With a longstanding commitment to promoting new, noteworthy, and overlooked works, the Fleisher Collection of Orchestral Music has engaged in musical diplomacy as an integral part of its history. During the Great Depression, Edwin Fleisher, Collection curator Arthur Cohn, and head librarian Franklin H. Price were able to interest the… continue reading How the Fleisher Collection Engages in Musical Diplomacy with Cuba

By written by Gina B.    January 31, 2017   

• Exhibitions
• Fleisher Collection

Every parent's worst nightmare is something bad happening to their child. For Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, that nightmare became a reality when their 17-year-old son, Trayvon Martin, was shot and killed by George Zimmerman on the evening of February 26, 2012, following an altercation within a gated community in Sanford, Florida. Trying… continue reading Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin

By written by Author Events    January 30, 2017    8  

• Author Events
• Social Justice
• Black Lives Matter

The Free Library, along with the Office of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy (OACCE) ’s Percent for Art program , has announced a new site-specific public art commission to be carried out by Philadelphia-based public artist Colette Fu . Fu’s commission is part of a $36 million major renovation taking place at the Parkway… continue reading Philadelphia-Based Artist Selected for Public Art Commission at Parkway Central Library

By written by Kate C.    January 30, 2017   

• Art
• 21st Century Libraries

Today is Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Awareness Day! So, what does that mean? For the last 40 years, an Earned Income Tax Credit has made life better for millions of workers. You may have extra money waiting for you, but one in five people miss out on it by not claiming the credit. If you or someone you know earned less than $53,267 from… continue reading Do You Qualify For An Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)?

By written by Kate C.    January 27, 2017    1  

• Tax Information

On January 28th, we will celebrate the Year of the Rooster at the Free Library! We invite you to explore storytimes, cultural programs, and arts & crafts activities throughout Philadelphia . Chinese New Year is a fifteen-day celebration which starts on the new moon. On Chinese New Year, people participate in traditional activities such as:… continue reading Celebrate the Year of the Rooster at the Free Library!

By written by Jenny C.    January 26, 2017   

• Chinese American
• Holidays
• New Americans

I met Mary Tyler Moore on the TV in my family’s basement somewhere in the late 1980s or early ‘90s, as I poured through repeats of her eponymous sitcom just as fast as Nick at Nite could air them. Within no time, I found myself wishing—desperately—that I could somehow burst through the tube and assume Mary… continue reading Remembering Mary

By written by Alix G.    January 26, 2017   

• Remembrances

The 2017 One Book, One Philadelphia kickoff event is set for tonight and marks the 15th year of this beloved Philadelphia tradition. Can you believe it? The very first One Book, One Philadelphia title, The Price of a Child by Lorene Cary, was announced in 2002 with an eight-week period of programs and events running January through March of… continue reading Celebrate 15 Years of One Book, One Philadelphia!

By written by Kalela W.    January 25, 2017   

• One Book, One Philadelphia

Our libraries have a full lineup of programs and activities this February to celebrate the rich intellectual and cultural contributions made by the African American community. We have everything from performances and special guests to dance workshops and cooking programs scheduled for this year's Black History Month celebration!… continue reading How Will You Celebrate Black History Month?

By written by Jennifer W.    January 24, 2017    3  

• African American
• Black History Month

On Saturday, February 11, 2017, Parkway Central Library welcomes back the United Way and the Campaign for Working Families for our second annual Free Tax Prep & Resource Fair . Community organizations will be available to connect tax filers to local, state, and national resources that help individuals and families to grow their financial… continue reading Tax Time at the Free Library of Philadelphia

By written by Adam F.    January 19, 2017    8  

• Tax Information

His wasn’t an auspicious beginning and his end remains shrouded in mystery... 208 years ago today, Edgar Allan Poe was born to actors David Poe Jr. and Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins Poe, in Boston Massachusetts. By the time he was three years old, Poe was an orphan. Taken into the home of John Allan, a wealthy merchant living in Richmond, Poe… continue reading Celebrate Poe's Life with Our Rare Book Collection

