Tagged Special Collections
Musical Homecomings: Lost and Found in the Andes
The flag of Ecuador hangs along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway’s Avenue of Flags just outside the Free Library of Philadelphia. Nearly 3,000 miles south, the same tricolor with its condor flies over Quito, the world’s highest…
Or Not to Be: Resources From the Exhibition
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…
Or Not to Be: An Exhibition from Special Collections
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. "Recognizing death is…
Images of Strikes and Picket Lines from the Library’s Collections
The first eight days of July 2025 saw Philadelphia’s largest municipal workers’ strike in almost 40 years. Striking — collectively withholding labor to improve working conditions — has been an essential tool for…
Why Do Birds Collide With Buildings?
One brisk March day on our lunch break, my friend Chris and I saw a lifeless feathered body in a storm grate on the street. The bird wasn’t a typical city bird — it had a very long bill and a beautiful mix of brown, gray,…
Second Fleisher Collection Scholarship Awarded to Philadelphia Tubist, Keith Holmes
The Edwin A. Fleisher Collection of Orchestral Music , in partnership with Play on Philly (POP), is thrilled to announce the second installment of our Edwin A. Fleisher Scholarship! We love this partnership because POP echoes…
Oddities and Wonders: A Selection of Unusual Artifacts for TTRPG Players
The Free Library of Philadelphia’s Special Collections is excited to present a free catalog of items that can be used to supplement Dungeons and Dragon s and other tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs)! Each in-game item was…
Go Birds: Appreciating Our Avian Friends - An Exhibition from Special Collections
The Go Birds: Appreciating Our Avian Friends exhibition is on view in the Second Floor West Gallery at the Parkway Central Library from June 2 – August 30, 2025 . Birds have long captivated…
The Rare Book Department Reopens on Monday, June 16
The Free Library is pleased to announce that the Rare Book Department in Parkway Central Library will reopen to the public on Monday, June 16 , following the successful completion of a major renovation and HVAC replacement.…
Queer Women in Free Library Special Collections
The art and artifacts of Queer women artists archived in the Free Library's Special Collections — specifically, the Print and Picture Collection , the Theatre Collection , and the Children's Literature Research Collection…
Rediscovering Sophie Drinker: A Pioneer in Women’s Music History
The Music Special Collections Department at the Free Library of Philadelphia holds three collections of music materials: the Edwin A. Fleisher Orchestral Music Collection , the Sheet Music Collection , and the Drinker Choral Collection…
Black Histories of Philadelphia: An Exhibition from Special Collections
The exhibition Black Histories of Philadelphia observes the stories of people and places that make up Philadelphia’s countless histories. Some stories are kept, some fade over time, and others are misrepresented or…
History in the Free Library Archives
For over 130 years, the Free Library has been serving the communities of Philadelphia. Because we believe that history is important and should be shared, we are working to make the Free Library of Philadelphia Archives an accessible and…
Temporary Closure of the Rare Book Department
The Rare Book Department , located on the Third Floor of Parkway Central Library , is closed as of November 4th, 2024 for the installation of a new HVAC system. Climate control is of the utmost importance for our Special…
Telling Tales: From Oral Tradition to Art
The Map Collection , Print and Picture Collection , and Children's Literature Research Collection have joined together to create a new exhibition in the West Gallery on the Second Floor of Parkway Central Library . The…
First Fleisher Collection Scholarship Awarded to Philadelphia Composer and Pianist, Rhyuhn Green
The Edwin A. Fleisher Collection of Orchestral Music is excited to announce our new partnership with Play on Philly (POP). We are particularly enthusiastic about this alliance as POP echoes Edwin Fleisher’s original concept in…
Discovering Rare Books and Special Collections at the Free Library
The mission of the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation is to "provide resources and advocacy to advance the mission of The Free Library while stewarding and promoting our special collections for the benefit of all…
Celebrating World Photography Day
Photography means "to draw with light." It is derived from the Greek words photos , meaning "light," and graphos , meaning "drawing." We celebrate World Photography Day every year on…
Love and Revolution: James Baldwin Speaks to Our Time
Celebrate 100 years of James Baldwin (August 2, 1924 – December 1, 1987) with selections from across the Free Library’s collections highlighting Baldwin’s work, influence, and legacy. On display outside the Social…
Fleisher Collection of Orchestral Music Gifts Avshalomov Works to China
The Edwin A. Fleisher Collection of Orchestral Music is excited to announce the gift of three complete performance sets for works by Russian-born Chinese national composer Aaron Avshalomov to the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. The three…
