Howllo Boils and Ghouls, Do you know what today is? Why, it's Halloween , of course! What better way to celebrate this haunted holiday then with songs about zombies , monsters , grim reapers , cemeteries , witches , spooky spells , psycho killers , nightmares , and devils ? From petrifying pop and rabid rock to sinister soundtracks and… continue reading Do The Monster Mash with this Halloween Playlist from Free Library's Spotify Channel

By written by Peter SM    October 31, 2013    1  

• Tech
• Music
• Social Media
• Spotify
• Halloween

  The Free Library is proud to introduce Leading Voices: Conversations from the C-Suite , a new morning lecture program featuring the brightest minds in business, brought to you by its award-winning Author Events Series and made possible by sponsor Brandywine Realty Trust . The inaugural lecture on November 22 will feature Erik Prince ,… continue reading Introducing Leading Voices: Conversations from the C-Suite

By written by Eileen O.    October 29, 2013    5  

In addition to the recent design and layout updates on our blog , we've also now added social media sharing buttons and calendar features on various sections throughout the Free Library website. You can now share all of the great content and events offered by Free Library via your favorite social media networks and show everyone how… continue reading Social Media Sharing Buttons and Calendar Functions Newest Additions to Free Library Website

By written by Peter SM    October 29, 2013    1  

• Website
• Tech
• Social Media

If the record breaking season 4 premiere of The Walking Dead is any indication of television viewer's taste, much like the unsatiated and unstoppable creatures themselves, there is no stopping the appetite for all things zombie-related in all forms of pop culture. Zombies used to be relegated to late night B-movies, but now it seems they… continue reading Friday Five: Zombies

By written by Peter SM    October 25, 2013    2  

• Friday Five
• Halloween

A Book of Hours takes its name from the so-called “Little Hours of the Virgin,” a collection of eight prayers that is derived from the Divine Office—the canonical hours observed by persons who have taken the orders of monks, nuns, or priests. Matins is at 3:00 AM, Lauds is at 6:00 AM, Prime is at 9:00 AM, and so on. The Hours… continue reading The Browne Hours

By written by Katharine C.    October 24, 2013   

• Rare Book Department
• Manuscripts

The Free Library of Philadelphia is excited to announce that the 2014 One Book, One Philadelphia featured selection is The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers! Winner of the 2013 PEN/Hemingway Award for First Fiction and a finalist for the 2012 National Book Award, The Yellow Birds has been compared to Tim O’Brien’s classic war novel, The… continue reading Announcing the 2014 One Book, One Philadelphia Featured Selection

By written by Michelle S.    October 23, 2013   

• One Book, One Philadelphia

The Technology Learning Collaborative , an association of service organizations from throughout Philadelphia committed to leveraging technology resources to reduce poverty, improve public health, decrease homelessness, mobilize through media, and prepare individuals and communities to be more employable, held its inaugural conference last… continue reading Poverty, Digital Literacy, and Digital Inclusion Topics of Discussion at TLC Conference

By written by Peter SM    October 23, 2013    3  

• Tech
• Hot Spots
• Digital Literacy

What’s the best thing about October? All together now… HALLOWEEN! Get ready for some spooky fun with these frighteningly good books, CDs and DVDs.  Available right now at the Free Library of Philadelphia! Books Click, Clack, Boo! by Doreen Cronin; illustrated by Betsy Lewin Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds; illustrated by… continue reading Time for Halloween!

By written by Monica C.    October 16, 2013   

• Childrens Books
• Halloween

I was only a little girl when my Grammy had me kneel before her in their little church.  She anointed my  forehead with oil, and laid her hands on me.  I was sick, but I can’t remember what for.  She prayed very quietly, and everyone believed I was healed.  And healed I was. In Christian circles the magic of… continue reading MAGICAL CHARMS ~ MEDICAL CURES

By written by Del-Louise M.    October 15, 2013    3  

• Healthcare
• Rare Book Department
• Pennsylvania German Collection
• Manuscripts

With luck, the government shutdown will be a thing of the past very soon, but until then, remember that you can rely on the Free Library for many of your information needs.  For example,  census.gov is currently unavailable, but Business Decision, a great database available from the Free Library, offers complete census data (plus… continue reading Online Census Data during the Government Shutdown

