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Visit the Passport Office at Northeast Regional Library
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 materials and travel resources. It can…
Senior Strength Training Big Success at Fumo Family Library
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 unusual to see seniors at the library…
Young Adult Romance Novels to Warm Cold Hearts
It's Valentine’s Day and I feel like this is the perfect time to indulge in a good imaginary romance. I don’t know about you but I love a good teen romance novel: I love the hijinks, I love angst of first love, I love…
#OneBookWednesday: Natural Healing & Remedies
Throughout Jesmyn Ward’s Sing, Unburied, Sing , we see how the characters connect, or disconnect, from each other. The novel focuses in on relationships and what one needs for such connections to thrive in positive ways. Each of…
A History Minute | The Armstrong Association and The Berean Enterprise
The last decades of the 19th century produced a backlash that diminished much of the progress made by blacks in the south after emancipation and led large numbers to travel to the manufacturing centers of the north in search of a…
Remembering Author, Artist, and Illustrator Tomi Ungerer (1931 - 2019)
Tomi Ungerer (November 28, 1931 - February 8, 2019) was a complex man. His artwork reflected that complexity. Ungerer’s work has often been called subversive for its themes of war, sexuality, and social commentary.…
National Inventors' Day!
Happy National Inventors’ Day! This special day was proclaimed by President Ronald Reagan in 1983 “in recognition of the enormous contribution inventors make to the nation and the world.” It is celebrated each year on…
Take a Deep Dive Into These Recommendations for Read in the Bathtub Day!
Get your scented candles and bath bombs ready, because February 9 is Read in The Bathtub Day! We know you’ve probably already got an attractive paperback you’ve been dying to find time to dip into, but if you need some…
The Book Bike Gears Up for Its 4th Season!
The Free Library Book Bike program is now entering its 4th season! The Book Bikes are bicycle-powered mobile libraries that go to local events, bringing a piece of the Free Library outside of our brick and mortar locations. When…
Spotlight on Unique Lending | Bus Busy Bags!
We've said it before and we'll say it again, we owe it all to Billy Penn! Err, wait, that was a lyric my music teacher wrote for our elementary school choir. But...Ms. Moore was on to something. (And that was such a great…
Happy Birthday to You, Charles Dickens!
Happy Birthday, Charles Dickens! The celebrated author was born February 7, 1812 in Landport near the city of Portsmouth, England. Dickens professional writing career began in the early 1830s and continued for nearly four…
Problematic Favorites | Laura Ingalls Wilder and the Little House on the Prairie Series
It’s Laura Ingalls Wilder's Birthday today, February 7, and like many people born in the 1970s and who grew up in the 1980s, I read (and by read, I mean devoured) the Little House on the Prairie book series. I know it's…
Expanding Legal Literacy in Neighborhood Libraries
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 learned. The most influential things I have…
#ownvoices: Celebrating Black History Month and Picture Books
February is Black History Month – an annual commemoration that recognizes and celebrates the heritage, culture, contributions and achievements of African Americans to American history and life. Join us (and our younger readers!)…
Black to the Future: African-American Voices in Science Fiction
Long before Comic-Con , long before the Hugo and Nebula awards, long before the sci-fi superhero film Black Panther made $1.3 billion dollars globally and became one of the highest grossing movies of all time , a Harlem man named…
Teen Reading Lounge at PCI Library Tackles Big Social Issues Through Book Discussions
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 reading and talking…
Celebrate the Year of the Pig with the Free Library!
Join the Free Library of Philadelphia as we celebrate Chinese New Year and the Year of the Pig! Chinese New Year is a fifteen-day celebration which starts on the new moon (also known as Lunar new Year). On Chinese New Year, people…
Fleisher Discoveries | Mahler's Friend, Julius Bittner
Julius Bittner was born in Vienna in 1874, growed up just outside of his hometown, and died in that same town in January 1939. He was pretty much immediately forgotten after his death. Well, in 1939, Austria, Europe, and the world at…
New Titles Coming to the Free Library in February!
