Or Not to Be: Curator-Led Tour
Rare Book Department at Parkway Central Library
The Free Library’s exhibition, Or Not to Be: Representations of Death in Special Collections, is inspired by Shakespeare’s famed “To be, or not to be” soliloquy in Hamlet, and looks at death from a wide variety of cultural perspectives. The exhibition provides a lens focused on the various ways death has inspired the living.
Meet at 12:00 p.m. in the Dietrich Gallery in the Rare Book Department on the Third Floor of Parkway Central Library for this free tour led by the exhibition’s curator.
The event is open to the public, and registration is not required.
Due to the sensitive nature of the content, Or Not to Be includes resources and support for grieving, suicide prevention, and estate planning.
Or Not to Be is on view through February 28, 2026. More information is available at freelibrary.org/death.
Rare Book Department
Third Floor
215-686-5416
Parkway Central Library
1901 Vine Street (between 19th and 20th Streets on the Parkway)
Philadelphia, PA 19103-1189
1-833-TALK FLP (825-5357)