Science fiction icon William Gibson will be appearing at the Central Library's Montgomery Auditorium this Thursday , August 16 at 7:00 p.m. (This event is free ; no tickets required.) His latest novel, Spook Country , was released earlier this month. Mr. Gibson took a few moments to chat with us about some of our favorite topics. What role… continue reading Take Five with . . . William Gibson
By written by Communications Office August 14, 2007
What were the names of the two wizarding schools that competed with Hogwarts in the Triwizard Tournament, and what were the names of their headmasters? If you just excitedly produced an answer to this question, mark your calendar for this Wednesday , August 15 at 6:30 p.m. when the Northeast Regional Library will be hosting its own wizardly… continue reading Exploding Snap of the Mind, Northeast Regional Presents Harry Potter and the Multi-Library Tournament
By written by Communications Office August 13, 2007
The Free Library's Summer Reading Game 2007 went out with a bang this afternoon at Wizard Palooza in the Central Library's Montgomery Auditorium. The Moaning Myrtles , the Whomping Willows , and the Remus Lupins thrilled Harry Potter fans of all ages. continue reading Summer Reading Wraps Up with Wizard Palooza
By written by Communications Office August 10, 2007
In late June of this year, On Demand Books publicly debuted version 1.5 of its Espresso Book Machine at the New York Public Library's Science, Industry and Business Library in Midtown Manhattan. The machine "occupies the space of two deli-style ice cream freezers, looks like office photocopiers attached to a tinted stereo cabinet and computer… continue reading Public Debut of Amplified Photocopier & Paper-Shearing Machine a Gutenberg Moment?
By written by Communications Office August 8, 2007
First Book , a nonprofit organization dedicated to giving children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books, recently polled their constituency and asked them what specific book (or series of books) got them hooked on reading. More than 100,000 people answered. The top 50 responses are listed here . And if… continue reading Nancy Drew Rules First Book's Top 50
By written by Communications Office August 7, 2007
Venezuela's University of Momboy is spreading the joy of reading to residents of remote Andes villages using bibliomulas, or "book mules." University staff are making plans to expand the already successful program. "We want to install wireless modems under the banana plants so the villagers can use the internet," says Robert Ramirez, coordinator… continue reading Meet Venezuela's Bibliomulas
By written by Communications Office August 6, 2007
This past June, South Carolina’s Pickens County Library System withdrew its participation in a voluntary, nationwide, youth summer reading program , after receiving criticism and threats from community members concerned that the library’s scheduled program series--including workshops on subjects like yoga, astrology, tie-dyeing, and… continue reading The Pizza Stands Alone
By written by Communications Office August 3, 2007
The New Yorker does a great monthly podcast as part of its Out Loud series, wherein a contemporary author of note presents a favorite short story from the magazine's fiction archives. A reading of the selected short story is followed by a critical discussion during which the presenting author explains why they appreciate the work for both… continue reading Danticat on Diaz, Both to Appear at Central in September
By written by Communications Office August 1, 2007
New York Times reporter Tim Weiner won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting in 1988--when he worked for the Philadelphia Inquirer --in recognition of a series of articles he wrote detailing explosive growth in secret Pentagon defense spending. His new book, Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA , takes a look at “why eleven… continue reading Top-Secret Shortcomings
By written by Communications Office July 31, 2007
"As I've said many times, the future is already here. It's just not very evenly distributed." Thus spoke William Gibson during an appearance on National Public Radio's Talk of the Nation in Novemeber of 1999. Gibson--author of the Sprawl trilogy: Neuromancer (1984), Count Zero (1986), and Mona Lisa Overdrive (1988), and coiner of the word… continue reading William Gibson Is Still Relevant
By written by Communications Office July 30, 2007 3
"At one level, the YouTube debate shows that the Web has really become a centerpiece of American political culture," adds Lee Rainie, director of Pew Internet . "At another level, it also shows that the debate is not for everybody. It's certainly not available to all Americans." The preceding is excerpted from an article published in the… continue reading Two Americas
By written by Communications Office July 27, 2007
As many of you may know, Philadelphia’s Rosenbach Museum & Library participates in the annual, international celebration of James Joyce’s Ulysses known as Bloomsday , held on June 16, the day on which the novel’s protagonist Leopold Bloom made his “odyssey” through Dublin. Some of you may also use the social… continue reading Twitterature
By written by Communications Office July 26, 2007 1
Before the web, quantitatively speaking, text had the illusion of being finite. Yes, libraries were available for plundering in their entirety, but the effort of utilizing those texts was enormous. The text was effectively stuck to the page. You could xerox a page but you got a copy with the text still held in tact onto the page. The only way… continue reading Writing's Current Crisis?: Meta-Blogging on the Blogosphere
By written by Communications Office July 25, 2007
Philadelphia native Bruce Buschel published a piece two weeks ago entitled " The city of brotherly losers ," in which he took an armchair cultural anthropologist's perspective in considering the significance of the Philadelphia Phillies' 10,000th loss . Buschel's soon-to-be-released Walking Broad is a memoir in which he returns to the city of… continue reading Bruce Buschel Contextualizes Phillies' 10,000th Loss, To Visit Central
By written by Communications Office July 24, 2007
The Free Library’s Staff Association held a block party this past Friday, on Wood Street behind the Central Library. By all accounts the event was a huge success. Festivities included a “Bling My Booktruck” contest, in which teams from various locations and departments throughout the Free Library system put their arts and… continue reading Blinged Booktrucks on View, Or Is It Blung?
By written by Communications Office July 23, 2007
If there hadn’t been such a similar frenzy surrounding the commercial release of the iPhone just a few weeks ago, the international phenomenon of people camping out on the street to be among the first to get their hands on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows would probably more effectively resist interpretation as yet another… continue reading The World Queues Up for Harry Potter
By written by Communications Office July 20, 2007
With the release of the seventh and final book at midnight this Saturday, the Harry Potter series will soon be complete, and the future of “wizard rock”--a subgenre of indie rock inspired by J.K. Rowling’s fictional world--is uncertain. Will wizard rock pioneers (and 2007 Philadelphia Book Festival performers) Harry and the… continue reading Wizard Rock's Pinnacle Moment?
By written by Communications Office July 18, 2007
Tim Gunn’s appearance here at the Central Library, originally scheduled for next week on Tuesday, July 24, has been postponed . (Mr. Gunn is busy taping his new television series , debuting this fall.) Author Events staff are currently in the process of finalizing a new date, but we tentatively expect Mr. Gunn to appear at the Library… continue reading Tim Gunn Appearance Postponed
By written by Communications Office July 17, 2007
A new exhibition opened this past Saturday at the Philadelphia Museum of Art . Showcasing treasures from the John Frederick Lewis Collection of the Free Library's Rare Book Department, The Book of War: The Free Library of Philadelphia's Mughal Razmnama Folios will be on view through December 9, 2007. Featuring elaborately illustrated folios… continue reading Free Library and Philadelphia Museum of Art Collaborate on Book of War
By written by Communications Office July 16, 2007
According to their website , the Simplified Spelling Society was founded in 1908 with the aim of updating English spelling "for the benefit of learners and users everywhere." The main thrust of their reasoning is that written English would be of greater widespread utility if all sentences, "You are beautiful." for example, were instead written… continue reading The Simplified Spelling Society: Champions of Literacy?
By written by Communications Office July 13, 2007 1
