Free Library Blog - Posts by Alix G.

Root, Root, Root for the Home Team!

Alix G. — 2013-05-13T10:45:00-05:00

The Phillies are going to bat for literacy!

On July 10, join the Free Library as the Phillies take on the Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. All net proceeds from tickets purchased through this special site will go to the Free Library.

To learn more, buy tickets, and help us hit a home run for literacy click here!

Catching Up with the Oscars

Alix G. — 2013-02-26T16:33:00-05:00

Let me just say: I love an awards show. I love the suspense, the silly red-carpet interviews, the dresses, everything. This year, though, I barely managed to make it to the movie theater. So while I was glued to my couch watching the Academy Awards this past weekend, I wasn’t familiar with many of the films being recognized. Time to catch up with help from the Free Library!

Our libraries are home to a robust collection of DVDs, including Academy Award nominees and winners from this year and past ceremonies. While not all Oscar-nominated films have made it to DVD quite yet, you can get started with Best Picture winner Argo, Best Documentary winner Searching for Sugar Man, or Best Animated Feature Film winner Brave.

And don’t forget that many of those Best Adapted Screenplay nominees were first brought to life on the pages of books. So grab a volume that inspired an Oscar nominee, including Team of Rivals (Lincoln), Life of Pi, or Silver Linings Playbook, set right here in the Philadelphia region.

What Oscar-nominated films (or books!) will you take home from the Free Library?

The Free Library and Website Advertising

Alix G. — 2013-02-05T16:14:00-05:00

In a few short weeks, you will notice limited commercial advertising on the Free Library’s website in an effort to generate new income that will support Library services and innovations. Below are basics about the program:

Why is the Free Library pursuing website adverting? Over the past five years, our budget has become increasingly tight and we have needed to look for new streams of funding to complement the operating dollars provided by the City of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In response, our new Strategic Plan charges us to strive for increased private support to supplement this public funding. Library leadership and the Boards have determined that website advertising is a key part of this plan.

What will we see on the website? The website advertising plan allots for banners and sidebar advertising. The Free Library will ensure that all advertising is appropriate for Library audiences.

Do other non-profits allow advertising on their websites? Yes. Libraries, public radio stations, public schools, and many other non-profit organizations are seeking new sources of funding in tough economic times, and this often includes on-site and website advertising.

More than just books!

Alix G. — 2013-01-14T10:33:00-05:00

In this Sunday's Philadelphia Inquirer, Free Library Board Member Sheldon Bonovitz penned a passionate op-ed about the wide impact of the Free Library of Philadelphia. In it, he notes:

If a resident of Philadelphia were asked what services the Free Library provides, the likely answer would be, "Books and other reading materials." That's true, in part. But the Free Library does so much more. In fact, one can say the Free Library of Philadelphia has morphed into a community service organization, with 54 locations throughout the city and a staff that speaks more than 30 languages...The Free Library is stepping up and meeting the critical needs of Philadelphians, providing services that residents can't get elsewhere.

To read the full piece, please click here!

Dreaming of Darcy

Alix G. — 2013-01-10T13:00:00-05:00

We here at the Free Library are really excited about our upcoming Pride and Prejudice at 200 celebration on January 28.

Actually, for me, “really excited” might be an understatement. Maybe I’d call myself “irrationally excited.” Something about that darned Mr. Darcy just kicks the pragmatic side of me right out the door. (Remember that bit in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason where our pal Bridge flips out about Colin Firth as Darcy? That’s basically me. But with the version that appears in print. And also Colin Firth.)

All that to say: 1) I love Mr. Darcy and 2) In preparation I’m re-reading the novel but also checking out some fun ancillary Pride and Prejudice material to really get in the spirit of this special day. My colleague Camille once blogged about some fun P&P-related fiction out there (check it out!), and I just picked up Death Comes to Pemberley from the library. That’s right: It’s a continuation of Pride and Prejudice featuring a murder mystery as only P.D. James could spin it.

Next I’m going to grab a couple DVDs from the library and re-tackle of a few of the film versions in preparation for Carrie Rickey’s cool presentation!

We hope to see you all there!

P.S. If there are any other Darcy Superfans out there, he’s tweeting! Follow away!

My Favorite Holiday Gift: Books!

Alix G. — 2013-01-03T11:08:00-05:00

During the holiday season (heck, on any gift-giving occasion) the present I most look forward to receiving is a book. Somehow, the “newness” of it lasts longer than whatever piece of chocolate I wolf down in five minutes. Its enjoyment is drawn out over many more hours than the latest hit movie and it keeps on giving long after the scented candle burns out. I just love giving and receiving a crisp new book as a gift!

