Alafaya: Through the Years

Alafaya Branch

The Alafaya branch library serves customers in the UCF, Avalon Park, Bithlo, Christmas, and Lake Nona areas. Although the current location wasn’t built until 2000 (see the document list below for groundbreaking information on the current location), the services provided to this part of town have been part of the Orange County Library System (OCLS) from almost the beginning. The branch has moved around a lot, but Alafaya is one of the first branch locations opened, all the way back in 1965, before the current building downtown.

ABOVE: Ground Breaking Celebration for the new Alafaya Branch.

The branch is a busy one! With a total of 18 employees, they have a door count of around 800 customers a day and an average of over 400 new library card registrations every month. They are also one of the few branches that has a drive-up window and it serves over 100 customers per day. Alafaya serves a community of families so their juvenile attendance is more than 20,000 per year.

They offer a similar amount of programs as the Main branch (a lot!) and their programs focus on Early Literacy, Maker, Crafting and Science. Although, they also pack their schedule with a variety of technology classes and a variety of English Language classes.

Alafaya has lovely permanent-displays, heron-themed art works, and are always looking for new local art to display. The well-equipped children’s play area has toys and gets used every hour of every day as part of their Early Learning focus. All in all, the Alafaya branch is a convenient place for the entire family.

Celebrate the 20^th Anniversary of the Alafaya Branch on Saturday, February 1, 2020 with a day full of fun activities, crafts and events for the entire family! Events include Animal Storytime presented by the Central Florida Fair, JiggleMan,  Mr. Harley’s Kids Concert and more!
— Lynette Schimpf, Branch Manager

See the documents list (below) for information about the Eastland Library moving to its current location and renamed to the Alafaya Branch.

Click on each photo below from Alafaya over the years:

Peruse the historical documents below under Attachments.

Commenting on the Eastland Library, retired OCLS librarian Warren French wrote: