Memories
Organizations
Osceola County Library Service
The Osceola County Library began in 1914 when a group of Kissimmee ladies donated $52 each to fund a library. Using their donations along with additional funds collected from other citizens, the Hart Memorial Public Library was built.
For over...
Organizations
Albertson Public Library Accession Books
ACCESSION BOOKS
Prior to the advent of computers all the books in a library were recorded in large books called accession books.
The original accession books from the Albertson Public Library still exist. They contain entries for every book added to...
Organizations
OCLS Home Delivery - BBM to MAYL
OCLS Home Delivery by Jim Myers
Photo used to promote the new Books by Mail program.
BBM - Books By Mail
The OCLS books-by-mail program (BBM) was initiated in 1974. At the time, the Library’s presence in Orange County consisted of the Orl...
Places
The Children's Library Through the Years
The Children's Library in Downtown Orlando
The Albertson Public Library 1923 - 1964
When the Albertson Public Library opened on November 8, 1923, the Children's Room was located on the ground floor or basement on the east side of the bu...
Organizations
Library Storytellers Through the Years
ABOVE: Photo of Children's Library staff in the basement around 1994. Standing: Gregg Gronlund, Charlie Hoeck, and Christi Cohen. Sitting: Crystal Sullivan, Stefani Koorey, Sue Wright, Carolyn Rosenblum, and Jane Tracy.
Storytime at the Library
Storytell...
Places
OPL Expansion Plans and Construction Photos 1982-1985
ABOVE: April 20, 1983, looking Northeast with the 1966 OPL in the top right corner.
Expansion of the 60,000 square foot 1966 Orlando Public Library was planned even before it opened on August 7, 1966, however, the people of Orlando probably...
People
Dorothy Field - Library Director 1995-2001
Dorothy W. Field – Library Director 1995-2001
Olive Brumbaugh was the first director of the Albertson Public Library, serving from 1923-1943, followed by Clara Wendel who served as director of the Albertson then the Orlando Public Library from 1943-1970...
Places
Children's Department Scrapbook 1924-1930
Above: Santa, children and his two polar bears, Christmas Story Hour, December 24, 1927.
Children's Story Hour Scrapbook 1924-1930
An over 90-year old scrapbook that bears the scars from years of handling, no air conditioning, and ceiling leaks, documents chil...
Organizations
Books and Beyond 1996-1999
Early publications of the Orange County Library System and the Friends of the Library include Footnotes, the Friends of the Library Newsletter, and Books and Beyond. Simple versions of Books and Beyond (2000-2004) blossomed through the years with the first...
Uncategorized
Orlando Magazine - The first years
The first edition of the Orlando Magazine was published in July 1922 by the Orlando Chamber of Commerce. The first twelve issues of the magazine were bound and presented to the Albertson Public Library prior to its opening in November...
Places
Young Adult Department 1960s -1980s
ABOVE: The Young Adult Department on the first floor in the area now known as the porch or clock area in the Children's Department.
1960s
The Orlando Public Library opened to the public in August 1966, with 60,000 square feet of space...
Topics
Footnotes 1966-1970
Footnotes
Footnotes was a monthly publication presenting "Items of interest from the Orlando Public Library and Orange County Library System." Items of interest included news about library services, branches, staff and volunteers, along with a calendar of eve...
Organizations
Minutes of the Albertson Public Library Board of Directors 1923-1932
ABOVE: Albertson Public Library photo by Dixie Studio pasted on the back of the first page in the 1923-1930 minutes book.
Albertson Public Library Board of Directors
The minutes of the meetings of the Board of Directors of the Albertson Public Library...
Places
Orlando Public Library Expansion 1982-1986
OPL Expansion from 60,000 to 290,000 square feet!
From APL to OPL
The Orlando Public Library was dedicated on Sunday, August 7, 1966, replacing the old Albertson Public Library which opened to the public on November 8, 1923. Compared to the old...
Organizations
OCLS Branches - Then and Now
ABOVE: South Trail Library circa 1982.
Orange County Library System Branch Libraries in 1993
Beginning in February 1993, the Friends of the Library Newsletters featured one of the eleven branches each month. The January 1993 newsletter announced the year-long ...
