by Mariam Williams, Project Director, Chronicling Resistance One of my greatest joys in this project is witnessing how the Fellows draw connections among their respective areas of research and activism. I get to see and hear lightbulbs going off in the fellows’ heads every week during small-group research check-ins. There, Malkia… continue reading Thinking in Community
By written by Administrator February 11, 2021
When the Free Library of Philadelphia first started working together to draft a curriculum for the Skills for Community-Centered Libraries project, we never guessed how essential the skills we proposed to cultivate and strengthen would be to libraries in 2021. We gave a well-received presentation about the curriculum in Philadelphia at… continue reading Community-Centered Libraries Are More Important Than Ever
By written by Community-Centered Libraries January 27, 2021
Hannah Cho is a University of Pennsylvania Work-Study student from Davis, CA. During the Fall semester, she studied, recorded, and edited the Story Search podcasts remotely from South Korea. I’ve always been more of a talker rather than a listener. Little did I know that editing hour-long podcasts would teach me the value of… continue reading Story Search from Special Collections: An Interview by Hannah Cho
By written by Joe S. January 6, 2021
by Mariam Williams, Project Director for Chronicling Resistance "I've studied what I could of the Niess and their culture. There isn’t much left, and I have to sift the truth from all the lies. But there was a … a practice among them. A vocation. People whose job it was to see that the truth got told. … You see… continue reading Chronicling Resistance: Meet the Fellows
By written by Administrator December 1, 2020
Thank you to Nourishing Literacy (NL) team member Carolyn for writing this blog post! In addition to sharing her experience and findings, Carolyn has included some of the activities and approaches that we use in NL. The NL team enjoys providing interactive food info and ideas that spark curiosity and are inclusive to all… continue reading Noodles Across Tables
By written by Shayna M. November 6, 2020 2
The Logan Library is proud to host the Souls Shot: Portraits of Victims of Gun Violence portrait exhibit now through December 30, Monday through Friday from 1:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m. This exhibit will consist of portraits of victims of gun violence, some of who never made it past their teenage years, hanging throughout the main floor of the library.… continue reading Souls Shot: Victims of Gun Violence Portrait Exhibit On Display at Logan Library
By written by Lynne H. November 3, 2020 2
Are you a renter who has lost income due to COVID-19? You may qualify for rental assistance through the City of Philadelphia's Emergency Rental Assistance Program . Phase 2 of this program is currently accepting applications, and you can apply even if you have previously applied for Phase 1. This program helps both tenants and landlords, by… continue reading How to Apply for Emergency Rental Assistance: A Walk-through for Tenants and Landlords
By written by Michael R. October 19, 2020 13
The Latin American Book Fair , in partnership with the Culinary Literacy Center , will be presenting Language Through My Kitchen: Latin Cuisine , during a virtual event broadcast on Facebook on Friday, October 16, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m . The idea of this project is to explore the origins of culinary ingredients and to provide the… continue reading Language Through My Kitchen: Latin Cuisine
By written by Mary Marques October 8, 2020
![Philadelphia Transportation Company protest photograph, 1943. From the Philadelphia Record Photograph Morgue [V07], Historical Society of Pennsylvania.](https://libwww.freelibrary.biz/images/blog/FLPBlog/resized/phila-transportation-company-protest-1943.jpg)
by Mariam Williams, Project Director for Chronicling Resistance Sometimes, the way events merge is uncanny. This is the case for Chronicling Resistance, a project that recently migrated to the Free Library of Philadelphia. Initiated in 2017 by the Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special Collections Libraries (PACSCL), Chronicling… continue reading Chronicling Resistance
By written by Administrator October 2, 2020 2
Updated Wednesday, September 30, 2020 4:45 p.m. The census deadline, originally slated for September 30 after the federal administration moved to an earlier date, has now been extended to October 5 . In 1930, Dorothy Evelyn Hudson lived in a rented home on an unimproved dirt road in Fairfield County, South Carolina with her uncle, aunt,… continue reading A Census Story
