“I come every three weeks to borrow books for my 3-year-old son… I didn't know how I would ever explain to him that the library was not open any more. Thank you!!”

“As an international student in this city, having access to the fantastic collection of the Free Library is one of the perks of living here.”

“[Libraries] are an invaluable resource and to close them would be a travesty”

“Every time I go into my branch I see adults, young children, and students of all ages actively using the library and its resources.”

“Going to the library was such an integral part of my childhood, and I'm so happy that the children of Philadelphia (and the grownups!) will not be robbed of the opportunity to enrich their lives with literature.”

We can’t thank everyone enough for all their support over the past few months. You have written to and called your elected officials, volunteered in our libraries, and given us generous financial donations. It is because of you that we won this critical battle, and we know we can rely on your support in the future.

As you know, Pennsylvania still does not have a State budget. The failure of the State legislature to pass a budget for Pennsylvania means that while the Free Library remains open, there is the likelihood that a severe funding cut will be made in our State appropriation. This would critically hamper the Free Library’s ability to purchase new books, DVDs, CDs, databases, newspapers, magazines, and more.

Please continue to ask your elected officials to stop any potential cuts to state library funding. And don’t forget to visit freelibrary.org/support to learn about the ways that your donations help the Library to provide world-class programs, services, and resources to our community!