Osceola County, led by Commissioner Viviana Janer for District 2, library staff, and community members gathered Tuesday morning at Osceola Library’s Buenaventura Lakes branch for the official unveiling of OLLie, the library’s new mobile library unit designed to bring books, technology, and library services directly into neighborhoods across the county.
Osceola County Commissioner Viviana Janer, representing District 2, described OLLie as “a library on the move”—a flexible, modern option that will help the county reach residents who don’t live near a branch.
“By bringing story time, tech help, Wi-Fi, materials for checkout, and library resources right to the residents’ doorsteps, we are ensuring everyone has access to learning and connection,” Janer said. “We don’t want to leave anybody out in Osceola County.”
Coming in at a cost of about $140,000, the new mobile unit is outfitted with features designed to support families, students, and seniors. OLLie includes solar-powered energy, an onboard generator, an exterior awning and TV for outdoor games, books, toys and materials for all ages. Inside, residents will find five Chromebooks for tech tutoring, Wi-Fi hotspots capable of supporting up to 100 devices, and on-site printing—one of the most requested services at county libraries.
Library Director Amy Jones said OLLie will begin its official route in January, offering stops in areas like Holopaw and Oren Brown Park, with additional locations being planned. The unit will also visit partner organizations such as Park Place, Hope Center, and public events.
According to Jones, OLLie is a response to the rapid growth in the region and will reach areas that currently don’t have easy access to brick-and-mortar libraries. “We are still adding stops,” she said. “We have not finalized all of our stops, but Holopaw and Oren Brown Park will for sure be bi-monthly stops – one during the week and one on the weekend – so that people can use it as a holds pick-up location, and so they will know we will be at that location for a good duration of time so that they have time to get there.”
“This effort allows us to reach parts of Osceola County that don’t have a nearby library, as well as new and growing communities,” said Commissioner Viviana Janer. “By bringing story time, tech help, Wi-Fi, materials for checkout, and library resources right to residents’ doorsteps, we are ensuring everyone has access to learning and connection.”
A full calendar of OLLie’s upcoming stops will be available on the Osceola Library System’s website under its off-site events section.
To see OLLie’s schedule and other great library offerings, visit https://www.osceolalibrary.org.