Topics
Friends of the Library Newsletters 1980 -1996
The Orlando Public Library Footnotes and the Friends of the Library Newsletters are the ancestors of the library's current monthly magazine, Books and Beyond.
As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the library in 2023, these publications preserve the his...
Organizations
OCLS Extension Department 1966 - 1983
ABOVE: Arnold Sobel at the Northgate Library in 1983.
OCLS Extension Department Scrapbook
Photographs of employees who worked in the Extension Department and the library Annex from 1966 to 1983, were collected and carefully and lovingly arranged in a scrapbo...
Places
OPL Under Construction 1964-1966
ABOVE: Photo taken December 1, 1965, looking southeast from the AT&T building on Wall Street. Notice how close the new library is to the former Salvation Army Citadel in the lower right corner of the photo. Also, visible is the...
People
Olive Brumbaugh - Orlando's Librarian 1923-1943
The Duties of the Head Librarian
The duties of the “librarian” enumerated in Article IX of the library’s Articles of Incorporation (pp. 3-4) indicate that, in addition to serving as a librarian, the person hired as head librarian oversaw all departm...
Events
Albertson Library Staff Party - December 1963
Former staff at the Albertson Public Library were invited to a staff Christmas party on December 14, 1963. The date is significant because in September 1964, the Albertson library was demolished to make way for the new Orlando Public Library....
Places
Albertson Public Library Blueprints
On February 21, 1922, the city of Orlando held a bond election for funds to build a public library and other municipal improvements. The vote was 155 against and 446 in favor!
PLANS APPROVED - BIDS SOUGHT
The May 13, 1922, Orlando...
Events
Pull for the library! - 1980 Campaign for Library Expansion
1980 Campaign for Library Expansion
Pull for the Library!
After expecting a library expansion millage referendum to be on the ballot "any time now" since 1976, the measure was finally put before voters in the Orange County, Florida, district served by the...
Events
Orlando Public Library Dedication 1966
From APL to OPL
After decades of waiting, construction of the new Albertson Public Library began in October 1964. In May 1965, it was decided that the name of the new library would be the Orlando Public Library. Read a memo...
Organizations
Library Scrapbook - January 1945 to January 1949
Library Scrapbook - January 1945 to January 1949
A fragile scrapbook with treasures from January 1945 to January 1949 was recently found and scanned to preserve its contents. Newspaper clippings, flyers, brochures, and photographs paint a vivid picture of the ...
Organizations
Annual Reports - From Albertson Public Library to OCLS - 1923 to 1979
Above: Cover of the 1960-1961 Annual Report with an actual library card attached.
Annual Reports
The annual reports for the Albertson Public Library run the gamut from simple small reports produced in the 1930s during the financial crisis, to more elaborate re...
Organizations
Albertson Public Library - Books and More
ABOVE: "A Woman's War Record" donated by Captain Charles Albertson.
When the Albertson Public Library opened to the public in November 1923, most of the books in the collection were gifts from individuals and organizations. A number of books were also...
Organizations
Albertson Public Library - Financial Crisis
Financial Crisis
Correspondence, financial statements, newspaper clippings and annual reports indicate that the library encountered financial difficulties after the stock market crash in October 1929.
In a letter dated June 5, 1929, Librarian Olive Brumbaugh ...
Organizations
Albertson Public Library - In the beginning 1921-1931
ABOVE: Postcard of the Albertson Public Library at 165 East Central Avenue at the corner of Central and Rosalind.
Offer Made and Agreement Signed
On November 10, 1921, Captain Charles L. Albertson, a winter resident of Orlando and a retired Police Inspector f...
Organizations
Albertson Public Library - Furnishings 1923
The Library Bureau
Library Bureau catalog pages, blue prints, orders, and correspondence provide an interesting look at the process of choosing the furnishings for the new library.
Captain Albertson appears to have made the first contact with the Library B...
Organizations
Albertson Public Library - Monthly Reports 1923-1931
Above: Photograph of the 1923 Albertson Public Library.
Monthly Reports November 1923 - December 1931
The Albertson Public Library staff first welcomed Orange County residents to their new library on November 8, 1923.
Beginning that month, a monthly repor...
