National Library Week , held annually during the 2nd week of April, recognizes the values of libraries in our communities. This national observance, which is sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) , is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. In the 1950s, ALA and the American Book Publishers formed a non-profit group known… continue reading National Library Week: Celebrate National Library Workers Day!

By written by Christina P.    April 10, 2018    2  

• Free Library Staff
• National Library Week

The Free Library's  Culinary Literacy Center is coming up on four years of having our kitchen doors open! One of the most frequent questions we get is,  What's your favorite cookbook? As if we could respond to that with one simple answer! It depends on what time of year it is, what mood we're in, whether or not we're… continue reading Buzzing about Cookbooks!

By written by Liz A.    April 9, 2018   

• Events at the Library
• Parkway Central
• Author Events
• Culinary Literacy

In honor of National Library Week , we’re celebrating not just our beloved Free Library and its amazing librarians and staff, but the role of libraries in the 21st century. Chief among these roles is promoting freedom of information, ensuring works of varying viewpoints are accessible to all. Libraries can open up a diverse world of books… continue reading National Library Week: Top Ten Most Challenged Books of 2017

By written by Julie B.    April 9, 2018   

• Banned Books
• National Library Week

This year's additions to the National Recording Registry were announced last month , which include 25 songs, albums, or audio recordings from the early 20th century up to the present. This year's selections bring the total number of recordings in the registry to 500! What is the National Recording Registry , you ask? Similar in scope to… continue reading National Recording Registry Reaches 500 Songs—Take a Listen!

By written by Peter SM    April 6, 2018   

• Music
• Spotify
• Pop Culture

Spoiler alert: it's an irrefutable fact that we will all die one day. Whether it's a family member, a beloved pet, or someone we look up to and admire—all will eventually pass away and how we deal with those losses is personal to every one of us. As with anything as vast as grief and loss, there are many resouces that the library… continue reading On Being Mortal: Books That Deal with Death, Grief, and Loss

By written by Ai Leng N.    April 5, 2018   

• Recommendations

We all have our favorites when it comes to picture books, and for me, one of my top ten picture books of all time is Leaves by David Ezra Stein . It is such perfect book – one very young bear experiences his first fall and winter, as leaves change color and fall on the ground. It’s a story of innocence and discovery, told… continue reading Picture Book Highlights | Honey

By written by Monica C.    April 5, 2018   

• Childrens Books
• Recommendations
• Early Literacy
• Picture Book Highlights

Saturday, April 7, 2018, 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Stephen Foster (1826–1864). Old Folks at Home (1851), arr. 1897 by Carl Busch (1862–1943) George Chadwick (1854–1931). Suite Symphonique Foster . My Old Kentucky Home (1853), arr. 1907, Busch   The history of a musical era is as difficult to capture as the history of a… continue reading Discoveries from the Fleisher Collection: American Romantics—Chadwick, Foster, and Busch

By written by Fleisher Collection    April 4, 2018   

• Fleisher Collection
• Music

Even if you’re not a big reader of comics and graphic novels, there’s a good chance that you’re familiar with graphic novel memoirs . After all, these are the books that have won Pulitzers and other big awards, often get assigned in school, make city-wide reading program lists , and have formed the basis of a Tony-winning… continue reading Illustrating Life: Graphic Memoir Recommendations

By written by Jennifer E.    April 4, 2018   

• Recommendations
• Comics and Graphic Novels
• Comic Con

Released on April 3, 1968, the Stanley Kubrick film 2001: A Space Odyssey set a new standard for the science fiction film medium. I know that there are those who would talk about the cinematography or the existential ending or a host of other things but for me—it's HAL 9000, the all-powerful computer brain. It’s a terrifying… continue reading Computer Overlords: YA Fiction in the Shadow of 2001: A Space Odyssey

By written by Rachel F.    April 3, 2018   

• Film
• YA literature
• Sci Fi

Spring is the season of renewal and new beginnings, so why not renew your love of reading and films with these new titles available in April? There are serious, off-beat, thrilling, and funny suggested titles to choose from and all of them can be found by browsing our catalog or visiting your neighborhood library ! Young Children (Up to 2nd… continue reading New Titles Coming to the Free Library in April!

