Author, teacher, historian, and political activist Howard Zinn died of a heart attack on Wednesday at age 87. Famous for his bestselling look at history— A People’s History of the United States —Zinn was born in New York in 1922 and attended his first political rally at age 17. After a stint with the Army Air Corps during… continue reading Howard Zinn passes away at 87
By written by Shannon G January 29, 2010 4
POWER Library has provided the public and school libraries within Pennsylvania with access to many valuable resources for years. The Office of Commonwealth Libraries has just announced that the following resources will be provided under the POWER Library Network this year: General Periodical Resources (H.W. Wilson) Newspaper… continue reading Changes to our database offerings
By written by Jen W. January 29, 2010 7
The literary world lost an important player on Wednesday when J.D. Salinger passed away at the age of 91. The author of The Catcher in the Rye , Franny and Zooey , Nine Stories , and Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction , Salinger died at his home in Cornish, N.H. from natural causes. As the New York Times wrote, he… continue reading Author J.D. Salinger passes away
By written by Shannon G January 28, 2010 5
Through generous funding from the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), the Free Library of Philadelphia is offering free SAT & ACT prep workshops, financial literacy, and FAFSA workshops at five locations. As part of the program, trained college student coaches are available on Saturdays to assist with SAT prep and other aspects of… continue reading College Prep Initiative
By written by Theresa R. January 27, 2010 17
Want to feel really smart? Then listen to podcasts by Nobel Laureates@Central including: Amartya Sen Barack Obama Doris Lessing Elie Wiesel Eric Kandel Harold Varmus James Watson Joseph Stiglitz Muhammad Yunus Paul Krugman Toni Morrison Wole Soyinka You can listen to our podcasts directly from your computer (click the link Listen to MP3 audio)… continue reading Laureates@Central - Featured Podcasts
By written by Camille T. January 22, 2010 3
The Association for Library Service to Children celebrated the world of children’s books yesterday with the announcement of the 2010 Caldecott and Newbery winners. The prestigious awards are given to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children and the author of the most distinguished contribution to American… continue reading 2010 Newbery and Caldecott Winners Announced!
By written by Shannon G January 19, 2010 2
As more information starts flooding in from Haiti, it is amazing how connected people have become. Browse your Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr sites and you will see what I mean. Twitter has something called "hash tags." They look like this: #haiti. Almost immediately Tuesday night this tag was created and people… continue reading Social Media Helping Bring People Together During Crisis in Haiti
By written by Jen W. January 14, 2010 6
As many of you know, a massive earthquake struck Haiti on Tuesday evening, just 10 miles outside of Port-au-Prince. The disaster is expected to have killed thousands of people, according to Haitian president Réné Préval . The effects of the earthquake hit home in Philadelphia—according to the 2008 Census Bureau's… continue reading Stay Informed About the Situation in Haiti
By written by Shannon G January 14, 2010 1
Recession Tools? What’s that about? We all know that times are tough. In fact, the unemployment rate is in the double-digits, one out of eight Americans is now receiving food stamps, and mortgage foreclosures are at record highs. That’s why the Free Library has posted a web topic under the heading Recession Tools. In the green… continue reading Recession Resources
By written by Lee F. January 13, 2010 2
Miep Gies, the woman who helped hide Anne Frank and her family from the Nazis, died on Monday evening from a neck injury sustained during a fall in December. Gies, who was 100 years old, was one of the several people still alive who had known Anne Frank, and she was the last “helper” out of a group of six non-Jewish citizens who hid… continue reading Miep Gies, Protector of Anne Frank's Diary, Dies
By written by Shannon G January 12, 2010