By written by Jamie W.    October 15, 2013   

• Databases
• Government Information

View the Top 10 Author Event Podcasts Downloaded in September 2013 . There were more than 34,000 podcast downloads from our website for the month of September! View our full Fall schedule and don't miss out on all the great author events we have planned for the rest of 2013. Ross King | The Judgement of Paris: The Revolutionary Decade that… continue reading Top 10 Author Event Podcasts Downloaded in September 2013

By written by Peter SM    October 15, 2013   

• Tech
• Podcasts
• Author Events

Looking out the window across the city on a rainy and dreary day, my mind always turns to Poe. What better author to shine a creepy candlelight on at this time of year than Edgar Allan Poe ? The Master of Macabre, the Grand Guignol of the grotesque and gothic, Poe's perfectly putrid prose and passionate poetry still rouse inquisitive… continue reading Edgar Allan Poetry

By written by Peter SM    October 11, 2013   

• Poetry
• Edgar Allan Poe
• Halloween

In July we introduced our Spotify Channel with a playlist of highlights from our May 2013 acquisitions , as well as a playlist of Local Favorites .  Then in August , we unveiled Live from the Music Reference Desk .  Now, as the fall leaves begin to tumble, we've made you another highlights mix of this month's new… continue reading Highlights from New Albums in our Collection

By written by Adam F.    October 11, 2013   

With nights growing longer and Halloween only a few weeks away, it’s the perfect time of year to settle in for a scary movie. Mention horror movies to some people, though, and the reactions can be decidedly buzz-killing: “I can’t watch them” and “they give me nightmares” are common refrains. Other viewers… continue reading “Everyone’s entitled to one good scare.”

By written by Cameron D.    October 10, 2013    2  

• Exhibitions
• Events at the Library
• Film Screenings
• Holidays
• Parkway Central
• Film
• Halloween

You've asked for it and now it's finally happened. Beginning this week you will be able to renew your downloadable Free Library ebooks and audiobooks from OverDrive.  Here's how it works: Three days before your loan is set to expire, you will have the option to renew from your Account page at our… continue reading Overdrive renewals are here at last!

By written by Jamie W.    October 9, 2013    3  

• Ebooks

If you haven't viewed our Extras page in a while, we've recently updated it again with some new autumn-themed digital images from our various digital collections , including our vast Historical Images of Philadelphia collection. Add a crisp and cool touch of fall to your desktop, tablet, phone, e-reader, or mobile device by downloading… continue reading Fall into these cool web extras!

By written by Peter SM    October 8, 2013   

• Website
• Digital Collections
• Tech
• Mobile

Earlier this week, best-selling author Tom Clancy passed away at the age of 66 . Whether it was his technically detailed espionage and military thrillers, the many films adapted from said novels, or in recent years the explosion of video games inspired by his combat centric characters, Tom Clancy was a juggernaut in the world of genre fiction… continue reading Friday Five: Tom Clancy

By written by Peter SM    October 4, 2013    1  

• Friday Five

The Free Library of Philadelphia has decided not to continue with our subscription to Mergent Online. While the Mergent/Moody's Digital Manuals will continue to be available, researchers who relied on Mergent Online may want to consider one of the following resources: Business Insights Global : is a robust collection of sources from Gale… continue reading Attention Business Researchers - Changes Coming to Our Subscription Databases

By written by Jamie W.    October 4, 2013   

This summer through an opportunity from the Maker Ed Initiative and a Project:Connect grant , we partnered with the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education and Design School to pilot five physical and interactive murals at five Free Library locations. The project, Connected Messages , introduced youth to electronics,… continue reading Connected Messages: Youth-Created Interactive Murals at the Free Library

By written by K-Fai S.    October 3, 2013   

• Maker Movement

The doorbell rings. I walk through the hallway to answer it. Although I’ve done this walk repeatedly over the years, this time something is different. This one book catches the corner of my eye. It is shelved vertically behind the glass cabinet doors of a wooden bookcase that houses our Horace Collection. It bears a familiar monogram on… continue reading A Book Rediscovered

By written by Joe S.    October 3, 2013    2  

• Rare Book Department