Or Not to Be: Representations of Death in Special Collections is on view from Monday, September 8, 2025, to Saturday, February 28, 2026, on the Third Floor of Parkway Central Library in the Dietrich Gallery.

The Free Library's newest exhibition from the Special Collections Division, Or Not to Be, is inspired by Shakespeare’s famed “To be, or not to be” soliloquy in Hamlet. The exhibition will explore death from diverse cultural perspectives.

Check out the Free Library's Events Calendar for exhibition-related programs and tours, and explore some of the materials and resources featured in Or Not to Be.

Due to the sensitive nature of the subject of death, including depictions of death, we’ve put together a list of resources and support for grieving, suicide prevention, and estate planning below:

Bereavement Support Resources

General Grief Groups

• Compassionate Friends – A national organization with local chapters providing support to families who have lost a loved one, usually a child
• Widowed Village  – An online community of peer support and resources for those who have lost a spouse or partner
• GriefShare – A national organization with local chapters providing peer grief support groups
• AARP – Provides grief articles, information on publications, details on claiming benefits, making funeral arrangements, and an overview of financial and legal action steps to take when someone dies
• Caring Info – CaringInfo is a national consumer education and engagement program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. CaringInfo has provided millions of advance directives to individuals free of charge, plus free resources and information to help people make decisions about end-of-life care and services before a crisis.
• Center for Loss and Life Transition – The Center for Loss and Life Transition is an organization dedicated to helping people who are grieving and those who care for them by providing books, articles, and other resources to help with the grieving process.

Fetal and Infant Deaths

• First Candle – Online resources for parents after the death of an infant or toddler
• UNITE, Inc. – Local support groups and online resources for parents after miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant deaths
• Glow in the Woods – Online community and resources for parents after fetal and infant deaths

Death of a Child at Any Age

• The Compassionate Friends – Support groups and online resources for parents, grandparents, and siblings after the death of a child of any age
• Bereaved Parents USA – Support groups and online resources for parents after the death of their child
• Mothers in Sympathy and Support – Nonprofit, volunteer-based organization committed to providing emergency support to parents after the death of their baby or child, with a website that includes online support forums
• Alive Alone – A charitable and educational organization whose purpose is to benefit bereaved parents whose only child or all children are deceased, by providing a self-help network and publications to promote communication and healing.
• Baby Steps – Named after the baby steps that form the long and difficult road to recovery from the loss of a child, this website contains resources for parents, siblings, and other family members, and online sharing for kids and adults.
• Bereaved Parents – Offers information and support to anyone who has lost a child, with highlights from newsletters published by affiliates, as well as a monthly column. A bereavement self-help resources guide is also included that indexes resources along with hundreds of listings for other resources and information.

Resources and Camps for Grieving Children

• Uplift Center for Grieving Children – Local, free support groups and other grief support services for children, teens, young adults, and their caregivers
• Peter’s Place – Local area support groups and other grief resources for children and teens (4–17) and their caregivers, and for young adults ages 18–25 (located in Radnor, PA)
• The Dougy Center – Online resources for grieving children, teens, young adults, and their caregivers
• Highmark Caring Place – Free brochures for families and professionals that address some basic concepts of grief
• Camp Erin Philadelphia – A free weekend bereavement camp for youth ages 6–17 who are grieving the death of a significant person in their lives
• Camp Kesem – Online resources and free summer camps for children who have been impacted by a parent’s cancer; local camps sponsored by chapters at UPenn and Temple
• Camp Mariposa – A national addiction prevention and mentoring program that offers free weekend camps for children ages 9–12 who have been affected by substance abuse in their families
• A Haven (in Exton, PA) - Offers free individual or family sessions and support groups for kids ages 3–18 and their caretakers, including a group for teens and groups for kids who have lost a parent or a sibling
• Bereavement support resources
• Harm reduction resources
• Harm reduction organizations
• Housing and food insecurity resources
• Want to say it with a book? Visit the “Loss” section located in the Children’s Department at Parkway Central Library. Ask about similar books and resources at your local Neighborhood Library location.

Death of a Parent or Caregiver

• Children’s Bereavement Center – The goal of the Children's Bereavement Center and Lift From Loss adult program is to enable children and families to acknowledge change, adjust, and integrate loss with healthful grief and mourning.
• Dougy Center – Dougy Center provides support in a safe place where children, teens, young adults, and families who are grieving can share their experiences before and after a death. 
• OUR HOUSE Grief Support Center – When an Adult Experiences the Death of a Parent
• Motherless Daughters – A book, community, and resources

Death of a Spouse or Partner 

• National Widowers’ Organization
• Modern Widows Club
• Partner Loss Resources

Death of Pet

• Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement
• Tips to Cope with the Death of a Pet

Therapy

• Psychology Today – An international search engine to find therapists, filters are available to narrow searches based on insurance, location, language, cost, reason for seeking services, etc.
• Community Behavioral Health (CBH) – Philadelphia’s mental health service managed care organization, available to most people covered under Medicaid. To locate a mental health or substance use treatment provider within the CBH network, call Member Services at 888-545-2600 (available 24/7) or review their online directory of providers.

Other Resources

Substance Abuse 
If you’re in crisis and need emergency help, please don’t wait. Call 988 or 215-685-6440, where folks are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to help.

