The Free Library of Philadelphia’s Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (LBPH) and Culinary Literacy Center (CLC) will receive a Community Partner Award from Associated Services… continue reading

By Kate C.   May 1, 2019   

Tamoul Quakhaan is a Library Supervisor 1 / Training and Development Assistant in the Human Resources Department and a participant in Cohort 1 of the Skills for Community-Centered Libraries… continue reading

By Community-Centered Libraries   April 11, 2019    3

If you’ve spent time visiting any of the Free Library’s 54 neighborhood library locations or reading this blog , you know that we’ve got something for everyone. With over 25,000… continue reading

By Kate C.   April 5, 2019    3

LEAP , the Literacy Enrichment Afterschool Program, is continuously looking for ways to better serve youth in Philadelphia. On January 25, LEAP hosted training for staff on Trauma Informed… continue reading

By Molly B.   March 21, 2019   

¡Hola! My name is Mary and I will be your host on this extraordinary adventure. We will be flying for eight hours from the United States to one of the most historic countries in South… continue reading

By Mary Marques   March 15, 2019   

Over the past two months, second grade students in the Building Bridges with Books program, a partnership between the Free Library and the School District of Philadelphia, had a chance to… continue reading

By Molly B.   March 14, 2019   

Tuesday Chalmers is an Adult/Teen Librarian at McPherson Square Library , and a member of Cohort 1 of the Skills for Community-Centered Libraries training. In this post, she explains the project… continue reading

By Community-Centered Libraries   March 7, 2019   

Are you a new parent or soon-to-be parent? Do you have questions about what activities support your baby’s language and literacy development? Have you been looking for opportunities for you… continue reading

By Molly B.   February 26, 2019   

If the winter blues have got you down, how about heading to your neighborhood library and taking advantage of everything a library card has to offer? Forty of our library locations are now… continue reading

By Kate C.   February 25, 2019    3

The Free Library helps people explore new worlds—through fictional tales of far-off places and its international music collections, as well as through its robust foreign-language… continue reading

By Victoria G.   February 15, 2019    3

It’s 11:30 a.m. on a Tuesday morning and nearly a dozen seniors at the Fumo Family Library are stretching, strengthening, and sweating to Funk, Disco, and Soul tunes. While it’s not… continue reading

By Abbe K.   February 15, 2019    1

Storm Rhodes is a Library Assistant at the David Cohen Ogontz Library , and a member of Cohort 1 of the Skills for Community-Centered Libraries training. In this post, she shares what she has… continue reading

By Community-Centered Libraries   February 6, 2019   

Teens at the  Philadelphia City Institute (PCI) Library are diving deep into big issues this month through the Teen Reading Lounge (TRL) program . Program participants are… continue reading

By Erin H.   February 4, 2019   

by Erme C. Maula, Read by 4th Reading Captain Heading into my Reading Captain training, I didn’t know what to expect. I had wanted to get involved in my community by doing something that I… continue reading

By Administrator   January 30, 2019   

Earlier this week, the City of Philadelphia announced efforts to help federal workers affected by the current government shutdown. Mayor Kenney is encouraging furloughed workers and those working… continue reading

By Kate C.   January 25, 2019   

You’ve been reading about how libraries are increasingly moving beyond our brick and mortar structures and into the communities we serve, but how, you might ask, does this work reflect back… continue reading

By Community-Centered Libraries   January 14, 2019   

Tomorrow is National Bird Day and it's making me reflect on my connection with birds and nature in general. I’ve never been able to have a relationship with birds growing up in the city.… continue reading

By Kamilah C.   January 4, 2019   

I have a confession to make—I am that friend who always wants to get a trivia team together on a Tuesday night. I’m also that kid who read Trivial Pursuit cards for fun to see if I… continue reading

By Christine M.   January 4, 2019    2

“Tell me and I forget.Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” - Xun Kuang, philosopher   Imagine trying to learn to knit. Would you learn best by reading a book about… continue reading

By Community-Centered Libraries   December 6, 2018    1

In this fast-paced world of ours, it’s easy to forget to take a minute or two to slow down. Hopefully, this Thanksgiving will allow us all a chance to sit back and reflect on what’s… continue reading

By Kate C.   November 21, 2018