Press Room - Awards & Recognition

The Orange County Library System has been honored with numerous awards and recognitions. Further, as a recognized national leader in providing cutting-edge library services, representatives of the Orange County Library System are regularly invited to present at major national conferences. A partial listing of recent awards appears below:

The library received an Honorable Mention in the 2013 MarCom Awards for its op-ed piece on National Library Week. The MarCom Awards program is administered and judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals. Judges are industry professionals who look for companies and individuals whose talent exceeds a high standard of excellence and whose work serves as a benchmark for the industry.

Books & Beyond Wins Gold 2013 MarCom Award

The Books & Beyond newsletter has won a Gold 2013 MarCom Award in the category of external newsletter for a nonprofit. The annual competition recognizes outstanding creative achievement by marketing and communication professionals. There were over 6,500 entries from throughout the United States, Canada and several other countries in the 2013 competition. The MarCom Awards program is administered and judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals.

OCLS Receives PrimeTime Family Reading Time Grant

The Florida Humanities Council awarded the library system an $8,000 grant to support training and programming for the three six-week PrimeTime Family Reading Time programs to occur in 2014. Partial support provided by funds from the Shell Oil Corporation.

ALA Names OCLS Winner of ALA OITP Merit Award

The American Library Association Office of Information Technology Policy has named Orange County Library system of Orlando, Florida, the 2013 winner of their merit award. This award is presented annually to a library that demonstrates innovative service or product relating to information technology in a library setting.  The winning initiative was Orange County’s telephone app for the Right Service Right Time. This is the second time OCLS has won this national award. The first time was in 2011.

Honorable Mention in Urban Libraries Council's Innovation Awards

The Urban Libraries Council (ULC) recognized OCLS with an honorable mention for the library's new creative programming. The program, designed by Youth Services and the Technology & Education Center, is called Reimagining Learning: Integrating STEM into Library Technology Classes and Youth Programs.

Gift Announcement Wins 2012 Golden Brick Award

The Orange County Library System was honored with a 2012 Golden Brick Award from the Downtown Orlando Partnership for the Kendrick Melrose Major Gift Announcement.  The announcement unveiled the single largest gift in the library's history which will make way for a high-tech center at the downtown library.  The awards are given to projects which positively impact the Downtown Development District.

Disney Awards $44,000 Grant to OCLS and the Bob Allen Award

Walt Disney World Resort President George Kalogridis presented OCLS with the Bob Allen Outstanding Community Service Award and a Disney Making Kids Shine Grant of $44,000.  The award is given each year to recognize a local social service, environmental or humanitarian organization for outstanding work in Central Florida.  OCLS will use the Disney Making Kids Shine Grant for this year's Children's Summer Reading program.  We are deeply grateful and extremely honored to be the recipient of this award and grant and to share in the magic of Disney.

ALSC Awards $5,000 Grant to OCLS

The Association for Library Services to Children (ALSC) has announced that OCLS is a winner of one of the Él Día de los Libros Family Book Club mini grants. These clubs will utilize multicultural, multilingual or second language books to provide an opportunity for the community to come together. The mini grants are part of ALSC's Everyone Reads @ Your Library grant, generously funded by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation.

The Library Wins Two FLA Awards

The Florida Library Association has announced that they are awarding two honors to OCLS for KidsConnect as this year's Outstanding Youth Services Website and for the Technology and Education Center as an Exemplary Learning Design Program. Congratulations OCLS staff members Amy VanSchaik, Sheri Chambers, Ormilla Vengersammy and Melissa Duncan for their work on these projects and the awards! A big "Thank You" to Youth Services staff who played an important role in the creation of KidsConnect.  They are now playing an important role in the site’s maintenance.

Disney Donates $55,000 to OCLS

Disney generously donated $55,000 to the library system at its Fantasyland preview event for community leaders. The donation was made in honor of Princess Belle to celebrate her love for reading. The figure also signifies the year 1955 when the first Fantasyland opened in California.

The Right Service Recognized by American Library Association

The Right Service at the Right Time Mobile App has been named a 2012 Cutting Edge Service by the American Library Association’s Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) and its America’s Libraries for the 21st Century Subcommittee.