Not an emergency, but need to talk to someone ASAP? Call the NAMI Philadelphia Warmline at 844-745-4673, available Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.. These caring folks will help you to feel heard and understood. 

Counseling, Workshops, and Other Support

• Adult individual grief counseling
• Child and youth counseling
• Educational workshops
• Support for those in the substance use field
• Community events
• Broken No More – Online community that provides support and guidance to those who have lost a loved one to substance use.
• GRASP – Online community of support and healing for those who have lost a loved one to substance use; includes a listing of area peer support groups
• Philly HEALs
  • Grief support for drug-related loss
• Visit Substance Use Philly to download free outreach materials and community resource lists for children (PDF) and adults (PDF).
• Substance use support groups and meetings
• Other substance use resources

Gun Violence and Homicide

• Anti-Violence Partnership of Philadelphia – Provides local support and free services for families who have lost a loved one to violence
• Pennsylvania Office of Victim Services – Assists in locating counseling and application forms for victims' compensation
• City of Philadelphia Violence Prevention Hotline – Philadelphians can now dial 2-1-1 to get access to resources and services for violence prevention in the city (available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year). A Resource Navigator quickly gathers information from the caller to refer or connect the caller to the resources they need. 
• Mothers In Charge – Dedicated violence prevention, intervention, and education organization for youth, young adults, families, and community organizations impacted by violence. 
• ADAC – Offers children, youth, and families healthy alternatives to substance use, violence, and other risky behaviors, positive affirmations to build internal protective factors, and education enrichment to increase school retention and high school graduation rates
• Ceasefire PA – CeaseFirePA organizes with communities closest to the issue, holds those in power accountable, and maximizes the strengths of every member in its broad coalition — understanding that the strongest work is work done by many.
• Parents of Murdered Children, Inc. – Provides the ongoing emotional support needed to help parents and other survivors facilitate the reconstruction.

Suicide 

• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline – Available 24 hours in English and Spanish
• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) – Provides online resources for those who have lost a loved one to suicide, including a directory of support groups. The local AFSP chapter also offers outreach via telephone and care packages via mail to suicide loss survivors.
• Healthy Minds Philly – Offers local support groups for those who have lost a loved one to suicide.
• American Foundation for Suicide – Find resources for suicide prevention for you or someone you know, with additional resources supporting diverse communities, the LGBTQ community, and the military as well.

Mental Health 

• Philadelphia Network of Care – A database of citywide services and resources for those dealing with behavioral health and intellectual disabilities, prison reentry, or military service.
• National Alliance on Mental Illness Philadelphia – Provides information and free services for individuals suffering from mental illness and their families and friends

Living Will

• Prepare a Living Will - NIH 

Aging 

• Philadelphia Corporation for Aging (PCA)
  • Community Legal Services Aging and Disabilities Unit

Death Certificates 

• Death Certificates - Vital Records: Pennsylvania Department of Health Division of Vital Records provides information on acquiring birth and death certificates. 
• Death Certificates - VitalChek: VitalChek is a source for government-issued vital records. They offer secure online ordering, partnerships throughout the country, and quick turnaround.

Funerals

• AARP – Help Your Family Plan Your Funeral Far in Advance
• Funeral Consumers Alliance – Ensuring consumers are fully prepared and protected when planning a funeral for themselves or their loved ones. FCA offers objective facts about funeral planning so families can plan a meaningful goodbye that fits their needs and their budget.
• Green Burial Council – Since 2005, the Green Burial Council has been working to make burial sustainable for the planet, meaningful for the families, and economically viable for the provider.
• International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association (ICCFA) - Offers news, a consumer resource guide, and cremation guidelines
• Pennsylvania Cemetery Cremation and Funeral Association (PCCFA) - Features cemetery and funeral glossaries, FAQs, consumer guides, and directory listings in Pennsylvania

Other

• Death Cafe
  • Run your own Death Cafe
• Death Doulas
  • Philly Death Doula Collective

Digital Collection Items

Check out selected items from the exhibition from our Digital Collections:

• Charles Fechter as Hamlet Act V Scene I
• Book of Hours, Use of Bourges
• Don’t Speed by Nathan Sherman  
• Temperance Puzzle / Temperance Puzzle - verso
• Decoration Day at Philadelphia
• What Wonderful Weather We’re Having! by Charles Henry Sykes
• Spring Idyll by Lynd Ward
• Visitor to Germantown by Benton Spruance
• Book of Hours, Use of Rome
• Book of Hours, Use of Coutance
• Untitled [Dead Man after Hanging] by Dox Thrash 

Booklists

Or Not to Be: Items from the Exhibition Booklist
Here is a list of the items in the exhibition that are cataloged. Special Collections materials are not always listed in the online catalog like other books. If you have questions about items you may have seen that are not included here, please contact the Special Collections Division.

Or Not to Be: Booklist 
With this catalog list, you can learn more information about death-related, coping, and grief books in the Free Library, as well as books related to objects in the Fall/Winter 2025/6 Dietrich Gallery exhibition, Or No to Be. This is not an exhaustive list! Please search the Free Library’s online catalog for more books and resources. Looking for guidance? Walk into a Free Library location, call 1-833-TALK FLP (825-5357), or email a librarian!