Browsing Date: April 2014 (24)

Blog Articles

It's the first of the month so that means it's time for a new Early Literacy calendar from the Free Library of Philadelphia's children's librarians! The month of May is full of fun… continue reading May 2014 Early Literacy Calendar

By written by Jennifer W.    April 30, 2014   

Let's get the "Word on the Web" and check out some recent topics of interest and discussion from the tech, literary, library, and arts and entertainment sections of the World Wide… continue reading Word on the Web April 2014

By written by Peter SM    April 30, 2014    2

2014 marks the 75th anniversary of "The Dark Knight," "The Caped Crusader," "The World's Greatest Detective"--Batman! Feel free to sing along... Created by Bob… continue reading Batman at 75

By written by Peter SM    April 25, 2014    2

What better way to celebrate science than in your own backyard? Join the Philadelphia Science Festival at several of our neighborhood libraries after school for a celebration of science… continue reading Get Nerdy with Neighborhood Science After School!

By written by Rachel F.    April 25, 2014   

A recent piece in the Washington Post got me thinking about jobs and the recovery. By most accounts the worst of the Great Recession is behind us. The unemployment rate , while it's still… continue reading Jump Start Your Own Economic Recovery

By written by Jamie W.    April 23, 2014   

Happy Earth Day ! 2014 marks the 44th celebration of all things eco-friendly with a focus this year on Green Cities and creating a sustainable, healthy environment for communities worldwide. . As… continue reading Happy Earth Day 2014

By written by Peter SM    April 22, 2014   

The Northeast Regional Library celebrated its 50 th Anniversary with plenty of special programs -- and plenty of cake, too!  We welcomed over 7,000 patrons walking in to our library during… continue reading Northeast Regional Library: Celebrating 50 Years of Service to the Community

By written by Jenny C.    April 22, 2014   

With William Shakespeare’s 450 th birthday just around the corner on Wednesday, April 23 , the Free Library is set to is set to celebrate Shakespeare's big day with programs throughout… continue reading Celebrate Shakespeare's 450th Birthday with Us!

By written by Michelle S.    April 21, 2014   

Earlier this month Microsoft dropped support for the Windows XP operating system . This means that Windows XP will no long receive software updates. Most importantly, there will be no new security… continue reading Extend the Life of your Windows XP Computer with Ubuntu

By written by Scott P.    April 21, 2014    2

View and listen to the Top 10 Author Event Podcasts Downloaded in March 2014 . Authors coming to the Free Library soon include opera singer Jessye Norman , photographer Vincent Feldman , actress… continue reading Top 10 Author Event Podcasts Downloaded in March 2014

By written by Peter SM    April 16, 2014   

Two big announcements today: First, we've added streaming movies and video to the ebook and audiobook selection through our Overdrive platform. You'll find all different genres of movies… continue reading Now Showing: Streaming Movies from the Free Library

By written by Jamie W.    April 15, 2014    5

Today's children's book reviews feature two books by Leslie Patricelli, who seems to really have a knack for writing books for toddlers and preschoolers. Click on the titles to reserve… continue reading Great Toddler Books by Leslie Patricelli

By written by Sarah S.    April 11, 2014   

You spoke, and we heard you!  Effective today, we are again offering loan periods of up to three weeks instead of two weeks for our ebooks and downloadable books offered through our… continue reading Returning to three week loan period for ebooks!

By written by Anne L.    April 10, 2014    5

As you may know from the buzz around the libraries, this April marks the 450th anniversary of William Shakespeare's birth. And while Will may be celebrated for his comedies, tragedies,… continue reading Shakespearean Smackdowns!

By written by Chris B.    April 9, 2014   

bardolatry n. idolatry or excessive admiration of William Shakespeare 1 There is an exhibition going on in the Rare Book Department right now that you really need to see. It’s called… continue reading Bardolatry in the Rare Book Department

By written by Janine P.    April 9, 2014   

Sherlock: Death by Dewey Books contain secrets and gems of information. Do they also hold value beyond the intellectual; enough to murder for? On March 27,  three groups of teens set… continue reading Teens solve murder mystery, Death by Dewey!

By written by Rachel F.    April 9, 2014    1

Here are the Top 10 ebooks downloaded from the Free Library's OverDrive Digital Library in March 2014. More than 59,340 ebooks checked out and downloaded for the month! Blackberry Pie Murder ,… continue reading Top 10 ebooks OverDrive Digital Library March 2014

By written by Peter SM    April 9, 2014   

At the E-Gadget help desk we spend a lot of time with installing and explaining apps portable devices. We encounter a lot of book lovers, so we wanted to share our favorite apps for reading.… continue reading Android Apps for Book Lovers and News Junkies

By written by Scott P.    April 8, 2014    6

Effective April 10, 2014, the OverDrive Media Console (OMC) mobile app for BlackBerry will no longer be available to download on BlackBerry, BlackBerry 10, and Playbook devices. BlackBerry users… continue reading Overdrive to discontinue support for Blackberry app

By written by Jamie W.    April 8, 2014   

I wrote about the practice of binge-watching in September of last year here on the blog, in relation to the then upcoming fall television season. Nowadays though, the idea of one dominant "TV… continue reading Friday Five: Spring Break Binge without the Hi-Def Hangover

By written by Peter SM    April 4, 2014