By written by Kalela W. September 24, 2020 2
Parkway Central Library Children’s Department is excited to present its first-ever Mutual Aid Fair! Central Children’s is teaming up with Youth Services, Read by 4th , the Art Department , and our Community Partners: Dipes’n’Wipes will be giving away diapers, wipes (and more!) The Philadelphia Women’s Center will… continue reading Free Library Mutual Aid Fair
By written by Kate E. August 17, 2020
Updated Friday, July 10, 2020 4:59 p.m. "The Social Justice Symposium Teen Planning Committee supports the Concerned Black Workers of the Free Library of Philadelphia ! CBWFLP Response to DEI/Board of Trustees' letter We are Philadelphia high school and college students who have been working for several weeks to plan the Free… continue reading Race in the United States: Social Justice Virtual Workshops for Teens
By written by Megan J. July 7, 2020
Pride Month is set to wrap up this week, and we’ve had so much fun celebrating with virtual events, book lists, and history lessons all throughout June (see what we’ve been up to here on the blog !). But we’ve got one more celebration planned, and we hope you’ll participate! The Parkway Central Library… continue reading Close Out Pride Month with a Dress-Up Day!
By written by Kate C. June 29, 2020
Original blog post by Symbol Lai, Office of Immigrant Affairs, posted on May 29, 2020 National Immigrant Heritage Month is back — and not a moment too soon. Faced with a global pandemic, unprecedented shutdowns, and uncertainties everywhere, 2020 is a difficult year. We are overdue for connection. Started in 2014, Immigrant… continue reading Celebrate Immigrant Heritage Month!
By written by Administrator June 8, 2020
Dear Free Library community, We are enraged and heartbroken. The murder of George Floyd at the hands of the police—and the senseless murders of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, among many others—has once again revealed the anti-Black racism that continues to afflict our nation. Communities across the country, including our… continue reading The Free Library Stands Against Racism
By written by Siobhan Reardon June 3, 2020 6
Blog post author Amy Honisett is the Learning and Development Specialist for Multnomah County Library. Multnomah is the public library system for Portland, Oregon and a national partner in the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Skills for Community-Centered Libraries initiative. There is a lot of interest in community engagement at Multnomah… continue reading Community-Centered Libraries: Another National Partner Perspective
By written by Community-Centered Libraries May 28, 2020
The American Library Association (ALA) defines community engagement as "the process of working collaboratively with community members—be they library customers, residents, faculty, students, or partner organizations—to address issues for the betterment of the community." Community engagement is a common theme… continue reading Sharing Skills for Community-Centered Libraries with the American Library Association
By written by Community-Centered Libraries May 6, 2020
Since the COVID-19 crisis shut down libraries, several Philadelphia City Institute staff members have been directly assisting neighbors and community members by helping with food distribution throughout the city. Sheryl Wright, a part-time Library Assistant who has been packing food for seniors at the SHARE Food Program of Philadelphia ,… continue reading Philadelphia City Institute Staff Help with Food Distribution
By written by Erin H. May 5, 2020 1
Today, American novelist Harper Lee would have turned 94 years old. As a lover of novels in general, and To Kill a Mockingbird in particular, I jumped at the chance to write a celebratory blog about Ms. Lee’s work and the lasting impression it has had on me. But then I sat down to write such a blog and I hit a wall. The longer this… continue reading Harper Lee and the Novels That Help Us Remember
By written by Christine M. April 28, 2020 1
Even though all of our minds are on the pandemic and its consequences for us, our communities, and our city, now is also a crucial time for Census 2020! From April to August, the Census Bureau is asking everyone in Philadelphia to fill out the census form either online, by mail, or by telephone. Because the Census determines federal… continue reading Support the 2020 Census: Philadelphia Counts!
By written by Andrew N. April 24, 2020