People
Glenn F. Miller - Library Director 1970-1995
Glenn F. Miller
Glenn F. Miller was born December 5, 1937 in Saginaw, Michigan, 4th of 11 children to Herbert and Evelyn Miller. Miller attended elementary school, junior high and senior high school in Saginaw, Michigan. An avid reader, Miller began...
People
Clara Elizabeth Wendel - Library Director 1943-1970
Early Years
Clara Mathilde Elizabeth Wendel was born on June 1, 1904 in Harvey, Cook County, Illinois. Her family moved from Chicago, Illinois to Gotha, Florida in or around 1916.
Their home was a typical Florida home from that era, with wrap...
Organizations
Bookmobiles, Traveling Branches and Library Stations
ABOVE: The Orlando Public Library Traveling Branch and County Bookmobile in front of the 1966 Orlando Public Library.
A Bookmobile for the Library
A proposal for the addition of a bookmobile was presented to the board of the Albertson Public Library by...
Places
Orlando's African American Libraries - From Booker T. Washington to Washington Park
ABOVE: Alice Grace at the Booker T. Washington Library
Plaque Commemorating the Booker T. Washington Library
On December 30, 2001, the Orange County Library System and the Shiloh Baptist Church celebrated the history of the former Booker T. Washington Library ...
Topics
Eddie T. Jackson
Above: Librarian Eddie T. Jackson - Story time at the Booker T. Washington Branch Library circa 1927
Eddie Natalie Byrd Thomas Cromartie Jackson
Eddie Jackson was born Eddie Natalie Byrd Thomas on March 25th, 1902, in Tampa, Florida. Her mother, Woodie Julia...
Topics
History of the Orange County Library System
Sorosis Club of Orlando
The beginnings of the current Orange County Library System can be traced to the circulating library collection of the Sorosis Club of Orlando. The collection was initially housed on the second floor of the old Armory building...
Places
Lake Ivanhoe Residential Historic District Marker
On October 24, 2023 City of Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer unveiled The Lake Ivanhoe Residential Historic District Marker with City of Orlando Commissioner Robert Stuart and College Park Historical Society Board Members. Pictured from left to right are Bill Jennings,...
Places
135 East Wall Street
From the Orange County Property Appraiser's site - 135 Wall Street circa 2022.
On Monday, October 30, 2023, shortly before the library opened, staff at the Orlando Public Library peered out the back windows facing Wall Street to discover what was...
Events
College Park Oral History Night 2023 with Educational Leader Gary Schadow
Reading is so important. I used to say to dads all the time, "Are you reading with your children?" And by the way, I have seven. I was an educator. But anyways, and I would say, "Read with them nightly....
People
Oral History Interview with Physicist and Principal Scientist Dr. David E. Flinchbaugh
Building the Lunar Laser for Apollo 11: I was one of the founders of Orlando Research Corporation which was a laser manufacturer right here in Orlando. And so, we made our mark in history for a little while… I...
People
Roger Lee Pharr - Orlando's Tennis Legend
Tennis was not Roger Pharr's profession, but for more than 70 years it was his passion!
To paraphrase a song by Harry Chapin: "Tennis was his life, it was not his livelihood. It made him feel so happy and it made...
People
Attorney John "Jack" McEwan Presents His Oral History at Orlando Remembered, May 2023
To begin, if you look at the McEwan, Martinez, Dukes & Hall website, you will see a quote that says, "The past guides us towards the future." So I think that is a perfect quote for Orlando Remembered. And there...
Events
Library Calendars 1970s-1990s
Monthly calendars distributed with the Friends of the Library Newsletter provided information on events at the Orlando Public Library and branch locations in Orange and Osceola counties.
The Calendar varied in paper size and color and font type and size. B...
Organizations
Oral History Interview with Senior Business Analyst Harry Bryant
The goal, what I feel comfortable about now, is that we have the skill set and the documentation and presentation to show and preserve the culture of the historic Callahan area. It's going to take some time, but the good...
Events
Orlando Strong Mosaic
In the wake of the Pulse Nightclub tragedy on June 12, 2016, people from around the country showed their support for our community in a myriad of ways.
This amazing mosaic was created at the American Library Association Conference held in...
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