Orange County Celebrates National Book Lover ’ s Day
By Ellen Coyne, Communications Department Intern
Books can be powerful and no one knows that power better than Orange County Library Director, Katie Hill. Over the past 23 years, Ms. Hill has seen libraries evolve to meet the needs of the people using them, specifically for the residents of Orange County. “ In the past few years, there have been trends towards using libraries as place to work or do online courses. Our libraries offer access to over 1 million items digitally and we have just added two new streaming video services, Just For Kids and Kanopy . As our world becomes more connected by technology, places of human connection become more of a need. ” Residents of Orange County can access the Library ’ s digital materials through their website, ocplva.org. By clicking on the “ E - Branch ” header, residents can access the many links to databases and digital collections. Students in Orange County can access Overdrive digital items through the Orange County
School System. The access through the school system allows students across Orange to borrow books from both their school and public library. Although libraries are changing to keep up with our society, reading has proved to be, as Ms. Hill has stated, “ A strong predictor for success. ” For Ms. Hill, reading can help society walk ‘ in other ’ s shoes ’ and gain empathy for circumstances and personal experiences. “ Reading is a great escape when life is difficult, and is also a path to self - education. If I want to learn a new hobby, recipe, language, or skill, I can get started using a book. ” In order to encourage a path to self - education for the younger generation, Ms. Hill and her 23 staff members have developed programs targeted at youth in order to encourage reading during the
summer. For example, Youth Services Librarian Michelle Pursel leads a program that combines story - telling with crafts for young children. Not only does Orange County Public Library hold reading contests with incentives for the youth in the community, but this past summer, the Library also participated in the “ Big Read ” with libraries all across the United States. With constant new programs at the Library, future generations can discover reading in an interactive and fun environment. The Government of Orange County not only contributes for the operational wellbeing of the library, but also provides administrative support to keep everything running smoothly. When it comes to supporting Orange County Public Library for the future, Ms. Hill says that “…. being responsive to evolutionary changes and their demands on the library ’ s resources is the best support. ” As Orange County Public Library has evolved, one thing that has never changed is engagement with the community and encouragement for the next generation to discover themselves through books. Residents of Orange County can celebrate the Library on August 9th, “ National Book Lovers Day, ” by getting a free library card. Please visit the Library ’ s website, ocplva.org, for more information.
Some of Ms. Hill ’ s all - time favorite books are The Eight by Katherine Neville, The Rook by Daniel O ’ Malley, and Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. Celebrate National Book Lover ’ s Day by going to Orange County Public Library and reading some of Ms. Hill ’ s favorite books!
Page 5 | August, 2021
Made with FlippingBook Online newsletter