You’re invited! Please join us for a South Philadelphia Library Open House and Block Party!

The Free Library of Philadelphia welcomes the brand-new Community Health and Literacy Center, alongside our partners in the Center: The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the City of Philadelphia’s Health Center 2, and the DiSilvestro Recreation Center. Yes, this is still a library—but also is an awesome, collaborative promise,  focused on the well-being of neighborhood residents. This is the first new library to open in Philadelphia in more than 10 years, and it heralds an exciting time of development across the Free Library system.

Saturday, June 11, 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Health and Literacy Center | 1700 S. Broad Street (at Morris)

FREE. Rain or shine.

This joyous event will include fun for all ages—face painting, storytimes, crafts, musical performances, and the Free Library’s Techmobile will be on-site! Attendees at the event can explore the brand-new library space, which houses a "living room" area—the Stephen and Sandra Sheller Common—where people can gather with friends, engage in library programs, and interact in a warm environment. Visitors can also check out the Frances and Stewart Rauch Children’s Library, which displays a mural by the renowned late author and illustrator Maurice Sendak, as well as other new library features like the teen space, Pre-K Zone, computer lab, and updated study rooms. 

As part of the Building Inspiration: 21st Century Libraries Initiative, the South Philadelphia Library is the first of five pilot neighborhood libraries to be reimagined and reshaped to meet the changing needs of today’s library customers. The other four libraries—Lillian Marrero, Logan, Lovett Memorial, and Tacony—closed in April and are now preparing to undergo extensive modernization and expansion. Each library will receive physical upgrades, ensuring full ADA accessibility, and have a unique programmatic focus, chosen in response to identified community needs. These critical updates are made possible in large part by the William Penn Foundation's historic $25 million grant to the Building Inspiration initiative, as well as a number of private individuals and the City of Philadelphia, for which we continue to be so grateful.

Come join in the celebration of this incredible project and new landmark in the South Philadelphia community!