With February being Black History Month , may we suggest some new adult, teen, and children’s titles by African American authors, including the latest by Angie Thomas (the author of The Hate U Give )? Or how about an under-the-sea…
Masterpieces of Silent Film at the Free Library
On a cold winter day 125 years ago, only two hours from here in West Orange, New Jersey, Thomas Edison completed construction on the Black Maria , (pronounced "muh-RYE-uh") the world’s first film…
First Friday Genealogy
Our genealogy roundtable is held the first Friday of each month from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. All are welcome regardless of experience from beginners to advanced. Bring your questions, brick walls, and successes and share with an…
Pop-Up Cooking Classes with the Mobile Cooking Teachers
Stop by once a month for Ree & Kei’s Pop-up Mobile Cooking classes. Bringing the fun back into the kitchen! Lessons include: knife skills, team building, cooking and baking principles, food safety, healthy choices, and how to…
Pop-Up Cooking Classes with the Mobile Cooking Teachers
Stop by once a month for Ree & Kei’s Pop-up Mobile Cooking classes. Bringing the fun back into the kitchen! Lessons include: knife skills, team building, cooking and baking principles, food safety, healthy choices, and how to…
First Friday Genealogy
Our genealogy roundtable is held the first Friday of each month from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. All are welcome regardless of experience from beginners to advanced. Bring your questions, brick walls, and successes and share with an…
Pop-Up Cooking Classes with the Mobile Cooking Teachers
Stop by once a month for Ree & Kei’s Pop-up Mobile Cooking classes. Bringing the fun back into the kitchen! Lessons include: knife skills, team building, cooking and baking principles, food safety, healthy choices, and how to…
First Friday Genealogy
Our genealogy roundtable is held the first Friday of each month from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. All are welcome regardless of experience from beginners to advanced. Bring your questions, brick walls, and successes and share with an…
Intelligent by Design Nonfiction Book Group | Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David Blight
Do you enjoy reading? We read critically acclaimed nonfiction old and new. All readers welcome. For additional information, please call 215- 685-1633. The definitive, dramatic biography of the most important African American of the…
Pop-Up Cooking Classes with the Mobile Cooking Teachers
Stop by once a month for Ree & Kei’s Pop-up Mobile Cooking classes. Bringing the fun back into the kitchen! Lessons include: knife skills, team building, cooking and baking principles, food safety, healthy choices, and how to…
First Friday Genealogy
Our genealogy roundtable is held the first Friday of each month from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. All are welcome regardless of experience from beginners to advanced. Bring your questions, brick walls, and successes and share with an…
Intelligent by Design Nonfiction Book Group | Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the 1920’s by Frederick Lewis Allen
Do you enjoy reading? We read critically acclaimed nonfiction old and new. All readers welcome. For additional information, please call 215- 685-1633. Written in 1930 and published in 1931, Allen, longtime Editor-in -Chief of…
Pop-Up Cooking Classes with the Mobile Cooking Teachers
Stop by once a month for Ree & Kei’s Pop-up Mobile Cooking classes. Bringing the fun back into the kitchen! Lessons include: knife skills, team building, cooking and baking principles, food safety, healthy choices, and how to…
At These Crossroads: The Legacies of Frederick Douglass and W.E.B. Du Bois
Like others of their generations, and ours, Frederick Douglass and W. E. B. Du Bois found themselves at the crossroads of belonging and not, of loving their nation and feeling rejected by it, of being both black and American. This…
First Friday Genealogy
Our genealogy roundtable is held the first Friday of each month from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. All are welcome regardless of experience from beginners to advanced. Bring your questions, brick walls, and successes and share with an…
Snake Party!
Learn all about snake behavior and habitats. Scott Prior will bring some of his favorite live snakes so we can get up-close-and-personal with these fascinating creatures. If you are brave enough, you can pet one!…
Glitter Tattoos
Join us for some fancy glitter tattoos. This program is supported with a grant from the Penn Treaty Special Services District.
