Did you know that December is Read A New Book Month ? It’s perfect timing, really, as the temperature drops and we reaaaaaaaaally don’t want to think about leaving the couch if we don’t have to. This month, find something that’s new (or new to you!) with the help of trusty Free Library staff recommendations below! Got a… continue reading Celebrate Read A New Book Month with The Free Library!
By written by Kate C. December 13, 2017
Author Erin Entrada Kelly recently sat down with us in the Children's Literature Research Collection and spoke about illustration, cultural struggles, and how her childhood shaped her view as an author. As a result of our conversation, we're even more excited for Kelly's upcoming book, You Go First , which will be… continue reading Q&A with Children's Author Erin Entrada Kelly
By written by Chris B. December 7, 2017 1
Like the enormous condo building that is being erected on your block right now, the word "gentrification" has loomed large recently. Its definition is tough to pin down and experts have even disagreed on what exactly it is. And yet, we have an idea of what gentrification looks like. We’ve seen it in areas like Brewerytown, Point… continue reading #OneBookWednesday: Gentrification in Philadelphia
By written by Kalela W. December 6, 2017 1
Gladys Jamison couldn’t know this, but she was a girl coming of age in an exodus. Thirteen years old when her father moved her and her siblings to Brooklyn, she’d lost her mother five years before, in 1932. She was still reeling from her death. The daughter of farmers, Gladys grew up in Bowman, South Carolina, the nexus of a failed… continue reading #OneBookWednesday: Brooklyn, Black Girlhood, and the Great Migration
By written by Administrator November 22, 2017 3
The Free Library is very pleased to announce the launch of a brand-new service to our cardholders. The popular on-demand video streaming service Kanopy is now available at no cost with your library card ! Free Library of Philadelphia card holders can access Kanopy and sign up to start streaming films on demand instantly. You will find a link to… continue reading Watch Streaming Movies with our Newest Digital Media Resource: Kanopy!
By written by Jamie W. November 1, 2017 56
The past few years have seen tremendous growth in the popularity of digital audiobooks . And why not? Audiobooks allow you to couple the imaginative, meditative aspects of reading with the relaxing, go-anywhere nature of recorded audio. While ebooks have their adherents and their detractors , audiobooks are… continue reading New Directions in Digital Audiobooks
By written by Jamie W. October 27, 2017 14
Come one, come all: After a year and a half of undergoing extensive renovation and expansion, Logan Library will reopen its doors on Saturday, November 4! This neighborhood hub, located at 1333 Wagner Avenue, has been reimagined as part of the Free Library’s Building Inspiration: 21st Century Libraries Initiative , a transformational… continue reading Logan Library Grand Reopening Celebration!
By written by Shahadah A. October 24, 2017 1
When reading up on music history, it's often interesting to see how composers and performers of the day coexisted, often relating to each other and even working together. For example, pianist Margaret Leng Tan (b. 1945) has worked extensively with composers John Cage (1912-1992) and George Crumb (b.1929) throughout her career. Notably,… continue reading Cowell, Cage, and Crumb: The Interconnectedness of American Arts
By written by Fleisher Collection October 23, 2017
The 2018 One Book, One Philadelphia selection was announced this morning! We are very excited to share that for its 16th season, One Book will become immersed in Jacqueline Woodson’s beautiful novel Another Brooklyn . This New York Times bestseller and finalist for the 2016 National Book Award highlights the promise and perils… continue reading Announcing the 2018 One Book, One Philadelphia Selection
By written by Julie B. October 19, 2017
On the occasion of the Barnes Foundation ’s forthcoming Solo Series Concert: Cowell, Cage, Crumb: Pioneers of the Avant-Garde Piano , on November 8, 2017, Edwin A. Fleisher Collection of Orchestral Music at the Free Library of Philadelphia is embarking on a series of blog posts to explore Cowell, Cage, and Crumb’s relationships to… continue reading Cowell, Cage, and Crumb: The Three C’s You Have to Know
By written by Fleisher Collection October 17, 2017
