expansive outside area dedicated to library events.

To learn more about the Horizon West Library as well as OCLS services that are available to you today including home delivery and the Horizon West book drop, visit www.horizonwestmagazine.com/library