Book To Movie Night-BlackKklansman
Our first film series for 2019 asks the question: what was better, the book or the movie? BlackKklansman will be the fourth movie of this four-part series. The movie will begin promptly at 6:00 pm. Please register at…
Intelligent by Design Nonfiction Book Group | The Line Becomes a River: Dispatches from the Border by Francisco Cantú
Do you enjoy reading? We read critically acclaimed nonfiction old and new. All readers welcome. For additional information, please call 215- 685-1633. Mention of “The Border” stirs both imagination and emotion: what you…
Pop-Up Cooking Classes with the Mobile Cooking Teachers
Stop by once a month for Ree & Kei’s Pop-up Mobile Cooking classes. Bringing the fun back into the kitchen! Lessons include: knife skills, team building, cooking and baking principles, food safety, healthy choices, and how to…
First Friday Genealogy
Our genealogy roundtable is held the first Friday of each month from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. All are welcome regardless of experience from beginners to advanced. Bring your questions, brick walls, and successes and share with an…
ENAensemble presents the Serial Opera Project
ENAensemble’s new Serial Opera project is a multi-month performance of a new chamber opera. Each month, the next scene will be premiered, along with solo and chamber music performances by ENAensemble’s players. The opera,…
Black History Graphic Novels
Celebrate the legacy and history of African Americans during Black History Month and all year long!
Zines and Alternative Press
Zines and newspapers from the Free Library's collection of small, independent, and underground presses
#Ownvoices: Celebrating Black History Month and Picture Books
February is Black History Month -- Join us (and our younger readers!) as we recent highlight picture books written and/or illustrated by African-Americans authors and artists.
2019 Youth Media Award Winners
The American Library Association's (ALA) top books, videos, and audiobooks for children and young adults – including the Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, Newbery and Printz awards – among many others.
Art of the field guide
Selections from class visit on January 24. Ordres religieux P391Or2 to be added to catalog and to list
Ghost Boys
Books to read along with/after Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes.
Feminism
Thanks to our friend Dewey, we don't have a lot of female or POC authors in our department (their philosohpy gets relegated to the "studies" section *-*). Here are a few books on feminism that fell through the cracks.
One humble librarian's reading list
Consisting of titles that make this librarian say "Oh, gotta read this one."
Western Medieval Philosophy
Book display for January 2019.
2018: The Favorites
Fiction librarian Dena from the Philbrick Hall department has read over 390 books this year. She’s narrowed her list down to her 30 favorite new books of 2018. It’s been a challenging year, so there’s a lot of escapist romance on the…
Books About Opposites
Concept books are a type of picture book that introduces basic ideas, or concepts, to young children. They are sometimes described as informational picture books for preschoolers. Here are concept books about OPPOSITES.
How To Get Published
Library resources to help you find a publisher
Books about Shapes
Concept books are a type of picture book that introduces basic ideas, or concepts, to young children. They are sometimes described as informational picture books for preschoolers. Here are concept books about SHAPES.
Books about Counting
Concept books are a type of picture book that introduces basic ideas, or concepts, to young children. They are sometimes described as informational picture books for preschoolers. Here are concept books about COUNTING.
Books about Color
Concept books are a type of picture book that introduces basic ideas, or concepts, to young children. They are sometimes described as informational picture books for preschoolers. Here are concept books about COLOR.
WealthEngine
WealthEngine is a research and screening tool which helps nonprofit organizations find individual prospects.
U.S. History In Context
Covers themes, events, individuals and periods in U.S. history from pre-colonial times to the present. The material also includes access to the citations for over 180 additional history journals from the Institute for Scientific…
U.S. Congressional Serial Set (1817-1980)
The bound, sequentially numbered volumes of all the Reports, Documents, and Journals of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives constitutes a rich source of primary source material on all aspects of American history. Upon…
TumbleBooks
TumbleBooks is an online collection of animated, talking picture books which teach kids the joy of reading in a format they'll love.
