Explore: Government Information

Tagged Government Information

Tax Season 2023: Here’s All You Need to Know Before Filing

2022 IRS Tax Return Updates and Paper Form Availability at the Library The IRS tax season has begun. If you are used to picking up paper tax forms at your local library, you will notice a few changes. The Internal Revenue Service is not…

Important Information to Help You File Your Taxes This Year!

It's that time of year again—Tax Season. But don't fret, the Free Library is here to help you make sense of it all! 2021 IRS Tax Return Updates Besides the annual inflation adjustments and increased standardized deduction…

It’s Tax Season: Here’s What You Need to Know

Updated Tuesday, April 27, 2021 3:15 p.m. The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service announced that the federal income tax filing due date for individuals for the 2020 tax year will be automatically extended from April 15,…

How to Apply for Emergency Rental Assistance: A Walk-through for Tenants and Landlords

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…

Immigration and Citizenship Resources from the Free Library

2020 has brought many changes to the United States, including changes to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The Free Library stands with immigrants and is here to support the information needs of all Philadelphia…

Skip the Polls for the Post Office: Everything You Need To Know About Mail-In Voting

by Marija G. , Alyssa V. , and Kalela W. With uncertainty amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many are preparing for the primaries with a short walk to their mailbox. Deadlines have been postponed, anyone in Pennsylvania can take advantage…

Support the 2020 Census: Philadelphia Counts!

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…

Everything You Need to Know about the 2020 Census

There is a good chance that you have heard about the 2020 Census in the past year, either through news outlets and advertisements or by attending a program. Well, the time is nigh. Starting March 12, the U.S. Census Bureau began…

Tax Season 2020: What's New, What's Changed, and Everything Else You Need to Know!

Please Note: The Treasury Department has moved the IRS deadline for filing taxes from April 15 to July 15. All taxpayers and businesses will now have additional time to file and make payments without interest or penalties. Tax Form…

Modern Courts, Modern Lives

The workshop in the Free Library’s new Robert and Eileen Kennedy Heim Center for Cultural and Civic Engagement began with a quick quiz. And while I knew I wouldn’t ace it, I thought I would get by. Sliding on my reading…

How to Vote in the Primary Election on Tuesday, May 21

Philadelphians: it’s time to make your voting plans for the 2019 Pennsylvania primary election, which will be held this coming Tuesday, May 21! The Free Library is here to help you vote, in more ways than one. Here’s an…

Visit the Passport Office at Northeast Regional Library

As of November 2020, Passport Processing and Photo Services have been discontinued at the Free Library. The Free Library helps people explore new worlds—through fictional tales of far-off places and its international…

It’s Tax Season... Are You Ready?

Changes are coming Today, January 28, 2019, marks the start of the new tax season. With the full roll out of P.L. 115-97, the new federal tax law , you will need to prepare for some significant changes in how you file. Here is a…

Passport Office Opens at Northeast Regional Library

2018 Update: For the latest information on our Passport Processing and Photo Services, please visit our program page » The Free Library has always helped people explore new worlds—through fictional tales of far-off places…

Government Documents at the Regional Operations Center

Since 2014, the Free Library’s new Regional Operations Center (ROC) has been open—open to staff, not the public. And while requesting most books from this offsite location is no different than placing a hold on any library…

A Woman on the New $10

Sacagawea and Susan B. Anthony grace dollar coins, but the faces on U.S. currency have largely belonged to white men. This is starting, slowly, to change. On June 18, Secretary of the Treasury Jacob Lew announced that Alexander…

Recovering from Identity Theft

With the recent theft of some taxpayers’ personal information, and an even more recent data breach of federal employees’ information, it’s no wonder the U.S. Government is taking an interest in identity theft. The…

The FCC, Open Internet and the Digital Divide

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently thrilled many internet enthusiasts (and enraged others) in finally ruling on the question of the “ open internet .” The verdict? Net neutrality – and “the…

2015 Tax Preparation

Tax season is upon us. After months of anticipation, the Federal and Pennsylvania tax forms are now available in the Government Publications Department at the Central Library (1901 Vine St.), as well as at the neighborhood libraries .…

Committees of the U.S. Congress

The United States Congress handles much of its work through the use of committees – panels of varying size, focus, rules, funding, and authority – made up of members of the Senate or the House of Representatives or, in the…

Citizenship Class Session

We are excited to offer Free Citizenship Classes in West Philadelphia! District 1199C Training & Upgrading Fund will host an In-Person Citizenship Class at the Walnut Street West Branch of the Free Library…

Citizenship Class Session

We are excited to offer Free Citizenship Classes in West Philadelphia starting in July! District 1199C Training & Upgrading Fund will host an In-Person Citizenship Class at the Walnut Street West Branch of…

Citizenship Class Session

U.S. Declassified Documents Online Subscription

U.S. Congressional Serial Set (1817-1980)

The bound, sequentially numbered volumes of all the Reports, Documents, and Journals of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives constitutes a rich source of primary source material on all aspects of American history. Upon…

U.S. Citizenship Test Prep

Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture, and Law

This HeinOnline collection brings together a multitude of essential legal materials on slavery in the U.S. and the English-speaking world. It includes nearly 2,000 titles, with every statute passed by every colony and state on slavery,…

HealthCare.Gov

Official guide to the health care, health insurance and the Affordable Care Act

Gun Regulation and Legislation in America

This new HeinOnline collection brings together more than 550 titles dealing with this difficult and important topic. Included are periodicals, key compiled federal legislative histories, relevant congressional hearings, CRS Reports,…

Gale in Context | Middle School (formerly Research in Context) *

Discover reliable and trusted information on a variety of topics to support middle school student research for government, U.S and world history, geography, literature, sciences, and social issues. Research In Context offers…

Archive-It

Archive-It, a web archiving service, to collect and store the websites of Philadelphia government agencies and selected cultural institutions, such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the American Philosophical Society. You can search…

Adam Schiff | Midnight in Washington: How We Almost Lost Our Democracy and Still Could

In conversation with Tracey Matisak, award-winning journalist and broadcaster The United States representative for California’s 28th congressional district and the chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Adam…

Amy Gutmann and Jonathan D. Moreno | Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven But Nobody Wants to Die: Bioethics and the Transformation of Health Care

In conversation with Action News anchor, Jim Gardner Dr. Amy Gutmann is President of the University of Pennsylvania, where she is also a professor of political science and communications. Formerly the provost at Princeton, she is the…