Tagged New Americans

Welcoming Week Resources for New Americans

It’s Welcoming Week ! Every year, from September 13–22, organizations around the country come together to connect and reaffirm their dedication to inclusivity with neighbors of all backgrounds. The City of Philadelphia is an…

Celebrate Welcoming Week 2024 with the Free Library

"Welcoming Week honors the contributions of immigrants and recognizes that our communities are stronger — and more prosperous — when we are welcoming." - Alain Joinville, Office of Immigrant Affairs According…

Helpful Resources for New Americans at the Free Library

Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love! Per WHYY and Pew Charitable Trusts’s 2024 State of the City report, "immigrants now make up the largest percent of Philadelphia’s population since the 1940s" (15.7% or…

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at the Fifth Latin American Book Fair!

The vibrant spirit of the Latino community comes alive at the fifth annual  Latin American Book Fair in Philadelphia (LABF). This annual celebration, organized by a dedicated team of community leaders, has become a staple event…

Celebrating Immigrant Heritage Month with Coquíes and Plátanos

Books are an opportunity to celebrate cultures, share traditions, and travel around the world! They are also an avenue to learn a new language, share your favorite recipes, and become familiar with new animals native to different…

Get To Know Our Language Help Here! Campaign

The Office of Immigrant Affairs ’ Language Access Program team and the Free Library of Philadelphia collaborated on the creation of the Language Help Here! Campaign . The campaign’s main goal is to provide all residents,…

Learn a New Language with Mango Languages

Do you want to learn a new language for career advancement, to speak to new acquaintances, feel more comfortable when traveling to a foreign country, understand foreign movies, or just exercise your brain? Our Mango Languages database…

¡Celebremos la Fiesta del Libro en Español!

The love for the Spanish language and culture can transcend frontiers! The stories, poems and illustrations of the books can reflect personal narratives that touch our collective unconsciousness. A team of talented community…

Celebrating Immigrant Heritage Month this June!

This June we are commemorating Immigrant Heritage Month to celebrate the incredible diversity, beauty, and strength of immigrant communities in Philadelphia! Throughout the month, the City of Philadelphia's Office of Immigrant…

I Belong: Facing COVID-19 with Wellness and Resilience

The Languages and Learning Center (LLC) supports the individual literacy and learning goals of Philadelphia adults, including resources for Adult Basic Education, language learning, and digital literacy.  This guest blog post is…

Immigration and Citizenship Resources from the Free Library

2020 has brought many changes to the United States, including changes to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The Free Library stands with immigrants and is here to support the information needs of all Philadelphia…

Edible Alphabet Recipe of the Week: Persian Kotlet

Last week, we completed our first Virtual Edible Alphabet English 4-week course and it was a great success! Twenty participants from around the world (Burundi, China, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Italy, Iran, Ivory…

Celebrate Immigrant Heritage Month!

Original blog post by Symbol Lai, Office of Immigrant Affairs, posted on May 29, 2020   National Immigrant Heritage Month is back — and not a moment too soon. Faced with a global pandemic, unprecedented shutdowns, and…

Prepare for the U.S. Citizenship Test on Your Computer, Tablet, or Smartphone

While U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services are temporarily closed to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic, you can still prepare for the test using our Learning Express Library electronic resource. The Learning Express Library…

Food Insecurity, English Language Learning, and Community Conversations in North Philadelphia

Edible Alphabet is a free English language learning program offered to adults by the Free Library's Culinary Literacy Center . The mission of the program is to teach English language and literacy skills through hands-on cooking and…

Multicultural Fair: Empowering Communities, Quilting Stories

Sharing cross-cultural stories is so important to developing civic engagement and participation in our communities. Creating safe environments is essential to discovering, exploring, and learning about our neighbors. We all share a set…

The Voices of Undocumented Immigrants: Memoirs and Stories of Young People

Who are all these undocumented folks we hear about? What is DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals)? Who are DREAMers ? What does it mean to be an American, to be a citizen? With questions of citizenship in the news lately, I…

Book Fiesta Strives to Connect Libraries and Communities in South Philadelphia!

