The summer is heating up! As we all try our best to deal with the rising temperatures in our area, don't forget that the Free Library is a great place to cool off!

From access to books and other materials to computers and wireless internet access, our libraries currently offering in-person services are here for you, and we're working to resume five days of service across the city in the coming months! 

Don't forget: any time the City of Philadelphia declares a heat health emergency, several neighborhood libraries will function as designated cooling centers with extended hours for Philadephians to get out of the heat when it becomes dangerous. That information will be posted right here on our blog just as soon as it’s made official.

Speaking of those dog days of summer, have you or the little one in your life participated in our Read to a Therapy Dog program? Currently taking place virtually, this is an opportunity for children to practice their reading in a safe, judgment-free environment, and our furry friends love it, too!

And what about the adorable pup in that famous Free Library photo? That furry friend is Knee-Hi, and we lovingly refer to him as our mascot. But upon a bit more digging by a trusty member of our Print and Picture Collection, we learned some more about Knee-Hi, whose owner was a former school principal and trained the tiny wire-haired terrier and others after him to help children learn safety rules in a fun, engaging way as the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin safety dog! Dr. George E. Brunson of Philadelphia would accompany Knee-Hi to area schools—and later, others across the country!—to demonstrate important rules such as crossing only at crosswalks, obeying traffic laws, and avoiding playing in the street. Cool, right? You can learn more about Knee-Hi from these archived newspaper clippings and web articles. As for the Free Library connection, well, we surmise he was "borrowed" for a summer reading initiative in 1938, and thus, the photo! A true Free Library treasure.

If you’ve got a Very Good Boy or Girl at home that happens to stumble upon a book like Knee-Hi did, snap a photo and tag it #FLPDogDays—we’ll be sharing some of our favorite bookish pups over on our Instagram account all summer long, so keep an eye out! Dogs and books just so happen to be a few of our favorite things!

If you just need a break from the summer heat, chill out with these paw-some books and DVDs about dogs!

Woof, Woof!