Blog Articles
Michael Eric Dyson may have announced his imminent departure from Philadelphia last week--he has accepted a position at Georgetown University --but he will be here tonight at the Central Library's… continue reading Jay-Z Sings the Praises of Michael Eric Dyson
By written by Communications Office July 10, 2007
Brian Doyle published a piece in yesterday's issue of the Oregonian on the sorts of materials people keep in their cars "in case of reading emergencies and unforeseen opportunities." Doyle asked… continue reading Emergency Roadside Reading Materials
By written by Communications Office July 9, 2007 2
Sylvia Plath, one of the most important poets of the 20th century, was born in Massachusetts in 1932. She began publishing poetry at an early age and attended Smith College, where she wrote 400… continue reading Poet of the Week | Sylvia Plath
By written by Administrator July 6, 2007
Super-librarian Nancy Pearl recently contributed this piece to National Public Radio's Morning Edition , recommending nine summer reads with "great opening lines to hook young readers." (The… continue reading Judge These Books By Their First Lines
By written by Communications Office July 5, 2007
The Central Library has been keeping attendance records since its doors first opened in 1927, and the 2007 fiscal year--July 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007--marks the first on record since 1938 that… continue reading Over One Million Visits to the Central Library!
By written by Communications Office July 3, 2007
The American Library Association may not be known for its red carpet premieres, but that didn't stop filmmaker Ann Seidl from bringing a touch of Hollywood glamour to the first night of the… continue reading The Hollywood Librarian, Hit Film of the ALA’s 128th Annual Conference
By written by Communications Office July 2, 2007
Held this morning in the Main Lobby of the Central Library, the National Education Association 's Dr. Seuss-themed Read-In was a huge success, featuring a surprise appearance by the Cat in the Hat . continue reading Celebrity Appearance Incites Pandemonium at the Central Library
By written by Communications Office June 29, 2007
Eamon Grennan was born in Dublin in 1941; however, he has lived in the United States for over thirty years and has taught at Vassar College since 1974. Grennan has won numerous awards--among them… continue reading Poet of the Week | Eamon Grennan
By written by Administrator June 28, 2007
The National Education Association is holding its 145 th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia this year, and thousands of NEA members will be enjoying our city in the coming days. This year marks the 10… continue reading Read Across Philadelphia
By written by Communications Office June 27, 2007
Douglas Wolk--author, blogger , and journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times , Publishers Weekly , and Rolling Stone, among many other publications--has a new book coming out next… continue reading Have You Considered the Class Implications of Comic Book Lingo?
By written by Communications Office June 26, 2007
Libby Rosof of roberta fallon and libby rosof's artblog interviewed Karen Lightner, head of the Print and Pictures Department at the Free Library, for a piece entitled "Treasure trove at the Free… continue reading FLP in the News | June Miscellany
By written by Communications Office June 25, 2007
Alison Bechdel is best known for her long-running, syndicated comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For , which she first began working on in the early 1980s. Her bestselling memoir in graphic novel… continue reading Take Five with . . . Alison Bechdel
By written by Communications Office June 22, 2007 1
Tomaž Šalamun was born in Croatia in 1941 and grew up in Slovenia. He is considered to be one of the great postwar Central European poets, believing poetry to be as important or more… continue reading Poet of the Week | Tomaž Šalamun
By written by Administrator June 21, 2007
Roughly 95% of public libraries in the United States use the Dewey Decimal System to organize their collections, and it remains the gold standard in library classification systems, but some… continue reading Dewey Decimated in Arizona
By written by Communications Office June 20, 2007 1
If you haven't already heard, Phillies infielder Jimmy Rollins recently volunteered his voice as an official spokesperson for the Campaign for a New Central Library on the Parkway. This past… continue reading Jimmy Rollins Goes to Bat for the Free Library, State Senator Presents $2 Million
By written by Communications Office June 19, 2007
On the strength of a manuscript of her first novel, The Icarus Girl , author Helen Oyeyemi signed a two-book deal with British publisher Bloomsbury at the age of 19. Having recently graduated from… continue reading Take Five with . . . Helen Oyeyemi
By written by Communications Office June 18, 2007
Robert Hass grew up in San Francisco and was a huge fan of the 1950s Bay Area poets, among them Gary Snyder and Allen Ginsburg. In 1973, Hass' book Field Guide was selected by Stanley Kunitz… continue reading Poet of the Week | Robert Hass
By written by Administrator June 15, 2007
A panel of judges in the Federal Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit heard arguments last week from the American Civil Liberties Union and the Miami-Dade County school board over a seemingly… continue reading 5 to 7-Year-Olds Need All the Facts on Cuba?
By written by Communications Office June 14, 2007
The Harry Potter Knight Bus Tour stopped by the Central Library this morning, and it drew quite a crowd. Fans lined up early for the opportunity to climb on board the traveling bus and make a… continue reading Harry Potter Bus Stops by Central for a Spell
By written by Communications Office June 13, 2007
The Free Library's 2007 mystery-themed Summer Reading season-- Get a Clue @ Your Library --kicked off in Central's Main Lobby this morning. Students from Philadelphia's Bache-Martine and Waring… continue reading Summer Reading Kicks Off at Central, Phillie Phanatic Is 300 Pounds of Enthusiasm for Literacy
By written by Communications Office June 12, 2007