With the fall season upon us, students, their teachers, and their principals have recently returned to school.  In the School District of Philadelphia, each of those groups face immense uncertainty about the future .  As do students and educators across the United States and Mexico . Despite these myriad challenges, librarians want to… continue reading What students (and often their teachers and their principals) don’t know about research and an enriching liberal education

By written by Adam F.    September 18, 2013    1  

• College Prep
• Databases
• Digital Collections
• How To
• Parkway Central
• Teens
• Summer Reading
• Literacy
• School

This weekend, the sci-fi robots vs. colossal monsters of Pacific Rim will be stomping all over movie screens and battling at the box office. Director Guillermo del Toro, no stranger to fantastical cinematic creations ( Cronos , Pan's Labyrinth , and the Hellboy movies), has gone back to the Saturday afternoon b-movies of his youth for… continue reading Friday Five: Monster Movies

By written by Peter SM    July 12, 2013    2  

• Film
• Friday Five

Think of two or three of the most critically-lauded groups in the canon of rock music.  Got some?  Now, were there any women in those bands you imagined?  It's no secret: historically, the tools of rock and roll have been harder to access if you're a woman or young girl.  But fortunately there’s an organization… continue reading An Instrument Share with Girls Rock Philly!

By written by Perry G.    June 21, 2013   

• Music

In celebration of GLBTQ Pride Month, the Independence Library , 18 South 7th Street, will host a casual dessert and coffee social on Friday, June 28 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Our library is the home of the Barbara Gittings GLBTQ Collection, the largest GLBTQ public library collection east of San Francisco.  Refreshments for our meet-and-greet… continue reading Celebrate Pride Month and the Barbara Gittings GLBTQ Collection

By written by Independence Branch Library    June 12, 2013   

• LGBTQ

This is a great time for music lovers. Not so long ago, we had relatively few choices when it came to how we heard our music. We could buy it, which is ideal if you’re sure you’re going to like it once you get it home; listen to the radio or watch MTV, OK as long as you’re content to hear what someone else decides you… continue reading Music Everywhere

By written by Jamie W.    May 15, 2013    17  

• Databases
• Music

A true legend of the silver screen passed away earlier this week, and while you may not know his name or what he looks like, chances are if you've ever watched a science fiction, fantasy, or action-adventure film and been amazed at the special fx or blurted out "HOW did they do that?!", you can trace it all back to Ray… continue reading Visual Effects Pioneer Ray Harryhausen R.I.P. 1920 - 2013

By written by Peter SM    May 9, 2013   

Katherine Milhous (1894-1977) and Frances Lichten (1889-1961) were life partners and artistic collaborators who shared several passions: creating vibrant artwork for children and adults, entertaining in their homey studio on Pine Street, and corresponding with treasured longtime friends. They also shared a love of Philadelphia and respect for… continue reading A Love of Philadelphia

By written by Shahadah A.    June 25, 2012    3  

• Archives
• CLIR Grant
• Children's Literature Research Collection

Children's Book Week was established in 1919 and almost from the beginning the Children's Book Council enlisted an illustrator each year to design a commemorative Children's Book Week Poster and Bookmark. A complete collection of Children's Book Week Posters is always on display on the ground floor of Parkway Central . As you… continue reading Children's Book Week Posters

By written by Andrea Z.    May 10, 2012   

Calling all parents and caregivers! Want to learn some new techniques for fostering literacy skills in young children? Consider registering for the Books Aloud! program. This program offers a series of workshops which focus on the importance of early literacy. Each workshop is full of ideas and activities for sharing books… continue reading 2011-2012 Books Aloud! Workshops Have Begun

By written by Sarah S.    October 20, 2011    4  

• Pre K
• Books Aloud
• Early Literacy

With the opening of the newly refurbished Shakespeare Park   directly across the street from Parkway Central, it seems fitting to highlight the Library's holdings related to the man himself.  The Rare Book Department is home to the first four folios of Shakespeare, the gift of P.A.B. Widener and his sister Mrs. Josephine Widener… continue reading The First Folios

By written by Janine P.    August 11, 2011   

• Exhibitions
• Rare Book Department

Jennifer Egan is in some ways an unlikely candidate for a Pulitzer Prize in Fiction. She’s under 50, female, and writes what many call “experimental” fiction. But this didn’t stop her. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal only minutes after she found out that her latest novel, A Visit from the Goon Squad ,… continue reading Finding Inspiration in 2011’s Pulitzer Prize-Winning Novelist

By written by Michelle S.    June 1, 2011    1  

While some people prefer a cozy fall night for snuggling up with creepy crime novel, the summer air always gives me a hankering for the works of my absolute favorite mystery writer: Agatha Christie. The undisputed Queen of Crime hailed from the English seaside resort town of Torquay—where lapping waves meet royal flower gardens—and… continue reading Spend Your Summer with the Queen of Crime

By written by Alix G.    May 6, 2011    1  

Okay, I’ll admit it - I’m kind of excited about the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton . I mean, who doesn’t like a good wedding and a royal one to boot? The wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana in 1981 was watched by a global audience of 750 million people, and I can just imagine what the ratings will be… continue reading The Royal Wedding

By written by Camille T.    April 25, 2011    4  

• Recommendations

The other day I saw a preview for a new show on HBO called Game of Thrones . I was intrigued because it featured medieval costumes, talk about honor, swords, and multiple and seemingly complex plot lines – just what any fantasy fan would want, right? Not to mention I wanted to know who or what these mysterious “white walkers”… continue reading A Game of Thrones

By written by Camille T.    April 14, 2011    3  

• Recommendations

So many of us have been distressed by the recent suicides of teens bullied for being or seeming gay.  Here’s what the Free Library staff have done to help show that things can change. We have booklists, weblinks and so much more to explore in our LGBTQ Teens topic.  Check it out! continue reading The Free Library Says, “It Gets Better!”

By written by Elizabeth H.    November 5, 2010   

• Free Library Staff
• LGBTQ
• Teens

A tour de force in children’s literature not only for the Free Library of Philadelphia, but also for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and library systems nationwide, Children's Services Coordinator Carolyn Wicker Field has passed away at the age of 93. She is fondly remembered for her warm spirit and her innumerable contributions to the… continue reading In Memoriam: Carolyn W. Field, Coordinator of Work with Children

By written by Michelle S.    July 26, 2010    5  

Time Magazine just released a review of J. Peder Zane's The Top 10 , in which he asks the greatest living authors for their Top 10 lists. Whether or not you agree with their choices, they certainly picked some doozies: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov … continue reading 10 Greatest Books of All Time?

By written by Emily    January 22, 2007    1