The Secret Cinema presents: Philadelphia - The Changing City

Mon, March 25, 2019 6:00 P.M.
Art Department at Parkway Central Library

The Free Library of Philadelphia is thrilled to partner with Philadelphia's beloved film screening series, The Secret Cinema , now in its 27th year.  As usual, The Secret Cinema will present selections from their collection shown on 16mm film onto a big screen. This…

Adult Young Adult Senior Film Screening Speakers and Lectures Other Great Programs Philadelphia Philadelphia History Rare Books, Manuscripts, & Digital Collections Special Collections History Changing City

A Free Tour of Philadelphia: The Changing City Exhibition

Thu, March 28, 2019 3:00 P.M.
Rare Book Department at Parkway Central Library

Come and learn about our city’s exciting, dynamic, and often forgotten history with a guided tour of Philadelphia: The Changing City exhibition. The tour will be led by an exhibition curator in the Dietrich Gallery in the Rare Book Department , which is located on the third floor of the…

Adult Young Adult School Age Other Great Programs African American Art Digital Collections Education Family Free Library of Philadelphia Programs & Services Health & Fitness Philadelphia History Rare Books, Manuscripts, & Digital Collections Special Collections Teens History printmaking architecture Changing City

Through this Lens: African American Photographers

Now through Fri, March 29, 2019 10:00 A.M.
Art Department at Parkway Central Library

This exhibition of books and other materials from the collections of the Art Department offers a look at the camera work of African American artists from the earliest days of photography to today. In addition to photographers like Augustus Washington, Gordon Parks and Lorna Simpson, this…

Adult Young Adult Senior Exhibitions Black History Month African American Art Biography & Autobiography Philadelphia History Photography History

Blue-Collar Conservatism: Frank Rizzo's Philadelphia and Populist Politics by Timothy J. Lombardo

Wed, April 3, 2019 5:00 P.M.
Northeast Regional Library

In 1971, Frank Rizzo became the first former police commissioner elected mayor of a major American city. Despite serving as a Democrat, Rizzo cultivated his base of support by calling for "law and order" and opposing programs like public housing, school busing, affirmative action, and…

Adult Young Adult Senior Other Great Programs Speakers and Lectures Cool Books Hot Topics Philadelphia Philadelphia History Politics

"Where's the Creek?" Bus Tour: Uncovering the History of Mill Creek in West Philadelphia

Sat, April 6, 2019 10:30 A.M.
Wynnefield Library

Mill Creek can be found on 19th century maps of Philadelphia, draining more than 4,000 acres of West Philadelphia with its main stem and several tributaries. While some of the place names associated with this stream still exist -- including the Overbrook and Mill Creek neighborhoods -- the…

Adult Speakers and Lectures Other Great Programs Philadelphia History Special Collections History Maps Print and Picture Collection Changing City

A Free Tour of Philadelphia: The Changing City Exhibition

Thu, April 11, 2019 3:00 P.M.
Rare Book Department at Parkway Central Library

Come and learn about our city’s exciting, dynamic, and often forgotten history with a guided tour of Philadelphia: The Changing City exhibition. The tour will be led by an exhibition curator in the Dietrich Gallery in the Rare Book Department , which is located on the third floor of the…

Adult Young Adult School Age Other Great Programs African American Art Digital Collections Education Family Free Library of Philadelphia Programs & Services Health & Fitness Philadelphia History Rare Books, Manuscripts, & Digital Collections Special Collections Teens History printmaking architecture Changing City

Survivors and Casualties: Domestic Housing in Philadelphia During the 18th and 19th Centuries

Now through Sat, April 13, 2019 5:00 P.M.
Art Department at Parkway Central Library

Explore the long history of working-class housing in Philadelphia including the ubiquitous row home and the many residences that have disappeared in the name of progress. On display in the Art Department Hallway Gallery until mid-April, 2019

Adult Young Adult School Age Senior Exhibitions Philadelphia Philadelphia History History architecture

Philadelphia: The Changing City

Now through Sat, April 13, 2019 5:00 P.M.
Rare Book Department at Parkway Central Library

October 10, 2018 – April 13, 2019 From river to skyline and stoop to stoop, Philadelphia has been re-formed and re-shaped throughout its history. Its transformation from bustling port to workshop of the world to World Heritage City and hub for education, medicine, and entrepreneurship has…

Adult Young Adult School Age Senior Exhibitions Other Great Programs Citizenship Philadelphia Philadelphia History Photography Special Collections Maps Print and Picture Collection Changing City

Janny Scott | The Beneficiary: Fortune, Misfortune, and the Story of My Father

Mon, April 22, 2019 7:30 P.M.
Parkway Central Library

Cost: FREE

Janny Scott, a 15-year reporter for The New York Times , was part of a team that won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for national reporting. She is also the author of the “meticulous” ( Washington Post ) biography A Singular Woman: The Untold Story of Barack Obama's Mother . She is the…

Adult Author Events Speakers and Lectures Author Events - Free Series Author Events Biography & Autobiography Business & Economics House & Home Philadelphia History General Research Hearing Loop

Friends Speaker Series | What Happened to the Lenape? Early Delaware Valley Settlers and Native Americans

Tue, April 23, 2019 1:30 P.M.
Chestnut Hill Library

The Lenape, the folk who lived hereabouts when the early settlers came, seemed to have vanished into history.  Where did they go?  What was their relationship to the 17th Century Finns, Swedes, Dutch and English?  What happened to the people who once called Chesnut Hill their…

Adult Senior Speakers and Lectures Philadelphia History History

Nicole Weisensee Egan | Chasing Cosby: The Downfall of America’s Dad

Tue, April 30, 2019 7:30 P.M.
Parkway Central Library

Cost: FREE

A 14-year veteran crime reporter for the Philadelphia Daily News , Nicole Weisensee Egan was the first journalist to delve into Andrea Constand’s 2005 sexual assault allegations against Bill Cosby. As other news organizations lost interest, she dug deeper, developing sources and…

Adult Author Events Speakers and Lectures Author Events - Free Series Author Events Biography & Autobiography Movies & Television Newspapers, Magazines, & Journals Philadelphia Philadelphia History Hearing Loop

Lorene Cary | Ladysitting: My Year with Nana at the End of Her Century

Tue, May 7, 2019 7:30 P.M.
Parkway Central Library

Cost: FREE

“A powerful storyteller, frankly sensual [and] mortally funny" ( New York Times ), Lorene Cary is the author of the novels Pride , The Price of a Child , If Sons, Then Heirs , and the memoir Black Ice . A senior lecturer in creative writing at the University of Pennsylvania and the…

Adult Young Adult Author Events Speakers and Lectures Author Events - Free Series African American Author Events Biography & Autobiography Body, Mind & Spirit Family Philadelphia Philadelphia History Hearing Loop

Author Talk: Bill Double

Wed, May 8, 2019 6:30 P.M.
Philadelphia City Institute

Author Bill Double will present his book Philadelphia’s Washington Square and sign copies of the book, which will be available for purchase. This book recounts the fascinating history of Washington Square, which has played a prominent role in the growth and evolution of Philadelphia for…

Adult Speakers and Lectures Philadelphia Philadelphia History History

Historic Preservation in Philadelphia

Wed, May 22, 2019 6:30 P.M.
Philadelphia City Institute

Paul Steinke, Executive Director of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, will discuss the challenges of historic preservation in a growing city with a robust development climate. He will give an overview of the Alliance’s work, and highlight gains and losses in terms of the…

Adult Speakers and Lectures Philadelphia History