At the dawn of every school year, all the librarians put on their letterman jackets, sew days of the week labels into our socks, and start thinking really hard about we can help you—students of every age—succeed in the coming year. From after-school study clubs in our branches through our LEAP program to great reading… continue reading Bulk Up on Back to School Resources
By written by Jamie W. September 4, 2015
To celebrate the landmark papal visit to Philadelphia, the Rare Book Department at Parkway Central Library has opened a new exhibition of rare religious texts. Running through January 30, 2016, Sacred Stories: The World’s Religious Traditions will showcase the department’s unique collection of sacred works that… continue reading Sacred Stories: The World's Religious Traditions
By written by Janine P. August 31, 2015
A Free Library card is your key to countless resources, but few are as valuable to students as Homework Help Online . Login with your Free Library card and PIN, register a username, and connect one-on-one with tutor via live chat. Help is available for students from elementary school through college in both English and Spanish.… continue reading Featured Resource: Homework Help Online
By written by Jamie W. August 27, 2015 6
Back to School Jumpstart Camp is a summer learning program for children entering first through third grade. They attend a three-week camp-style academic enrichment program designed to boost their reading and writing skills just before school starts, and get used to being back in the classroom. The students practiced intensive… continue reading Back to School Jumpstart Campers Practice with the Experts
By written by Joel N. August 25, 2015 1
This musical #informationliteracy activity today was very successful! https://t.co/fAaGY8A7pI pic.twitter.com/Y87oGAhpp9 — adamleofeldman (@adamleofeldman) July 29, 2015 What does it mean to command the skills of information literacy? For this generation of students and teachers in Philadelphia the answers are not clear, and few are… continue reading Information Literacy Games to Explore the Music Department
By written by Adam F. August 12, 2015 1
Sometimes you've got to take a test. It's a fact of life. Some of us struggle with tests while others breeze by, but we could all benefit from a little preparation. So before you decide whether to go it alone or ask a tutor to help you get ready for that SAT, AP, GED or other test, take a look at Learning Express… continue reading Featured Resource: Learning Express Library
By written by Jamie W. August 6, 2015 1
In conjunction with the 2015 Philadelphia Fringe Festival , the Music Department at the Parkway Central Library will present a unique music performance and visual-art gallery project called Outside Sound . Outside Sound is the result of years of intimate collaboration between composer Chris Coyle and adult visual artists living with… continue reading Outside Sound - a 2015 Fringe Festival performance @ the Free Library
By written by Adam F. August 5, 2015
This is really weird, but the Music Department got a call from Nicola Sturgeon , First Minister of Scotland, to come look through a mysterious box found in a dormitory room in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Scotland. It was a great trip! Inside the box we made an amazing discovery. There was a neatly wrapped and bowed present… continue reading Harry Potter's Top of the Pops 1980 - 1999
By written by Adam F. July 31, 2015
The Print & Picture Collection of the Free Library of Philadelphia is pleased to announce a new exhibition in the Print and Picture Hallway Gallery. Kollner's View: Philadelphia and Beyond in the 19th Century features the work of German-born artist Augustus Kollner (1813-1906). Kollner settled in Philadelphia in 1840 and spent the next… continue reading Kollner's View: Philadelphia and Beyond in the 19th Century
By written by Laura S. July 30, 2015
A small group of parents in Florida are threatening to ban a children’s book close to our hearts. The book in question? The Librarian of Basra by Jeanette Winter. This librarian remembers reading it aloud to day care centers and after school groups back when he worked as a Children’s Librarian. It’s the true story of… continue reading Borrow a Banned Book Today: The Librarian of Basra
By written by Perry G. July 27, 2015 3
The Free Library is happy to announce that we've launched our new Online Catalog ! As we mentioned on the blog and throughout social media last week, our goal was to help make our catalog more user-friendly, encourage exploration, and offer better customer service throughout your online experience. With new features that include a… continue reading Introducing The Free Library's New Online Catalog!
By written by Peter SM June 24, 2015 4
Last month, South Philadelphia’s Federal Winds quintet gave a special pop-up performance in the Grand Lobby of Parkway Central. The group, consisting of some of Philadelphia's most sought-after teaching artists, provide music education through school programs, studios, and after-school sessions. Their first hand experience… continue reading Federal Winds at the Free Library
By written by Perry G. June 12, 2015
Andrew Carnegie was born in 1835 and grew up poor in Scotland. When he was 12 years old his father moved the family to Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh, where young Andy got a job as a bobbin boy in a textile mill. He wanted to educate himself but he couldn't pay the $2 subscription for a local library, and he certainly… continue reading The Carnegie Libraries of the Free Library: Past, Present and Future
By written by Kim B. June 11, 2015 3
Philadelphia’s guitarists are dropping by the Reference Desk more frequently than usual to request our B.B. King songbooks. School students are visiting the Music Department asking for books for papers they're writing on B.B. King’s life. Not to mention the folks who come in looking for our books about… continue reading Remembering B.B. King
By written by Perry G. May 27, 2015
Frequent visitors to our Overdrive site may have noticed a few changes this week. After months of planning, Overdrive has discontinued the much maligned WMA and WMV formats for audiobooks, videos, and music. These restrictive formats previously caused headaches for those of us using Apple or Android mobile devices or Mac computers since… continue reading Digital Audiobooks Are Now Easier Than Ever
By written by Jamie W. May 21, 2015 9
It's new comic book day across the United States today and you can flip through some new comics without even leaving your house to head down to your local comic shop. Hoopla , one of our most popular Digital Media resources here at Free Library, already boasts a catalog of more than 300,000 movies, TV shows, music albums, and audiobooks.… continue reading Hoopla Makes A Splash (Page), Now Offering Comic Book Downloads!
By written by Peter SM May 20, 2015 1
Know anyone who'd like some free computer lessons? Parkway Central librarians have announced their new roster of computer courses for May 2015. Librarians lead these classes and serve as all around guides, educators, and information experts; we crafted many of these classes after the types of questions you ask us at the… continue reading May 2015 Computer Classes at Parkway Central
By written by Perry G. May 8, 2015
Last month, the Music Department featured the music of Qin Qian - Philadelphia author, educator and erhu player. She treated the public to a special pop-up performance featuring her students and some very special guests. Over 100 people packed the Grand Lobby, and transmogrified it into a concert hall of traditional Chinese and Western Music.… continue reading 'Two Strings and Five Tones' at the Parkway Central Library
By written by Perry G. April 28, 2015
The Print and Picture Collection of the Free Library of Philadelphia has mounted a new exhibition to coincide with Framing Fraktur: Celebrating Traditional Pennsylvania German Folk Art and Its Relationship to Contemporary Art . Text in Prints: The Use of Language in Contemporary Printmaking features prints with text from the Print… continue reading Text in Prints -- New Exhibit in the Print & Picture Hallway Gallery
By written by Laura S. April 28, 2015
The Print and Picture Collection is pleased to announce PIX Open Call , our 2015 call for entries for juried two-person exhibitions. Area artists are invited to enter this open call, juried by photographer David Graham and printmaker Shelley Thorstensen. The deadline for application is June 5, 2015. We will have two Two Person Shows,… continue reading Now accepting entries for PIX Open Call
By written by Laura S. April 22, 2015
