Posts by Ben R. (17)
Blog Articles
On Thursday, October 10 , in the Fourth Floor Skyline Room at Parkway Central Library , the Social Science and History Department will host Jon Grinspan , curator of political history at the… continue reading A Smithsonian Curator on the Lead-Up to the U.S. Civil War
By written by Ben R. October 8, 2024
On Friday, October 4 at 2:00 p.m. , the Social Science and History Department will host Antje Ulrike Mattheus , the author of a unique book on Philadelphia history. Cresheim… continue reading Author of Unique Local History to Speak at the Free Library
By written by Ben R. October 1, 2024
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Social Science and History Department at Parkway Central Library is excited to host three programs covering different aspects of the… continue reading Hispanic Heritage Month in the Social Science and History Department
By written by Ben R. September 19, 2024
Since Parkway Central Library opened in 1927, patrons have had free and open access to its rich and unique collections, expanding services, and professionally trained and welcoming… continue reading Department Highlights: Social Science and History
By written by Ben R. August 15, 2024
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that the United States has an upcoming election . Have you ever wondered how the election system works here in Philadelphia? You can learn… continue reading Your Vote, Your Voice at the Free Library
By written by Ben R. July 18, 2024 1
Philadelphia has the highest incarceration rate of any city in Pennsylvania, and the most locked-up census tracts in North Philadelphia have 17 times as many people behind bars as census tracts in… continue reading Author Event: The Warehouse: A Visual Primer on Mass Incarceration
By written by Ben R. May 30, 2024
From classics like In Cold Blood and Helter Skelter to recent bestsellers like In Light of All Darkness and If You Tell , readers love true crime. In addition to generating chills and thrills, a… continue reading 19th Century True Crime at the Free Library
By written by Ben R. April 19, 2024
In celebration of Black History Month, the Free Library's Social Science and History Department is displaying books from the collection that tell a visual history of Reconstruction — the… continue reading Collection Spotlight: A Visual History of Reconstruction
By written by Ben R. February 12, 2024
This is the seventh in a series of posts highlighting major figures in jazz history who were from Philly (even if most ended up in New York City). A virtual book discussion of Thelonious… continue reading Philly Jazz Legends: Lee Morgan
By written by Ben R. April 14, 2021 3
![[from left] Jimmy Heath (1926-2020), Percy Heath (1923-2005), and Albert](https://libwww.freelibrary.org/images/blog/FLPBlog/orig/heath-brothers-4-22-17.jpg)
This is the seventh in a series of posts highlighting major figures in Philadelphia jazz history. Every one of the bolded album titles below can be streamed free with your library card via… continue reading Philly Jazz Legends: The Heath Brothers
By written by Ben R. February 23, 2021 1
This is the sixth in a series of posts highlighting major figures in jazz history who were in some sense from Philly. Every one of the bolded album titles below can be streamed free with your… continue reading Philly Jazz Legends: Henry Grimes
By written by Ben R. December 8, 2020
This is the fifth in a series of posts highlighting major figures in jazz history who were in some sense from Philly. Every one of the bolded album titles below can be streamed for free with your… continue reading Philly Jazz Legends: Archie Shepp
By written by Ben R. November 9, 2020 1
This is the fourth in a series of blog posts highlighting major figures in jazz history who were in some sense from Philly. Every one of the bolded album titles below can be streamed for free with… continue reading Philly Jazz Legends: Sun Ra
By written by Ben R. September 21, 2020 5
This is the third in a series of posts highlighting major figures in jazz history who were from Philly (even if most ended up in New York City). A virtual book discussion of Wishing on the Moon:… continue reading Philly Jazz Legends: Philly Joe Jones
By written by Ben R. August 13, 2020 5
This is the second in a series of posts highlighting major figures in jazz history who were from Philly (even if most ended up in New York City). A virtual book discussion of Wishing on the Moon:… continue reading Philly Jazz Legends: Billie Holiday
By written by Ben R. July 29, 2020 3
This is the first in a series of posts highlighting major figures in jazz history who were from Philly (even if most ended up in New York City). A virtual book discussion of Wishing on the Moon:… continue reading Philly Jazz Legends: John Coltrane
By written by Ben R. July 15, 2020 3
The Kingsessing Library has served the Southwest Philadelphia community now for a full century ! All are invited to our Centennial Celebration today, Thursday, December 5, from 4:00 p.m.-6:00… continue reading Kingsessing Library Celebrates Its 100th Birthday!
By written by Ben R. December 5, 2019