"A community is healthy when relationships are felt deeply, when there are histories of trust, a shared sense of mutual belonging, norms of mutual commitments, habits of mutual assistance, and real affection from one heart and soul…

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with the Free Library! ¡Celebre el Mes de la Herencia Hispana con la Biblioteca Pública!

For over 40 years, our nation has celebrated the history, culture, and contributions of Hispanic and Latinx peoples living in the United States. Durante más de 40 años, nuestra nación ha celebrado la historia, la…

Announcing the Languages and Learning Center!

September is Adult Education Month and the Free Library is excited to announce the launch of the Languages and Learning Center at Parkway Central Library , a center dedicated to supporting the individual learning goals of…

English Conversation Group - Intermediate+

Build your confidence in speaking English while meeting other adults in a casual learning environment. No registration is required. This group is for intermediate/advanced English speakers and is led by Free Library volunteer…

English Conversation Group - Intermediate+

Build your confidence in speaking English while meeting other adults in a casual learning environment. No registration is required. This group is for intermediate/advanced English speakers and is led by Free Library volunteer…

English Conversation Group - Intermediate+

Build your confidence in speaking English while meeting other adults in a casual learning environment. No registration is required. This group is for intermediate/advanced English speakers and is led by Free Library volunteer…

English Conversation Group - Intermediate+

Build your confidence in speaking English while meeting other adults in a casual learning environment. No registration is required. This group is for intermediate/advanced English speakers and is led by Free Library volunteer…

English Conversation Group - Intermediate+

Build your confidence in speaking English while meeting other adults in a casual learning environment. No registration is required. This group is for intermediate/advanced English speakers and is led by Free Library volunteer…

English Conversation Group - Intermediate+

Build your confidence in speaking English while meeting other adults in a casual learning environment. No registration is required. This group is for intermediate/advanced English speakers and is led by Free Library volunteer…

Adult English Class

Connect with your community and enhance your English skills at this free 12 week class presented by Language Lighthouse. To register and for more information, email ESOL@thomaslearning.org or call 267-571-6537.

English Conversation Group - Intermediate+

Build your confidence in speaking English while meeting other adults in a casual learning environment. No registration is required. This group is for intermediate/advanced English speakers and is led by Free Library volunteer…

Adult English Class

Connect with your community and enhance your English skills at this free 12 week class presented by Language Lighthouse. To register and for more information, email ESOL@thomaslearning.org or call 267-571-6537.

English Conversation Group - Intermediate+

Build your confidence in speaking English while meeting other adults in a casual learning environment. No registration is required. This group is for intermediate/advanced English speakers and is led by Free Library volunteer…

Adult English Class

Connect with your community and enhance your English skills at this free 12 week class presented by Language Lighthouse. To register and for more information, email ESOL@thomaslearning.org or call 267-571-6537.

English Conversation Group - Intermediate+

Build your confidence in speaking English while meeting other adults in a casual learning environment. No registration is required. This group is for intermediate/advanced English speakers and is led by Free Library volunteer…

English Conversation Group - Intermediate+

Build your confidence in speaking English while meeting other adults in a casual learning environment. No registration is required. This group is for intermediate/advanced English speakers and is led by Free Library volunteer Margie.…

Adult English Class

Connect with your community and enhance your English skills at this free 12 week class presented by Language Lighthouse. To register and for more information, email ESOL@thomaslearning.org or call 267-571-6537.

English Conversation Group - Intermediate+

Build your confidence in speaking English while meeting other adults in a casual learning environment. No registration is required. This group is for intermediate/advanced English speakers and is led by Free Library volunteer Christine.…

English Conversation Group - Intermediate+

Build your confidence in speaking English while meeting other adults in a casual learning environment. No registration is required. This group is for intermediate/advanced English speakers and is led by Free Library volunteer Gail.…

English Conversation Group - Intermediate+

Build your confidence in speaking English while meeting other adults in a casual learning environment. No registration is required. This group is for intermediate/advanced English speakers and is led by Free Library volunteer…

English Conversation Group - Intermediate+

Build your confidence in speaking English while meeting other adults in a casual learning environment. No registration is required. This group is for intermediate/advanced English speakers and is led by Free Library volunteer…

English Conversation Group - Intermediate+

Build your confidence in speaking English while meeting other adults in a casual learning environment. No registration is required. This group is for intermediate/advanced English speakers and is led by Free Library volunteer Margie.…

Adult English Class

Connect with your community and enhance your English skills at this free 12 week class presented by Language Lighthouse. To register and for more information, email ESOL@thomaslearning.org or call 267-571-6537.

