Congratulations to the OCPL Employee of the Month, Carl!

Carl brings laughter and good will in with him every day! His Music and Movement Storytime is one of the highest attended regularly scheduled programs at Tustin. He also does an Enrichment Storytime for adults with unique needs. His Adult Enrichment Storytime provides weekly engaging services to adults with special needs, and he has expanded his language skills by assisting with the Bilingual Chinese Storytime. Carl is always looking for ways to make work fun and inclusive.

 Not only is Carl’s joyful personality a pleasure to work with, but his willingness to go above and beyond makes him a valuable team player! He enthusiastically volunteers to assist with large author visits, including events featuring Daniel Silva, Nancy Horan, and Tiffany Haddish, where he engages with audience members, creates library card accounts, and promotes future events. His charming personality shines in all his interactions, bringing smiles to the patrons around him. His prominent role in the programming at the Tustin Library demonstrates his creativity and courage to try new things. Carl’s determination to provide his support and expertise in any situation makes him an instrumental part of the OCPL team and we are lucky to have him!

Congratulations to Leticia, our OCPL Employee of the Month!

Letty has consistently impressed coworkers and staff with her positivity, vibrant energy, and genuine enthusiasm for our programs and patrons. Kids continually look forward to her Family Storytimes on the weekends because she is always adding something extra, such as infusing dance parties and outdoor play with bubbles and chalk, which keeps them coming back!  Letty's eagerness to take the lead in volunteering for outreach initiatives and donning thematic costumes for events, including her notable appearance as one half of the dynamic Piggie and Elephant duo during the Chapman's Lunch at the Library event, truly exemplify her dedication to our communities.  Beyond her contributions as an invaluable team member at our branch, Letty is an integral member of the Senior Services Committee. She actively participates in committee meetings and was a leader on the craft subcommittee that planned the activities at the Senior Get Together programs. Letty also regularly volunteers for outreach and has participated in several tabling events at locations all over Orange County. The past two years the Senior Services Committee has planned Senior Get Together events, of which three are held; one in the South, North, and Central regions. Both years Letty has volunteered to attend each of these Get Togethers and helped to set-up, operate and tear-down. She is an enthusiastic member of the committee, who is always contributing great ideas and working hard to improve our outreach and programs. Letty's wholehearted commitment shines through as she consistently volunteers to be part of each of these events, assuming responsibilities ranging from setting up, to operating and finally, teardown. Her contributions reflect an inspiring level of enthusiasm and drive. 

Congratulations Letty!

OC Public Libraries Welcomes Bestselling Author Karin Slaughter

SANTA ANA, Calif. (August 16, 2023) – OC Public Libraries is proud to present A Slice of Literary Orange, a series featuring keynote speakers throughout the year, in celebration of literacy.

Karin Slaughter, a prolific crime writer, is the author of more than twenty instant New York Times bestselling novels, including the Edgar–nominated Cop Town and standalone novels Pretty Girls, The Good Daughter, and Pieces of Her. She is published in 120 countries with more than 40 million copies sold across the globe. Pieces of Her is a #1 Netflix original series, and Will Trent, based on her Will Trent series, is on ABC (and streaming on Hulu in the U.S., and Disney+ internationally). Slaughter is a lifelong supporter of libraries and library programming.

Karin Slaughter will be in conversation with author and journalist, Samantha Dunn. There will be a Q&A followed by a book signing. Complimentary copies of the book will be available while supplies last. Books will be available for purchase courtesy of Mysterious Galaxy bookstore. Early arrival is suggested.

 OC PUBLIC LIBRARIES CLOSURES DUE TO TROPICAL STORM HILARY

SANTA ANA, Calif. (August 20, 2023) - Due to the weather forecast for Tropical Storm Hilary, OC Public Libraries will observe the following hours for Sunday, August 20, 2023: 

San Clemente Library will be closed at 242 Avenida Del Mar, San Clemente, CA 92672 

All Sunday libraries will close at 1 p.m. on Sunday, August 20, 2023 which includes: 

• Costa Mesa Donald Dungan - 1855 Park Avenue, Costa Mesa, CA 92627 
• Costa Mesa Mesa Verde - 2969 Mesa Verde Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626 
• Cypress - 5331 Orange Avenue, Cypress, CA 90630 
• Garden Grove Main - 11200 Stanford Avenue, Garden Grove, CA 92840 
• Irvine Heritage Park - 14361 Yale Avenue, Irvine, CA 92604 
• Irvine University Park - 4512 Sandburg Way, Irvine, CA 92612 
• Irvine Katie Wheeler - 13109 Old Myford Road, Irvine, CA 92602 
• La Habra - 221 East La Habra Blvd., La Habra, CA 90631 
• Laguna Niguel - 30341 Crown Valley Pkwy, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677 
• Tustin - 345 E. Main Street, Tustin, CA 92780 

For updates or access to the libraries robust 24/7 digital resources is available at ocpl.org. 