TrueFlix *
Student Resources In Context
"Thousands of curriculum-targeted primary documents, biographies, topical essays, background information, critical analyses, full-text coverage of 800 magazines, over 10,000 photographs and illustrations, and more than 8 hours of audio…
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy is an authoritative, comprehensive Web-based reference work about philosophy, useful to scholars of all levels as well as the general public. Published through Stanford University’s Center for the…
Smithsonian Global Sound for Libraries
With an extraordinary array of more than 35,000 individual tracks of streaming music, spoken word, and natural and human-made sounds, users can listen to performances by American folk icons such as Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Pete Seeger…
Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture, and Law
This HeinOnline collection brings together a multitude of essential legal materials on slavery in the U.S. and the English-speaking world. It includes nearly 2,000 titles, with every statute passed by every colony and state on slavery,…
Sanborn Maps Geo Edition (1867-1970)
(1867-1970) provides digital access to thousands of large-scale maps of American towns and cities, searchable by address and GPS coordinates.
Bernard-Henri Lévy | The Empire and the Five Kings: America’s Abdication and the Fate of the World
In conversation with Carlin Romano , Critic-at-Large, The Chronicle of Higher Education , former literary critic The Philadelphia Inquirer and author of America the Philosophical . “Perhaps the most prominent intellectual in France…
Howard Schultz | From the Ground Up: My Journey to Reimagine the Promise of America
In conversation with William Kristol, founder and former editor-at-large of The Weekly Standard . The former chairman and CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schultz led the java giant from eleven cafes in the Seattle area to more than 28,000…
Victor LaValle with Justina Ireland, Sam J. Miller, and Alice Sola Kim | A People's Future of the United States: Twenty-five Visionary Stories
Amidst a climate of division, tumult, and fear, what will the United States look like tomorrow? In A People’s Future of the United States , 25 diverse writers synthesize hopeful, cynical, prescient visions of a country shaped by…
Chris Wilson | The Master Plan: My Journey from Life in Prison to a Life of Purpose
In conversation with State Representative Jordan A. Harris Convicted of murder at 18 and sentenced to life in prison with no hope of release, Chris Wilson began to improve himself through study, physical fitness, and even started a…
Feminista Jones | Reclaiming Our Space: How Black Feminists Are Changing the World from the Tweets to the Streets with DaMaris B. Hill | A Bound Woman is a Dangerous Thing
Social worker, public speaker, community activist, and blogger Feminista Jones is the author of the novel Push the Button and the poetry collection The Secret of Sugar Water . She was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in…
Jane Brox | Silence: A Social History of One of the Least Understood Elements of Our Lives
Penning “nonfiction literature of a high and lasting order” ( Chicago Tribune ), Jane Brox is the author of, among other books, Five Thousand Days Like This One , a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award; Brilliant: The…
Bridgett M. Davis | The World According to Fannie Davis: My Mother's Life in the Detroit Numbers
Bridgett M. Davis is the author of Into the Go-Slow , the acclaimed story of a young woman traveling from Detroit to Nigeria as she mourns the death of her sister, and Shifting Through Neutral , a finalist for the Hurston/Wright Legacy…
Dani Shapiro | Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love
In conversation with Beth Kephart , the award-winning author of twenty-four books, including Going Over , Handling the Truth: On the Writing of Memoir , and Flow: The Life and Times of Philadelphia’s Schuylkill River . Delivering “an…
Ha Jin | The Banished Immortal: A Life of Li Bai (Li Po)
In conversation with Carlin Romano , Critic-at-Large, The Chronicle of Higher Education , former literary critic The Philadelphia Inquirer and author of America the Philosophical . Celebrated internationally for a prolific, “achingly…
One Book, One Philadelphia Kickoff Event | Featuring Jesmyn Ward
One Book, One Philadelphia 2019 kicks off with a reading and conversation between Jesmyn Ward, author of the One Book featured selection Sing, Unburied, Sing, and WURD President/CEO Sara Lomax-Reese. Their talk will be followed by…
Kristen Roupenian | You Know You Want This: Cat Person and Other Stories
Kristen Roupenian holds a PhD in English from Harvard and an MFA from the University of Michigan. Originally published in The New Yorker in 2017, her story “Cat Person” garnered national attention for its frank depiction of dating in…