Resources - Advanced English Language Learners

Resources for English Language Learners with a basic mastery of English Language who want to improve a specific area of English language acquisition.

Resources - Intermediate English Language Learners

Resources for English Language Learners with some previous English language exposure.

Resources - Beginner English Language Learners

Resources for beginner English Language Learners.

Vietnamese English Bilingual Books

Vietnamese English Bilingual Books

Spanish English Bilingual Books

Spanish English Bilingual Books

Russian English Bilingual Books

Russian English Bilingual Books

French English Bilingual Books

French English Bilingual Books

Chinese English Bilingual Books

Chinese English Bilingual Books

Arabic English Bilingual Books

Arabic English Bilingual Books

Poetry in Translation

Take pleasure in reading poets from other languages and cultures.

PressReader including the Economist Magazine

Access more than 6,300+ newspapers from the US and around the world in 60 languages from 120 countries in image view including the Guardian, Daily Mail, Der Tagesspiegel, Libération, China Daily, and La Razon. List to the articles in…

Overdrive World Languages eReading Room

Download ebooks and audiobooks in Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Russian, French, and other languages. Get the Libby app to borrow on the go.

OverDrive Sala de Lectura Electrónica en Español

Descargue libros electrónicos y audiolibros en español para niños, adolescentes y adultos. (Download ebooks and audiobooks in Spanish for kids, teens, and adults.)

Mango Languages

Mango Languages is an online language-learning system teaching actual conversation skills for a wide variety of languages.

Generations on Line (en Español)

Maria Hinojosa | Once I Was You: A Memoir of Love and Hate in a Torn America

In conversation with: Helen Ubiñas, metro columnist at the The Philadelphia Inquirer In her nearly 30 years as a journalist, Maria Hinojosa has reported for PBS, CBS, and CNN, among other outlets, and is the longtime anchor and…

Karla Cornejo Villavicencio | The Undocumented Americans

In conversation with Andrea González-Ramírez, Senior Writer at  GEN  and an Ida B. Wells fellow at Type Investigations.  Read Ms. González-Ramírez's interview with Karla Cornejo Villavicencio. Originally from Ecuador, Karla Cornejo…

Lidia Bastianich | My American Dream: A Life of Love, Family, and Food

Renowned chef and restaurateur Lidia Bastianich is the owner and co-owner of celebrated Italian restaurants in Manhattan, Pittsburgh, and Kansas City. The author of a baker’s dozen cookbooks, a judge on Masterchef Jr. Italy , and a…

Alex Wagner | Futureface: A Family Mystery, an Epic Quest, and the Secret to Belonging

In conversation with award winning broadcaster and journalist Tracey Matisak. Political commentator Alex Wagner is co-host of Showtime’s The Circus  and a contributor to CBS News and The Atlantic . She previously hosted MSNBC’s…

Junot Díaz | Islandborn

Junot Díaz won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award for  The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao , the “unruly, manic, seductive” ( Esquire ) multigenerational tale of a cursed Dominican family. He is also the…

Jorge Ramos | Stranger: The Challenge of a Latino Immigrant in the Trump Era

In conversation with longtime broadcaster and journalist, Tracey Matisak. The anchorman for Noticiero Univision for more than 30 years, eight-time Emmy-winning broadcaster and columnist Jorge Ramos is one of America’s most popular and…

Russell Shorto | Revolution Song: A Story of American Freedom

Watch the video here . Russell Shorto is the author of the bestselling The Island at the Center of World , “a masterpiece of storytelling and first-rate intellectual history” ( Wall Street Journal ) of the forgotten and mythologized…

Mohsin Hamid | Exit West with Pankaj Mishra | Age of Anger: A History of the Present

Watch the video here . “One of his generation’s most inventive and gifted writers” ( New York Times ), Mohsin Hamid is the author of Moth Smoke , a  New York Times  Notable Book of the Year and a PEN/Hemingway Award finalist; the novel …