Philbrick Popular Library

Parkway Central Library's Philbrick Popular Library will be closed from May 19 through early March 2012 for an extensive restoration, which is made possible by a generous grant from the Annenberg Foundation. Beginning May 20, many items housed in the Philbrick Popular Library will be located in other parts of the Library during this time. Customers can find DVDs and audiobooks in the Music Department; large print books in Central Senior Services; language instruction CDs and classic books in the Literature Department; and interlibrary loan, holds pick-up, and recent fiction and nonfiction in the West Hallway on the Second Floor. Materials can be returned in the main lobby book drop, and fines can be paid in the Music Department, Central Children's Department, or using our self-checkout computers.

Thank you for your understanding and patience as we work to improve Parkway Central Library!

Shakespeare Park

Shakespeare Park at 19th and Vine underwent major renovations in the summer of 2011 as part of the plans to enhance the Parkway Central Library. Shakespeare Park, situated between the Library and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, is now home to new landscaping, flowerbeds, walkways, and light fixtures. The renovation of Shakespeare Park was made possible with generous support from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Community and Economic Development.

Mayor's Commission on Literacy

The Mayor's Commission on Literacy and the Reader Development Program have returned to the ground floor of Parkway Central Library! Visit them in their newly renovated offices between 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The Music Department in the Parkway Central Library has reopened following major renovations.

The project included dramatic new lighting designed by Moshe Safdie Associates, the world-renowned architecture firm redesigning Philbrick Popular Library, which will reopen this winter. The lighting, which increases energy efficiency at Parkway Central, was inspired by the original fixtures on the second floor. The renovated department also features a new color palette, a reading area, updated listening stations, and state-of-the-art technology like touch-screen computers and scanners that transform sheet music into MP3s. Additional restorations were also made to the original ornate ceiling plaster and marble flooring.

We hope you come and visit soon!