For Hollywood, the time spanning November through March is known as "film awards season" . Between the People's Choice Awards , Golden Globe Awards , the Oscars , the Golden Raspberry Awards , as well as everyone's best-of and year-end lists, there is no shortage of movies to discuss. It's also during this time… continue reading Newest Additions to the National Film Registry
By written by Peter SM January 10, 2020
" If you want to understand today, you have to search yesterday" Pearl S. Buck Putting the contents of libraries and museums on the web makes wonderful, hidden art accessible. The Free Library of Philadelphia has digitized over 51,340 items from our extensive collections and is constantly adding more every day. Here, at the… continue reading The Free Library's New Center for Digitization | Sharing Treasures Through Technology
By written by Iryna G. November 25, 2019
If you’re getting your news mostly from social media, your information diet is probably a little lacking. You might even be consuming fake news , which the New York Times defines as "a published news report that can be easily proved false," 1 in the recently published book Fake New: Read All About It . Fake news doesn’t… continue reading Are You Reading Fake News?
By written by Jamie B. August 20, 2019 3
You’ve heard the adage that “All politics is local”, but the real, hidden story of American life is documented in the rich and mostly lost bounty of local television programming . For every regional program like Philly’s Bandstand that became a nationwide hit as American Bandstand , there are thousands of farm reports,… continue reading Input and the Extraordinary Marion Stokes
By written by Violet L. September 14, 2018 10
Two of our most popular digital resources are getting a new home on your mobile device. RBDigital Audiobooks and RBDigital Magazines ( formerly Zinio ) are now both available through the RBDigital App. This change will bring the best and latest digital audiobooks as well as current newsstand magazines together in one… continue reading Check Out the New App for Digital Audiobooks and Magazines
By written by Jamie W. April 20, 2018 9
Today, April 13, is the first of two Friday the 13ths occurring in 2018. The next one arrives exactly 13 weeks later on July 13! The only logical thing to do on such a superstitious occassion is to stay (safely) inside away from black cats, open ladders, spilled salt, cracked sidewalks, broken mirrors, and other horrific hazards and stream some… continue reading 13 Screamingly Scary Movies to Stream This Friday the 13th!
By written by Peter SM April 13, 2018
We are very pleased to announce complimentary online access to the New York Times is now available with your library card ! Free Library card holders will now have free access to NYTimes.com and all NYT mobile apps, as well as the paper's international editions. With the New York Times , you will find a variety of… continue reading Extra! Extra! New York Times Online Now Free With Your Library Card!
By written by Jamie W. April 10, 2018 30
At long last, Hoopla , our popular source for streaming television and movies (as well as graphic novels , ebooks , music , and audiobooks ) is now available to use on Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, and Android TV! View the following video tutorials below to add Hoopla to your digital media player of choice. For written instructions, visit… continue reading Now Showing: Hoopla on the Big(er) Screen!
By written by Jamie W. March 6, 2018 2
The Free Library is very pleased to announce the launch of a brand-new service to our cardholders. The popular on-demand video streaming service Kanopy is now available at no cost with your library card ! Free Library of Philadelphia card holders can access Kanopy and sign up to start streaming films on demand instantly. You will find a link to… continue reading Watch Streaming Movies with our Newest Digital Media Resource: Kanopy!
By written by Jamie W. November 1, 2017 56
The past few years have seen tremendous growth in the popularity of digital audiobooks . And why not? Audiobooks allow you to couple the imaginative, meditative aspects of reading with the relaxing, go-anywhere nature of recorded audio. While ebooks have their adherents and their detractors , audiobooks are… continue reading New Directions in Digital Audiobooks
By written by Jamie W. October 27, 2017 14
2 + 2 = 4 The Earth is round. Frankenstein is the name of the doctor, not the monster. These are all indisputable facts. Unfortunately, we are currently living in some bizarro, post-truth world where certain people try to dispute and argue about facts like the one's listed above. And if there is any term more misconstrued and misunderstood… continue reading Library Resources to Help Spot Fake News
By written by Peter SM August 25, 2017
Zinio, our digital magazine service, is now RBdigital Magazines . The great selection of currnet newsstand magazines including the New Yorker , the Economist , Bon Appetit , National Geographic , OK , Star , and many more, hasn't changed. It's still easy to use, still has no late fees, and is always free with your library card . If… continue reading Changes Coming for Zinio, Digital Magazines, and Digital Audiobooks
By written by Jamie W. August 4, 2017 1
As the weather turns warmer, schools begin to let out, and people head out of town on vacation, another summer slate of movies is being rolled out in theaters across the country. The "summer blockbuster" is now a perennial event, as each year filmmakers and Hollywood studios try to outdo their past offerings, in both attendance… continue reading Summer Movies 2017: Sequels and Retreads and Adaptations, Oh My!
By written by Peter SM May 25, 2017 1
Looking for something heartfelt and inspiring to read while supporting a worthy cause this Valentine's Day? Check out Love is Love , a 162-page graphic novel from IDW Publishing and DC Comics , honoring the victims, supporting the survivors, and celebrating the LGBTQ community affected by the senseless Pulse Nightclub tragedy in Orlando,… continue reading Love is Love
By written by Peter SM February 14, 2017
My name is Peter and I LOVE bad movies. I say—the worse, the better! Schlocky scripts, rubber monsters, awful acting, melodramatic bio pics, big budget special fx-laden flops—I'll gladly (attempt to) watch 'em all. While others may get excited about the Oscar race towards the end of each year, I'm anxiously awaiting the… continue reading #FLPNoShameNovember: Nothing Better Than A Bad Movie
By written by Peter SM November 27, 2015 2
There aren’t many books whose covers I am ashamed to bare to the world as I read. I read a lot of self-help ( Gretchen Rubin ), pop culture ( Chuck Klosterman ), and anything I am drawn to when I walk around the Free Library. I also love to read collections of essays, like those of Sarah Vowell and Sloane Crosley —both of whom have… continue reading #FLPNoShameNovember: PEOPLE Magazine
By written by Kate C. November 12, 2015 1
It's new comic book day across the United States today and you can flip through some new comics without even leaving your house to head down to your local comic shop. Hoopla , one of our most popular Digital Media resources here at Free Library, already boasts a catalog of more than 300,000 movies, TV shows, music albums, and audiobooks.… continue reading Hoopla Makes A Splash (Page), Now Offering Comic Book Downloads!
By written by Peter SM May 20, 2015 1
*** Update - 11/1/2017 - Our Hoopla policies have changed. So that we can bring you more content on more platforms, we have changed the number of checkouts per person to 4 titles a month (any combination of movies, TV, audiobooks, ebooks, or graphic novels). Regular readers of this blog will doubtless be aware that the Free… continue reading Stream Movies, TV, Music, and Audiobooks Free with Hoopla!
By written by Jamie W. July 28, 2014 53
