Orlando Public Library
🏢 Orange County Library System · Orlando, Florida
Orlando Public Library
The Orlando Public Library anchors downtown Orlando in a landmark 290,000-square-foot Brutalist building dedicated in 1966 — housing a rare Florida Collection of Floridiana on its fourth floor, a 26,000-square-foot creative technology center on the second floor, and over 1.7 million items free to all Orange County residents.
🕑 Library Hours
| Monday | 10am–7pm |
| Tuesday | 10am–7pm |
| Wednesday | 10am–7pm |
| Thursday | 10am–7pm |
| Friday | 10am–6pm |
| Saturday | 10am–6pm |
| Sunday | 1pm–6pm |
Hours may vary on holidays; check the library site before visiting.
📍 Location, Contact & Directions
Address: 101 E. Central Blvd, Orlando, FL 32801
Phone: (407) 835-7323
Website: ocls.org
Plus Code: 76WWGJVF+28 (Orlando, FL)
📱 Scan for directions
Point your phone camera at the code to open turn-by-turn directions in Google Maps.
👋 Use the Library Online
📖 About Orlando Public Library
The Orlando Public Library is the flagship headquarters of the Orange County Library System, serving over one million residents from a landmark Brutalist building at the corner of Central Boulevard and Rosalind Avenue in downtown Orlando. The original structure was dedicated on August 7, 1966, designed by Harvard Five architect John M. Johansen as a composition in monolithic concrete — rough cedar-patterned exposed concrete walls that anchored the downtown cultural district. A major expansion completed in April 1985, designed by architect Duane Stark to match Johansen's aesthetic, brought the building to 290,000 square feet across five above-ground floors and a basement, spanning an entire city block. The fourth floor holds the Florida Collection, a curated archive of rare Floridiana, Central Florida history, government documents, and local cultural materials. The second floor is home to the Dorothy Lumley Melrose Center, a 26,000-square-foot innovation hub opened in 2014 with professional video, audio, and photography studios, a makerspace, game development lab with VR, fiber arts studio, and flight and driving simulators.
⭐ What makes this library special
- Landmark 1966 Brutalist building by Harvard Five architect John M. Johansen — one of Florida's largest public libraries at 290,000 sq ft across an entire city block
- Florida Collection (4th floor): rare, out-of-print Floridiana including Central Florida history, government documents, Orlando Sentinel archives, and local cultural materials — for in-library use
- Dorothy Lumley Melrose Center (2nd floor, 26,000 sq ft): professional video, audio & photography studios; makerspace; game development lab with VR; fiber arts studio; flight & driving simulators
- U.S. passport acceptance facility — appointments available by calling (407) 835-7323
- LYMMO Orange Line stop directly at the library's front entrance for free downtown transit access
📱 Digital Resources — Free with Your Library Card
Orange County Library System cardholders access these digital resources free:
📚 Services
- U.S. passport acceptance (by appointment) — bring DS-11, proof of citizenship, photo ID, passport photo & government fee
- Dorothy Lumley Melrose Center — video production, audio recording & photography studios; game dev lab; fiber arts; makerspace; VR; simulators (free with library card, reservation required)
- Technology & Education Center — 130+ monthly classes in English, Spanish & Haitian Creole
- Florida Collection research room (4th floor) — rare Floridiana, microfilm archives, government documents
- Friends of the Library Bookstore (3rd floor) — discounted donated & withdrawn materials
- Drive-up drop-off & pick-up window (Wall Street side)
- Meeting rooms for nonprofits & community groups (4 rooms)
- Library social workers (by appointment)
- Assistive vision stations & video relay services
🎸 Programs
- Preschool Tales (Sat 10 AM), Toddler Tales (10:30 AM), Baby Tales (11 AM) — weekly storytimes
- Melrose Center classes: game design, coding, video production, audio recording, fiber arts, photography & flight simulation
- Melrose Film Festival — annual community film competition open to all skill levels
- Technology & Education Center classes in digital literacy, job skills & internet basics
- Orlando Memory — community-contributed digital archive of local history (hosted by OCLS)
- Author talks, cultural exhibitions & community events in partnership with local organizations
📍 Nearby Libraries in Central Florida
Distances are approximate straight-line miles from this library.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Florida Collection and where is it in the building?
The Florida Collection is a curated archive of Florida-focused materials on the 4th floor of the Orlando Public Library, emphasizing Central Florida history and culture. It includes rare and out-of-print books, Florida fiction, crime records, statistical data, government documents (including Orange County records and Florida House and Senate journals), Orlando Sentinel archives, and local planning studies — many items unavailable anywhere else. Materials in the Florida Collection are for in-library use.
What can I do at the Melrose Center — do I need a reservation?
The Dorothy Lumley Melrose Center on the 2nd floor offers a professional video production studio, audio recording studio, photography studio, fiber arts studio, game development lab with VR gear, a makerspace with electronics and engineering tools, flight and driving simulators, and a 165-inch LED collaboration wall. Most spaces require a library card and advance reservation; regular classes and orientations are scheduled throughout the month. The Melrose Center is free for all Orange County Library System cardholders.
Does the Orlando Public Library offer passport services?
Yes. The Orlando Public Library is a U.S. passport acceptance facility. Appointments are required and can be booked through the OCLS website or by calling (407) 835-7323. You will need your completed DS-11 form, proof of U.S. citizenship, a valid photo ID, a passport photo, and the applicable government fees payable to the U.S. Department of State.
Who is the Orange County Library System and does it serve Winter Park or Maitland residents?
The Orange County Library System (OCLS) is an independent county library system established in 1980 — successor to the Albertson Public Library of 1923 — serving over one million Orange County residents across 16 locations. OCLS does not serve the cities of Winter Park or Maitland, which operate their own independent library systems. An OCLS library card is free for all Orange County residents and gives access to all 16 branches, the online catalog, and digital resources including the Florida Electronic Library.
🛂 This library offers U.S. passport services. See how library passport acceptance works — requirements, fees and appointments — and find other passport acceptance libraries by state.
🔨 This library has a makerspace / 3D printing. See how library makerspaces and 3D printing work and find other libraries with a makerspace makerspaces by state.
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