First Wednesdays with the Rare Book Department
Join the Rare Book Department for extended evening hours on the first Wednesday of every month. The Department will be open until 7 p.m. and staff will be offering tours, pop-up programs, and sneak-peaks. Can’t make it?…
First Wednesdays with the Rare Book Department
Join the Rare Book Department for extended evening hours on the first Wednesday of every month. The Department will be open until 7 p.m. and staff will be offering tours, pop-up programs, and sneak-peaks. Can’t make it?…
First Wednesdays with the Rare Book Department
Join the Rare Book Department for extended evening hours on the first Wednesday of every month. The Department will be open until 7 p.m. and staff will be offering tours, pop-up programs, and sneak-peaks. Can’t make it?…
Or Not to Be: Curator-Led Tour
The Free Library’s exhibition, Or Not to Be: Representations of Death in Special Collections , is inspired by Shakespeare’s famed “To be, or not to be” soliloquy in Hamlet, and looks at death from…
Or Not to Be: Curator-Led Tour
The Free Library’s exhibition, Or Not to Be: Representations of Death in Special Collections , is inspired by Shakespeare’s famed “To be, or not to be” soliloquy in Hamlet, and looks at death from…
First Wednesdays with the Rare Book Department
Join the Rare Book Department for extended evening hours on the first Wednesday of every month. The Department will be open until 7 p.m. and staff will be offering tours, pop-up programs, and sneak-peaks. Can’t make it?…
Or Not to Be: Curator-Led Tour
The Free Library’s exhibition, Or Not to Be: Representations of Death in Special Collections , is inspired by Shakespeare’s famed “To be, or not to be” soliloquy in Hamlet, and looks at death from…
LCD Free Info Session : Wills and Estate Planning
Heim Center Room 131/132 The Legal Clinic for the Disabled will host an informative session on life planning documents, including financial and health care powers of attorney, living wills, and simple wills. Whether you’re…
Or Not to Be: Curator-Led Tour
The Free Library’s exhibition, Or Not to Be: Representations of Death in Special Collections , is inspired by Shakespeare’s famed “To be, or not to be” soliloquy in Hamlet, and looks at death from…
First Wednesdays with the Rare Book Department - The Daily Tour
Join the Rare Book Department for extended evening hours on the first Wednesday of every month. The Department will be open until 7 p.m. and staff will be offering tours, pop-up programs, and sneak-peaks. January's event will…
The Goblin Market, Drawings by George Whitman | Exhibition
This exhibition presents the complete series of George Whitman's pencil and watercolor drawings for the narrative poem "Goblin Market." First published in 1862, the poem is the best-known work of the English writer…
Or Not to Be: Curator-Led Tour
The Free Library’s exhibition, Or Not to Be: Representations of Death in Special Collections , is inspired by Shakespeare’s famed “To be, or not to be” soliloquy in Hamlet, and looks at death from…
Or Not to Be: Curator-Led Tour
The Free Library’s exhibition, Or Not to Be: Representations of Death in Special Collections , is inspired by Shakespeare’s famed “To be, or not to be” soliloquy in Hamlet, and looks at death from…
First Wednesdays with the Rare Book Department
Join the Rare Book Department for extended evening hours on the first Wednesday of every month. The Department will be open until 7 p.m. and staff will be offering tours, pop-up programs, and sneak-peaks. Can’t make it?…
Or Not to Be: Curator-Led Tour
The Free Library’s exhibition, Or Not to Be: Representations of Death in Special Collections , is inspired by Shakespeare’s famed “To be, or not to be” soliloquy in Hamlet, and looks at death from…
Or Not to Be: Curator-Led Tour
The Free Library’s exhibition, Or Not to Be: Representations of Death in Special Collections , is inspired by Shakespeare’s famed “To be, or not to be” soliloquy in Hamlet, and looks at death from…
PMC Shares Workshop: How to Administer an Estate
In this presentation, we will navigate the process of dealing with a relative's estate and will after death, the process and many documents required for handling the estate, and where to go to file documents. Pennsylvanians…
First Wednesdays with the Rare Book Department - Or Not to Be Curator Tour
Join the Rare Book Department for extended evening hours on the first Wednesday of every month. The Department will be open until 7 p.m. and staff will be offering tours, pop-up programs, and sneak-peaks. This month, we will be…
History of Cartography: Depicting Time and Space
Maps are as much about imagined worlds as they are about reality. Rarely are they just a means of getting from one place to another. Instead, they transform our thoughts and uncertainties into something we can see, understand, and…
Absolute Trash Philadelphia Exhibition
Absolute Trash Philadelphia: An Investigation into the Postwar City, Wall Writing, and Local Media features selections from the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News, and Temple University Libraries. In the hundreds of…