Orange County Library System Awarded National Leadership Grant

The Orange County Library System (OCLS) has been awarded a National Leadership Grant of $212,070 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to develop and implement a free library-based community digital obituaries repository.   The project is called EPOCH which stands for Electronically Preserving Obituaries as Cultural Heritage.

OCLS awarded $2,500 for America's Music

The Tribeca Film Institute and the American Library Association (ALA) have awarded OCLS with a $2,500 grant for the America’s Music: A Film History of Our Popular Music from Blues to Bluegrass to Broadway film discussion series. This six-week series created by the Tribeca Film Institute with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) explores the history of 20th century popular music in America as well as distinctly American musical genres through a documentary film series and scholar-led discussions.

Disney graciously awarded OCLS a $32,209 grant for the Summer Reading Program

The award came through Disney’s 2012 Helping Kids Shine grant program which shines a spotlight on organizations that educate, develop and care for youth in Central Florida. Many, many thanks to Disney and Mickey!

2011 Silver Brick Award for the Friends of the Library

The Friends of the Library were recognized for enhancements to the Gifts & Greetings shop in the Main Library, adding value to downtown Orlando in providing a convenient and inviting shopping destination at the Orlando Public Library.

OCLS presented with Distinguished Budget Presentation Award

The Government Finance Officers Association recognized the hard work of the Orange County Library System's Finance team with the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for the 2012 fiscal year.

OCLS honored for providing Right Service

The Florida Department of State commended the Orange County Library System with Exemplary Project Recognition for its Right Service at the Right Time resource helping users navigate e-government services.

Disney awards OCLS for Helping Kids Shine

Disney Prize Patrol swept through the Orlando Public Library to award OCLS a $20,000 grant for its Summer Reading Program.  The award came through Disney’s Helping Kids Shine grant program which assists organizations that build better futures for children through ongoing programming.

Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations Recognizes OCLS

OCLS was awarded two Best Friends Awards for two categories: Print Newsletters (Public Library Friends Group without paid staff) and Membership (Public Library Friends Group without paid staff).  ALTAFF’s Best Friends Awards recognize Friends groups around the country for print and electronic materials that promote the group and its special programs and projects.

Silver Brick Award

OCLS was bestowed a Silver Brick Award in the Special Event category for the annual Step Off competition program. The award was given by the Downtown Orlando Partnership to honor projects that positively affect the Downtown Development District and contribute significantly to its quality of life - making Downtown Orlando a more exciting, interesting and desirable place to live, work and play.

FLA picks OCLS for Library Innovation Award

The Florida Library Association picked the Orange County Library System as the recipient of the 2011 Library Innovation Award in recognition of The Right Service at the Right Time. The award recognizes Florida libraries that have displayed innovative methods, projects, products, or organizational enhancements, such as using current and emerging technologies for library processes or information service delivery.

ALA Names OCLS Library of the Future

The American Library Association has named Orange County Library system of Orlando, Fla., the 2011 winner of the ALA/Information Today, Inc. Library of the Future Award. This award is presented annually to a library that demonstrates innovative planning and development of patron training programs about information technology in a library setting.  The winning initiative was Orange County’s Technology and Education Center, offering 1,200 technology classes each month at 15 locations. In 2010, nearly 50,000 patrons participated in the technology training program. Classes are offered in English, Spanish and Haitian-Creole.

Smart Investing @ Your Library Continued

The Orange County Library System has been awarded a $51,150 grant to continue its partnership with the Rollins Crummer Graduate School of Business to serve the financial and investor education needs of lower-income and Spanish-speaking residents, especially wage earners in the region’s hospitality industry. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Investor Education Foundation and the American Library Association (ALA) have gave $1.4 million in grants to 20 recipients as a part of the Smart investing@your library® initiative.

ALA Recognizes OCLS Shake It App

The American Library Association’s (ALA) Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) has recognized the Orange County Library System’s Shake It! Application as a best library practice using cutting-edge technology. “We want to showcase libraries that are serving their communities with novel and innovative methods and provide the library community with some successful models for delivering quality library service in new ways,” said Christine Lind Hage, Chair of OITP’s America’s Libraries for the 21st Century Subcommittee. The Shake It! Application, designed for the iphone/ipod/ipad platforms, provides users with a novel and fun way to select materials from the OCLS collection, and its integration to the Library’s circulation system allows the user to check availability and even order the item from their device.  The award will be presented at the American Library Association Annual Meeting in 2011.

Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce B.I.G. Award

The Orange County Library System was chosen as honorable mention for the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce B.I.G. Award for its video entry on changing the technological landscape in the library industry.

Workforce Central Florida Award of Excellence

The Orange County Library System has been chosen as a Workforce Central Florida Award of Excellence winner.  The award was presented during the luncheon of the State-of-the-Workforce Summit on October 26 at the Wyndham Orlando Resort.  OCLS was recognized as a pioneer in offering cutting-edge library services and as an organization that has embraced new technology to deliver improved library services to the community.  OCLS uses innovation champions within the organization to help drive change.

Bright Ideas Program

The Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, announced 173 government programs selected for its newly-created Bright Ideas program including the Orange County Library System's MAYL home delivery program.

Orange County Board of County Commissioners 2010 Best Partner

The Orange County Board of County Commissioners named OCLS a 2010 Best Partner for its library programming on water conservation and sustainability.

Golden Brick Award

OCLS was bestowed a Golden Brick Award receiving top honors in the Special Event category for the kick-off ceremony for the Citizenship Inspired program. The Annual Golden Brick Awards given by the Downtown Orlando Partnership honor projects that positively affect the Downtown Development District and contribute significantly to its quality of life - making Downtown Orlando a more exciting, interesting and desirable place to live, work and play.

2010 Florida Library of the Year

The Orange County Library System was named the 2010 Florida Library of the Year by the Florida Library Association.

Workforce Central Florida Award of Excellence

The Orange County Library System has been awarded a 2009 Workforce Central Florida Award of Excellence.

Honorable Mention - OverDrive's Outreach Program Contest

OCLS received an Honorable Mention in OverDrive's Outreach Program Contest. OCLS was selected as a winner based on the creativity and effectiveness of a video campaign to reach new patrons.

2009 Rethinking Resource Sharing (RRS) Innovation Award

OCLS was recognized with a 2009 Rethinking Resource Sharing (RRS) Innovation Award for its work on Orlando Memory, a digital archive and social networking community where the users select and contribute content.

2008 Workforce Central Florida Award of Excellence

OCLS was recognized with a 2008 Workforce Central Florida Award of Excellence for outstanding training provided to employees.

2008 Fit Friendly Companies

OCLS has been named one of the American Heart Association’s 2008 Fit Friendly Companies. The American Heart Association recognizes workplaces that champion the health of their employees by offering programs and resources to help them live longer, heart-healthier lives.

Recipient National Leadership Grant

OCLS is the recipient of a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services in the amount of $120,603. Titled Citizenship Inspired, the grant project will focus on service to the pre-naturalized residents of Orange County (numbering over 100,000). Using technology and social networking, and capitalizing on our strong learning platform, OCLS will empower immigrants who have settled in Central Florida to be fully prepared to pass the U.S. Naturalization Test and thereby become full citizens.

Fit for Life

Libraries for the Future has chosen the Orange County Library System to participate in Fit for Life, a program of Libraries for the Future, made possible through the generous support of the MetLife Foundation. In this very competitive grant, OCLS was one of 17 library systems nationwide selected to promote lifelong health and wellness through community responsive programs. OCLS was awarded the $20,000 to fulfill the grant proposal.

Smart Investing @ Your Library

The Orange County Library System has been awarded a $96,360 grant to promote investor education.The library system is one of 13 nationwide selected for participation in Smart Investing @ Your Library®, a joint grant program sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Investor Education Foundation.

20th Annual Florida Print Awards: 2007 Best of Category

The Library’s Books & Beyond newsletter won the 2007 “Best of Category” award in the four-color newsletter category in the 20th Annual Florida Print Awards.

2007 Best of Show Library Administration and Management Association (LAMA) Winner for Young Adult Reading Club Materials

2007 Best of Show Library Administration and Management Association (LAMA) Winner for Young Adult Reading Club Materials was awarded to the Orange County Library System. More than 420 entries were submitted for this competition from across the U.S. and Canada.