By written by Allison F.    January 19, 2017    1  

• Rare Book Department
• Edgar Allan Poe

We are just one week away from the kickoff event to the One Book, One Philadelphia 2017 season ! On Wednesday night, January 25, at 7:30 p.m., you are invited to join us in Parkway Central Library for a free event to celebrate the program’s 15th anniversary as well as our 2017 featured selection – Mark Haddon’s The Curious… continue reading #OneBookWednesday: Book Discussion Tips

By written by Julie B.    January 18, 2017   

• One Book, One Philadelphia

The peaceful transfer of power from one presidential administration to the next is a hallmark of our democracy—and something that Americans take great pride in. The occasion is particularly bittersweet when one of our two major political parties must yield to the other. By all accounts, the transfer of power from Republican George W. Bush… continue reading Presidential Inaugural Stories and Anecdotes

By written by Richard L.    January 17, 2017   

• History
• American Presidency
• Politics

As you may still be reflecting back on last year, the Free Library is also looking back at our most borrowed books of 2016. It should come as no surprise that The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins reigned supreme in traditional book borrowing, but some other top titles may surprise you. Our top ebook download from 2016 was Me Before You… continue reading Most Borrowed Books of 2016!

By written by Jen W.    January 17, 2017    1  

• Reading
• Recommendations

While most media attention surrounding films in December is about which ones are vying for Oscar consideration , I always await the announcement of the latest additions to the National Film Registry . I'm constantly on the lookout for forgotten gems, overlooked oeuvres, or just new-to-me films; annual selections like these make great… continue reading Latest Additions to the National Film Registry

By written by Peter SM    January 13, 2017    1  

• Recommendations
• Film
• Digital Media

In his farewell address to the nation, President Obama turned to thank First Lady Michelle, his "rock and love" over the years, saying, "You took on a role you didn’t ask for and made it your own with grace and grit and style and good humor. You made the White House a place that belongs to everybody. And a new generation… continue reading The Meaning of Michelle

By written by Author Events    January 12, 2017    3  

• Author Events

I have weird memories of being a teenage girl—I’m pretty sure that I thought I was right about everything when maybe I was in actuality not so swift on the uptake. It’s refreshing for me now to read graphic novels in which the teenage female protagonist is so much stronger and sometimes has more superpowers than I could have… continue reading Teen Girls in Comics: The People I Wish I Would Have Been

By written by Rachel F.    January 11, 2017   

• Teens
• Recommendations
• YA literature
• Comics and Graphic Novels

Why do I so enjoy working with One Book, One Philadelphia each year? Let me count the ways! For me, this program combines many of the components that I consider to be critical to contemporary librarianship (and why I changed careers back in the mid-1990s to become a librarian): READING and discussing a book, the selection of which has been… continue reading #OneBookWednesday: A Neighborhood Library Perspective

By written by Deborah A.    January 11, 2017   

• One Book, One Philadelphia

What does it mean to be beautiful? Our next pick for Picture Book Highlights —a series of posts where we put the spotlight on a brand-new picture book that has been ordered for all our libraries—provides an answer to this question. Beautiful is usually a compliment reserved for girls, who are expected to look and behave a certain… continue reading Picture Book Highlights | Beautiful

By written by Monica C.    January 10, 2017   

• Childrens Books
• Recommendations
• Picture Book Highlights

Pennsylvania Teen Health Week 2017 takes place January 9-13. The second annual state-wide week of awareness is unique in that it focuses on a holistic view of teen health and seeks to raise awareness of the health issues facing Pennsylvania teens. Through a variety of programs and activities, teens are encouraged to take charge of their… continue reading Pennsylvania Teen Health Week

By written by Ann P.    January 9, 2017   

• Teens
• Health

It's been almost a year since pop pioneer and provocateur David Bowie passed away at the age of 69, presumably rocketing off past outer space and transmogrifying into some other otherworldly interstellar infinity. As I wrote about on this blog last year , Bowie had a special connection with The City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly… continue reading Philly Loves Bowie

By written by Peter SM    January 6, 2017    1  

• Music
• Remembrances