The summer is heating up, and as we all try our best to deal with the rising temperatures, don't forget that the Free Library of Philadelphia is a great place to cool off!

From books and magazines to free wireless internet and so much more, your neighborhood library is a welcome respite this time of year! And any time the City of Philadelphia declares a heat health emergency, several Free Library locations will function as designated cooling centers. That information will be posted right here on our blog just as soon as it’s made official during the heat wave.

Speaking of those dog days of summer, if you’ve got a Very Good Boy at home that happens to stumble upon a book of his own, snap a photo and tag it #FLPDogDays – we’ll be sharing some over on our Instagram account all summer long, so keep an eye out! Dogs and books just so happen to be a few of our favorite things!

Looking for other ways to experience the joy of doggos at the Free Library? Did you know your little ones can read to a therapy dog at various neighborhood library locations? It’s true! It’s fun for the pups, and allows children to practice their reading in a safe, judgment-free environment... a.k.a. a win-win for everyone.

And what about the adorable dog in that famous Free Library photo? That furry friend is Knee-Hi, and we lovingly refer to him as our mascot. But upon a bit more digging by a trusty member of our Print and Picture Collection, we learned some more about Knee-Hi, whose owner was a former school principal and trained the tiny wire-haired terrier and others after him to help children learn safety rules in a fun, engaging way as the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin safety dog! Dr. George E. Brunson of Philadelphia would accompany Knee-Hi to area schools – and later, others across the country! – to demonstrate important rules such as crossing only at crosswalks, obeying traffic laws, and avoiding playing in the street. Cool, right? You can learn more about Knee-Hi here and here. As for the Free Library connection, well, we surmise he was 'borrowed' for a summer reading initiative in 1938, and thus, the photo! A true Free Library treasure.

If you just need a break from the summer heat, chill out with these paw-some books and DVDs about dogs!

Woof, woof!