2007 Urban Libraries Council (ULC) Joey Rodger Fund for Library Leadership

Assistant Director Debbie Moss of the Orange County Library System received a 2007 award from the Urban Libraries Council (ULC) Joey Rodger Fund for Library Leadership.The award provides $5,000 for a senior-level library administrator to participate in a leadership program or professional development opportunity.

2006 Golden Brick Award

2006 Golden Brick Award from the Downtown Orlando Partnership presented to OCLS Main Library for its public project of the 2nd floor renovation.

2006 National Leadership Grant

2006 National Leadership Grant for $185,439 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to help job seekers become more employable. A key component involves increasing the number of technology classes offered in Spanish and Haitian Creole. The project also expands current courses and resources for small business owners or employed individuals seeking professional development.

2006 Library Services and Technology (LSTA) Grant

2006 Library Services and Technology (LSTA) Grant for $110,234 for the project “Technology and Language Training for Employability.” As part of the project, OCLS offers training to provide basic computer skills and English language skills for the workplace.

2006 Thomson Gale Award for Excellence in Reference and Adult Library Services

2006 Thomson Gale Award for Excellence in Reference and Adult Library Services in recognition of the development of eGuides, an innovative reference and teaching tool. eGuides offer topical resources in one easy-to-use Web interface.

2006 Urban Library Council Highsmith Award of Excellence

2006 Urban Library Council Highsmith Award of Excellence for Orange County Library System’s Teen Library Corps.

2006 Library Administration and Management Association (LAMA) Best of Show Award

2006 Library Administration and Management Association (LAMA) Best of Show Award for young adult reading club materials.

2006 Live Homework Help Innovator Award

2006 Live Homework Help Innovator Award received from Tutor.com for integration of Live Homework Help into the Online Public Access Catalog – accessible to cardholders from home or in the library. Online homework help is offered in both English and Spanish.

2006 Be Innovative Award

The Library’s Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) was honored with a 2006 Be Innovative Award for the most innovative public services application. The Orange County Library System received the award for its Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC). The OPAC is a collection of non-standard material such as databases, games, Self-Paced Online Classes and downloadable books which have been cataloged with icons so patrons can visually identify these items either from the library or via Web access. This award is given annually by Innovative Interfaces, Inc.

2006/07 Grant from The American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office and National Video Resources (NVR)

2006/07 Grant from The American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office and National Video Resources (NVR), in collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center, to present "Looking At: Jazz, America's Art Form.”

National Library of Medicine Grant

$40,000 grant from the National Library of Medicine to produce a series of health classes on 10 current countywide health problems. These classes are brought to the community through effective partnerships with the Orange County Department of Health, Vision TV, Orange County Commission on Children and the Neighborhood Community Centers.

2005 Award of Excellence in Public Library Management

2005 Award of Excellence in Public Library Management from the Urban Libraries Council, Library Systems and Services (ULC/LSSI) for the Spectrum Program, an innovative program that cross trains library managers in several facets of the system. Managers in the Spectrum Program are rotated to new positions every six to nine months.

2005 LYNX (the Central Florida Transportation Authority) Regional Transportation Award for Excellence in the Public Sector

2005 LYNX (the Central Florida Transportation Authority) Regional Transportation Award for Excellence in the Public Sector for providing library employees bus passes for their daily commute to work.

2004 Award of Excellence

“Club Central” – an area of the main library designed by teens for teens has received multiple awards including 2004 Award of Excellence for the new Face of the Library given by the Downtown Orlando Partnership, an Associated Builders and Contractors Eagle Award for interiors under $1 million, an American Architects Award and a Golden Brick Award from the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce. “Club Central” offers music-listening stations, flat screen TV for movies and a wide variety of genres for teen readers.

2003 Outstanding Library Programs Award for Continuing Education and Staff Development

2003 Outstanding Library Programs Award for Continuing Education and Staff Development from the Urban Libraries Council, Library Systems and Services(ULC/LSSI) for the Ready, Set, Go! Program. Ready Set Go! is a training and development program for support team members.

Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting

Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting received every year since 2003 from the Government Finance Officers Association.

Grants

The Orange County Library System has been the recipient of numerous grants in varied amounts for its worthwhile programs including awards from the Target Corporation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Wal-Mart and the MetLife Reading America Program among others.

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