The Philadelphia Colored Directory , a handbook of religious, social, political, professional, business activities of the Negroes of Philadelphia, was compiled by R. (Richard) R. (Robert) Wright, Jr.; assisted by Ernest Smith. This archival resource, recentlly scanned and added to our Digital Collections (viewable online or as a downloadable… continue reading The Philadelphia Colored Directory of 1910 Recently Scanned and Available for Download in Our Digital Collections
By written by Renee G. October 6, 2017 5
We've spent the past week here on the blog celebrating Banned Books and the f READ om to read whatever you want—banned, challenged, or not. If there's one thing possibly more controversial and/or overblown than the very notion of "banned books", it would be films adapted from banned books ! Whether they are… continue reading From Banned to the Big Screen: Banned Book Adaptations
By written by Peter SM September 29, 2017
Banned books—more like the best books , am I right? Some of the most frequently challenged books (at least according to the American Library Association’s list of Frequently Challenged Books ) happen to be Young Adult books. And Young Adult books, as we all know, happen to contain their fair share of sex or drugs… continue reading Young Adult (Best!) Banned Books
By written by Rachel F. September 26, 2017
It has been more than 150 years since Octavius Catto may have slipped on a sack overcoat that hung by his front door, pushed a well-worn felt pocket hat over his parted hair, stepped out into the fall chill, and walked a few blocks down South Street to work, as horse-drawn traffic rattled past him. Born in 1839 in Charleston, South Carolina to… continue reading Following Octavius V. Catto’s Footsteps
By written by Administrator September 25, 2017 13
On Sept. 26, 2017, the fence will come down and a new statue will be unveiled: the first new City Hall statue since 1923 and the first of an African American on any city-owned public property. It’s a lot of fuss over a man most Philadelphians have never heard of, and it’s about time. When we speak of the Civil Rights Movement,… continue reading A History Minute: Octavius V. Catto - Philadelphia's Forgotten Freedom Fighter
By written by Administrator September 22, 2017
Over three previous concert seasons at the Parkway Central Library , veteran and up-and-coming Philly musicians have explored some questions. What has the Great Migration meant to music in Philadelphia? What happens if librarians commission composers to write music inspired by resources culled from Parkway Central’s subject departments?… continue reading Mysterious Travelers Tunes Up for Its Fourth Season of Free Jazz Shows with the Philadelphia Jazz Project!
By written by Perry G. September 13, 2017
In the autumn of 2016, we were tasked with a fascinating challenge: create a bold and welcoming exhibition that would discuss the history of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. On the surface, this isn’t that difficult. As curators in the Special Collections division, we’ve created exhibitions in the past—that’s one of the… continue reading Corridor of Culture: 100 Years of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway
By written by Laura S. September 8, 2017
We didn’t think we could love poetry any more than we already do here at the Free Library … but we were wrong. The City of Philadelphia Poet Laureate program —which has flourished in the five years since it was established by the City’s Office of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy —has now moved under the… continue reading The Free Library Welcomes the Philadelphia Poet Laureate Program
By written by Julie B. September 7, 2017 2
The Free Library of Philadelphia is pleased to announce that beginning today we will offer free access to Lynda.com with your library card ! Lynda.com is an online training and learning tool for business, software, technology, and creative skills. Offering over 10,000 training and development courses taught by industry experts,… continue reading Lynda.com: A New Online Learning Experience from the Free Library
By written by Jamie W. September 5, 2017 47
As the opening date for Frankenstein & Dracula approaches, we've been revisiting some of the strange ( and occasionally salacious ) stories from the lives of the Romantic authors whose dark and imaginative stories inspired two of history's greatest monsters. A favorite among our staff is the grim tale of Percy… continue reading Mary Shelley's Indestructible Heart
By written by Sara D. August 30, 2017 1