Updates on Hurricane Hilary/Tropical Storm Hilary can be found at ocgov.com/hilary 

Daniel is part of the OCPL Mobile Library team. He always demonstrates excellent customer service. The kids love his storytime, the adults, his painting program, and the community always has great things to say about him. Out of monthly crafts? No problem, Daniel can set up a stay and play that makes the kids forget about the crafts. Daniel is always a problem solver, always giving his best to both coworkers and communities. It is for these reasons and many more that it is a pleasure working with Daniel, just ask anyone! 

Congratulations Daniel!

OC PUBLIC LIBRARIES WELCOMES AWARD-WINNING AND BESTSELLING AUTHORS,   NANCY HORAN AND DANIEL SILVA 

SANTA ANA, Calif. (July 5, 2023) – OC Public Libraries presents A Slice of Literary Orange, a series featuring keynote speakers throughout the year, in celebration of literacy. 

 Nancy Horan is the author of Loving Frank, which remained on the New York Times bestseller list for over a year, was translated into sixteen languages, and received the 2009 Prize for Historical Fiction. Her newest title The House of Lincoln was released in June.  

 Daniel Silva has been called his generation’s finest writer of international intrigue and one of the greatest American spy novelists ever. Compelling, passionate, haunting, brilliant: these are the words that have been used to describe the work of award-winning #1 New York Times bestselling author Daniel Silva. Join us for a conversation between Daniel Silva and award-winning correspondent Jamie Gangel.  

 The authors will read from selected works and share their experiences as writers. Additionally, there will be a Q&A followed by a book signing. Early arrival is suggested.   

Congratulations to Employee of the Month, Kristin!

Kristin is a fan favorite at Dana Point! Her fans are children who love her storytime, reading recommendations, and interacting with her in the library. Her fans also include the caregivers who appreciate her two storytimes a week, Young Readers Book Club, Kids Movie and Craft Matinees, and special monthly programs such as Money Smart, Toddler Dance Party, May the 4th, Gingerbread Decorating Open House, and a Spy Camp. For National Library Week, Kristin created 200 art kits for patrons of all ages to return and exhibit at a Tiny Art display in the library lobby. Kristin keeps current with national library trends by attending American Library Association and School Library Journal online workshops and publishing events. She has good connections with the local schools and encourages class visits as well as onsite visits to the schools. Not only is Kristin a patron fan favorite but a staff favorite. She is a leader, group supporter, and a calm and kind in-charge.

Congratulations Kristin!

Congratulations to employees of the month, Stephanie and Heather!

Stephanie and Heather are co-chairs of the Kindergarten Readiness committee and have led the committee in the initiative to get pre-K residents prepared for entering school. In March, the committee hosted systemwide events 'Kinderpalooza' which welcomed over 2,000 early learners across Orange County.

Stephanie started as Children Librarian at Cypress and in the last 6 years has worked as a Librarian at Cypress, Irvine Katie Wheeler, Garden Grove and La Palma Libraries. She has assisted with programming, outreach and collection development at each location. She is grateful for OC Public Libraries' Kindergarten Readiness committee and local branch staff for encouraging, supporting and hosting Kinderpalooza and Kindergarten Readiness related storytimes and special programs.

Heather has been a Librarian for 18 years and with OC Public Libraries since December 2019. She started at Katie Wheeler Library as the Children's Librarian and is currently the children's nonfiction Evaluator. Like Stephanie, she assists with programming, outreach, and collection development and especially enjoys connecting patrons with the best books (aka reader's advisory). She has learned a lot as co-chair of the Kindergarten Readiness Committee and is grateful for all of its dedicated and enthusiastic committee members. 

Congratulations to Employee of the Month, David!

David is incredibly supportive of others and is always looking for opportunities for staff to learn new skills and meet new goals. He celebrates all staff achievements and manages to always show up when help is needed, whether on the desk, at the bookdrop or in a busy program. He starts and finishes each day with enviable energy and optimism and his positivity is motivating to those of us lucky enough to work with him. David gives his all in all his tasks and duties and is a conscientious and dedicated employee. He has constantly volunteered to be the staff person inside costume characters, and has exuded the same cheerfulness and joy as Froggy, Lyle Lyle Crocodile and Curious George.

Additionally, David is co-chair of the social media committee. David has proven to be a great leader and together with the committee has helped amplify OC Public Libraries' social media content and presence. We are fortunate to have David as part of the OC Public Libraries team!

Congratulations David!

Congratulations to Employee of the Month, Serene! 

In her day-to-day job as a Children's Librarian, Serene is amazing. She truly tailors our programming to fit the needs of the community. After noticing a lot more families with babies and toddlers, she started a new baby storytime program. Her baby storytime is so much more than storytime; it includes baby sign language, music and movement, and sensory play. This is the first time a lot of these families have socialized, and she makes it a safe welcoming environment to learn and grow. Not only that, she literally saved a patron's life. Last month, she was informed of a patron in the library restroom who was unconscious. She performed CPR and got them breathing again until the EMTs arrived. At the same time, she delegated someone to call 911, and she kept calm in a situation we don't deal with every day. The patron was able to walk away from this.

Serene is just an all-around strong employee and has shown she is willing to go above and beyond for the patrons we serve at the library and in the community.