Blog Articles
"As I've said many times, the future is already here. It's just not very evenly distributed." Thus spoke William Gibson during an appearance on National Public Radio's Talk of the Nation in… continue reading William Gibson Is Still Relevant
By written by Communications Office July 30, 2007 3
"At one level, the YouTube debate shows that the Web has really become a centerpiece of American political culture," adds Lee Rainie, director of Pew Internet . "At another level, it also shows… continue reading Two Americas
By written by Communications Office July 27, 2007
As many of you may know, Philadelphia’s Rosenbach Museum & Library participates in the annual, international celebration of James Joyce’s Ulysses known as Bloomsday , held on June… continue reading Twitterature
By written by Communications Office July 26, 2007 1
Before the web, quantitatively speaking, text had the illusion of being finite. Yes, libraries were available for plundering in their entirety, but the effort of utilizing those texts was… continue reading Writing's Current Crisis?: Meta-Blogging on the Blogosphere
By written by Communications Office July 25, 2007
Philadelphia native Bruce Buschel published a piece two weeks ago entitled " The city of brotherly losers ," in which he took an armchair cultural anthropologist's perspective in considering the… continue reading Bruce Buschel Contextualizes Phillies' 10,000th Loss, To Visit Central
By written by Communications Office July 24, 2007
The Free Library’s Staff Association held a block party this past Friday, on Wood Street behind the Central Library. By all accounts the event was a huge success. Festivities included a… continue reading Blinged Booktrucks on View, Or Is It Blung?
By written by Communications Office July 23, 2007
If there hadn’t been such a similar frenzy surrounding the commercial release of the iPhone just a few weeks ago, the international phenomenon of people camping out on the street to be among… continue reading The World Queues Up for Harry Potter
By written by Communications Office July 20, 2007
Edward Estlin Cummings, aka E.E. Cummings, was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1894. While at Harvard, he published his first work in 1917 in the anthology Eight Harvard Poets . He volunteered… continue reading Poet of the Week | E.E. Cummings
By written by Administrator July 19, 2007
With the release of the seventh and final book at midnight this Saturday, the Harry Potter series will soon be complete, and the future of “wizard rock”--a subgenre of indie rock… continue reading Wizard Rock's Pinnacle Moment?
By written by Communications Office July 18, 2007
Tim Gunn’s appearance here at the Central Library, originally scheduled for next week on Tuesday, July 24, has been postponed . (Mr. Gunn is busy taping his new television series , debuting… continue reading Tim Gunn Appearance Postponed
By written by Communications Office July 17, 2007
A new exhibition opened this past Saturday at the Philadelphia Museum of Art . Showcasing treasures from the John Frederick Lewis Collection of the Free Library's Rare Book Department, The Book of… continue reading Free Library and Philadelphia Museum of Art Collaborate on Book of War
By written by Communications Office July 16, 2007
According to their website , the Simplified Spelling Society was founded in 1908 with the aim of updating English spelling "for the benefit of learners and users everywhere." The main thrust of… continue reading The Simplified Spelling Society: Champions of Literacy?
By written by Communications Office July 13, 2007 1
Robert Hayden was born Asa Bundy Sheffey in 1913. His parents separated when he was young, and his mother gave him to her next-door neighbors, William and Sue Ellen Hayden, to raise. Hayden… continue reading Poet of the Week | Robert Hayden
By written by Administrator July 12, 2007
It is with great sadness that we mourn the passing of Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist and novelist Doug Marlette, who died yesterday in a car accident at the age of 57. He was scheduled to… continue reading In Memory of Doug Marlette
By written by Communications Office July 11, 2007
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