This year for the holidays,my husband gave me a copy of Mr. Churchill’s Secretary, a cozy British spy mystery by Susan Elia MacNeal set in World War II-era London. It’s got a spunky secretary-turned-spy, a fun cast of secondary characters, a dose of actual history, and a tricky whodunit to boot! I gobbled it up over the holiday break and grabbed the sequel from the Library in time to ring in 2013. (Princess Elizabeth's Spy, for those who want to jump on board!)

Did you get any books during the holidays that you just couldn’t put down? We’d love to know!

Hey, Hey, It's a Wealth of Musical Memoirs (and more!)

Alix G. — 2012-12-13T11:17:00-05:00

Last week in my “Best of” daze, I stumbled upon this article in the New York Times about the year’s most notable musical memoirs. I don’t particularly have a thing for celebrity tomes, except for when I go to a concert and subsequently find myself unable to resist learning everything I can about a particular musician or band. And not just the legitimate history: I want the dirt. This was clearly my primary motivation this summer when after seeing a Stevie Nicks concert I grabbed one of the books featured in the Times article: Ken Caillat’s Making Rumours: The Inside Story of the Classic Fleetwood Mac Album (Was there ever a more drama-filled band? )

After recent outings to see Bob Dylan and The Monkees (it seems I have a thing for oldies but goodies) I hit up the Free Library catalogue was rewarded with a gold mine: autobiographies, music histories, CDs, documentaries. Whatever you want, trust me, we’ve got it. Next up on my list is Bob Dylan in America by noted U.S. historian Sean Wilentz and I’m a Believer: My Life of Monkees, Music, and Madness by Monkees singer and drummer Micky Dolenz.

What celebrity or musical memoirs struck the right chord with you this year?

Reliving My Childhood Through Books

Alix G. — 2012-12-05T09:53:00-05:00

About a month ago I tagged along on my husband’s business trip to Chicago so that I could check out Ernest Hemingway’s home in Oak Park, Illinois. (More on that another time—Suffice it to say Papa’s pop loved taxidermy and thus a legend was born). But while wandering the streets of the Windy City, I had a literary experience of another nature altogether when I stumbled upon the American Girl store. The company is most well-known for its historic-themed dolls (who doesn’t want to play with a doll who “grew up” during the Great Depression?), who each have a series of books devoted to them and the time periods in which they are supposed to have lived. As a kid, I gobbled up books about the adventures of these fictitious girls. The best part (well, for my parents, not me) was that my parents didn’t have to buy me a doll with accompanying books to learn all about harsh working conditions for children in the early 1900s; life on the homefront during World War II; or what it was like living as a pioneer on the American frontier. Instead, I checked out the American Girl novels for free at my local library—just like kids today can do at the Free Library!

I love when a literary moment from my childhood rears its head in an unexpected way. So if you see me in the children’s department grabbing a book to reminiscence, say hello!

How about you? What books did you love as a child? Do you ever re-read them to revisit your early literary experiences?

The "Best of" Lists Are Here!

Alix G. — 2012-11-28T13:11:00-05:00

Every year at this time, it seems like billions of “best of” lists start peppering blogs, newspapers, magazines, and morning news television shows. I gobble them up, despite the fact that the books I read, movies I see, and music I listen to rarely makes those lists. (Why “Kind of Blue” doesn’t receive a special pass to make these lists annually is beyond me.) As a result, I often experience a weird state of panic and try to jam in a few of the notable “best books” before the clock strikes midnight on December 31. This year it’s all about Detroit is the Place to Be and Broken Harbor. How about you? Any books you just have to check off the list before the calendar flips to 2013?

Rare Book Department, Theatre Collection to be Closed in Preparation for Renovations

Alix G. — 2012-11-16T15:49:00-05:00

The Free Library of Philadelphia is moving on to the next phase of renovations at our Parkway Central location, which includes extensive work in the Rare Book Department. This work will include the complete renovation of the Theatre Collection, the creation of a climate controlled storage area for rare books, and a new gallery space east of the main entrance. Before work begins, the collections in these areas are to be moved and stored off-site. The packing and moving will begin the week of November 26, 2012. In preparation for this, the Theatre Collection will be inaccessible and remain closed all the way through the reconstruction. In addition, from Wednesday, November 28 through Saturday, December 15, the Rare Book Department will be closed to the public.

Thank you for your patience as we continue to improve Parkway Central.