March is Women's History Month, and the Free Library is excited to spend the month celebrating! 

Women's History Month as we know it today began as a celebration of Women's History Week. Congress passed Pub. L. 97-28, which designated the week of March 7, 1982, as Women's History Week. For the next five years, it continued to pass resolutions declaring one week in March as a time dedicated to commemorating the contributions of women and girls in U.S. history and current society. It was only in 1987, with the persistent petitioning of the National Women's History Project, that Congress would pass Pub. L. 100-9 and declare the entire month of March to be Women's History Month. Starting in 1995, presidents joined this practice and began issuing official proclamations of March as Women's History Month.

This year, we'll be commemorating Women's History Month by highlighting just a few of the many remarkable women featured in our collections, from Beatrix Potter to Marian Anderson, so stay tuned to our social media over the coming weeks! We'll also be sharing special book lists and reading recommendations, as well as deep dives into past and upcoming Author Events conversations, ideas for how families can participate, and much more. Be sure to check out our event calendar as well, for details on ways to celebrate and learn at a library near you. 

Speaking of our collections, the Free Library is home to artifacts, information, and resources about historical women. From past exhibitions like Making Her Mark: Philadelphia Women Fight for the Vote, For the Greatest Number: The New Deal Revisited, and In the Path of Islam, the Free Library creates space to inspire Philadelphians by sharing the experiences and life stories of women throughout U.S. history.

No matter how you choose to celebrate women's history this March, we invite you to learn, get inspired, share your enthusiasm, and get involved with all that the Free Library has to offer!

Happy Women's History Month!