By written by Paul A.    April 3, 2018   

• Recommendations
• New Titles

It’s April, everyone, and you know what that means – it’s National Poetry Month ! Each year, the Academy of American Poets "highlights the extraordinary legacy and ongoing achievement of American poets" by celebrating with a host of readings, events, and activities. Check out their fun, thoughtful ways to participate… continue reading Celebrate National Poetry Month

By written by Autumn M.    April 3, 2018   

• Poetry
• Author Events
• Rosenbach

National Public Health Week takes place this week, from April 2-8. But what is "public health", you may be asking? Public health promotes and protects the health of all people and the communities where we live, learn, work, and play. It aims to protect the health of entire populations, from your school, workplace, and neighborhood, to… continue reading National Public Health Week

By written by Katie D.    April 2, 2018   

• Healthcare
• Health

Just in time for Easter, perhaps the largest collection of "Easter Eggs" to ever be assembled on film debuts in theaters today— Ready Player One . The film is adapted from Ernest Cline's 2011 novel , a nod to all things '80s nostalgia and a cornucopia of media references across the genres of movies, music, television,… continue reading The Pop Culture Apocalypse of Ready Player One

By written by Peter SM    March 29, 2018    1  

• Tech
• Film
• Sci Fi
• Adaptations

If you don't know the name Amalie Emmy Noether, you're not alone . Suffice to say, she was and remains one of the greatest minds of the 20th century. Read on to learn more about this remarkable woman as we wrap up Women's History Month 2018...   Emmy Noether (pronounced NER- ter) was a mathematician who formulated an… continue reading A Science Minute: 13 Things You Should Know About Emmy Noether

By written by Sally F.    March 29, 2018   

• A History Minute
• A Science Minute
• Women's History Month

There have always been illustrated versions of classic novels—from comic book versions of Moby Dick , The Three Musketeers, or even Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Boycott . It’s like watching the movie version of a book only you are still reading, so it’s totally still good for you. Like how veggies on a pizza makes it… continue reading Graphic Novel Classics of Classic Literature

By written by Rachel F.    March 28, 2018    1  

• Recommendations
• Comics and Graphic Novels
• Adaptations

Throughout Spring and Summer, every corner of the Free Library of Philadelphia will be taking inspiration from In Our Nature: Flora and Fauna of the Americas - an exhibition taking place in our Rare Book Department's Dietrich Gallery, April 9 through September 15, 2018 . The Business Resource & Innovation Center will be the site of the… continue reading The City of Arborly Love: Flora, Fauna, and Free Trees at Parkway Central Library!

By written by Adam F.    March 27, 2018    3  

• Exhibitions
• Art
• Events at the Library
• Environment
• Gardening
• Rare Book Department

Free Spanish Literacy Classes for Adults! Do you know a Spanish-speaking adult who wants to learn how to read and write? The Free Library of Philadelphia is offering free classes for adult Spanish speakers to learn how to read and write in Spanish. This free program called LEAMOS is currently being offered at Kensington Library, with on-site… continue reading Free Spanish Literacy Program LEAMOS Teaches Spanish-speaking Adults to Read and Write

By written by Emily L.    March 27, 2018    6  

• Literacy
• New Americans
• Neighborhood Libraries

The Workplace is a service that supports job seekers within the Business Resource & Innovation Center at Parkway Central Library , providing current information and resources on changing careers, job searching techniques, and emerging employment fields to help career changers and job seekers achieve their goals. Whether you are writing your… continue reading 7 Tips from The Workplace @ Free Library on How-to Advance Your Career Now!

By written by Gillian R.    March 26, 2018    1  

• Careers
• How To
• Workplace
• Business Resource and Innovation Center
• Job Seekers

Now that the fog has lifted from St. Patrick’s Day, it occurs to us at the Free Library that the holiday is the moment where the fact of an Irish diaspora is felt most strongly in Philadelphia. However, as St. Patrick’s Day transforms into a quasi-official St Patrick’s Month in our city’s taprooms, the victims of British… continue reading Remember an Gorta Mór: the Great Famine

By written by Adam F.    March 26, 2018   

• Events at the Library
• Genealogy
• History
• Social Justice
• New Americans

The YA graphic novel I Kill Giants smashes and crashes its way out of the confines of comics panels this weekend to loom large on the big screen... Firmly in the category of a gritty and somewhat scary kid's fantasy film (think '70s and '80s Disney fare ), I Kill Giants is the story of a tween girl named Barbara Thorson… continue reading Friday Five: Giants Loom Large in Screen Adaptations

By written by Peter SM    March 23, 2018   

• Film
• YA literature
• Comics and Graphic Novels
• Adaptations