Gregory B. Jaczko | Confessions of a Rogue Nuclear Regulator
The Chairman of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission from 2009-2012, Dr. Gregory Jaczko oversaw the U.S. government’s response to Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster. An NRC commissioner from 2005-2009 and former science…
In Conversation With The Rosenbach: The Legacy of the Thirteenth Amendment with Michele Norris
Michele Norris is a Peabody Award-winning journalist, founder of The Race Card Project and Executive Director of The Bridge, The Aspen Institute’s new program on race, identity, connectivity and inclusion. For more than a decade Norris…
Kirsten Gillibrand | Bold and Brave: Ten Heroes Who Won Women the Right to Vote
In conversation with award-winning journalist Tracey Matisak. On the eve of the one-hundredth anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment, which granted women the right to vote, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand introduces children to ten…
Mary Schmidt Campbell | An American Odyssey: The Life and Work of Romare Bearden
President of Spelman College since 2015, and dean emerita of the Tisch School of the Arts, Mary Schmidt Campbell served as the vice chair of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities during the Obama administration. She has…
Gary Giddins | Bing Crosby: Swinging on a Star: The War Years, 1940-1946
Gary Giddins is the author of the National Book Critics Circle Award-winning Visions of Jazz: The First Century , “a grand, brilliant history" ( The New York Times Book Review ). Jazz columnist at The Village Voice for 30 years, his…
Elaine Pagels | Why Religion?: A Personal Story
In conversation with award-winning journalist, Tracey Matisak One of the most esteemed religious scholars of our time, Elaine Pagels is the author of Revelations , Beyond Belief , and The Gnostic Gospels . Her many honors include…
Margaret George | The Splendor Before the Dark: A Novel of the Emperor Nero with Madeline Miller | Circe
Margaret George ’s fictional biographies of towering world figures—brimming “with lust, violence, cruelty and lively conversation” ( Detroit Free Press ) while adhering as closely as possible to the factual historical record—include…
Andrew Delbanco | The War Before the War: Fugitive Slaves and the Struggle for America’s Soul from the Revolution to the Civil War
“America’s best social critic” ( Time ), Andrew Delbanco is the author of numerous books that explore American history, character, and ideals, including The Real American Dream: A Meditation on Hope , The Puritan Ordeal , and Required…
Jabari Asim | We Can't Breathe: On Black Lives, White Lies, and the Art of Survival
Editor-in-chief of The Crisis magazine, the NAACP’s flagship periodical, and a former editor and syndicated columnist at the The Washington Post , Jabari Asim is a professor of creative writing at Emerson College. His many books…
ZOOM Trivia Games
ZOOM-from PBS Kids! A game to play with your friends or family. For grades 4 and up.
ZOOM
ZOOM from PBS-by kids, for kids. Lots of fun science activities. Grades 2 and up; may need adult supervision.
Ziggity Zoom
This site offers a variety that will appeal to preschool and younger elementary age children. Online and printable activities are available.
Zero to Three
The mission of Zero to Three is to promote the healthy development of infants and toddlers. This website provides a breadth of behavioral and developmental information for parents, as well as suggestions for creating positive learning…
Zenkaikon
The Philadelphia-area Anime Convention.
ZDNet
A wholly-owned subsidiary of CNET networks, ZDNet aims to be the "premier 'full service' destination for people looking to buy, use, and learn more about technology." On its site, the company offers news, product reviews, downloads, free…
Zamzar
Free Online File Converter
Yves St. Laurent
Yves St. Laurent launched his label in 1962 and turned the fashion world on its ear with his mix of pantsuits and fitted gowns. The line is now supervised by Stefano Pilati, whose innovative designs continue the legacy of St. Laurent…
Yuckiest Site on the Internet
From Discovery.com - The Yuckiest Site on the Internet! Join Wendell the worm and check out his buggy scrapbook! For grades 3 and up.
Youthspeaks.org
Provides safe spaces to empower the next generation of leaders, self-defined artists, and visionary activists through written and oral literacies.
YouthSpeak Newsletter
YouthSpeak is a grassroots citizen organization working to empower youth and to allow youth to make the democratic choices that affect their lives.
YouthRules!
Information from the U.S. Department of Labor for teens, parents, educators, employers and the public on Federal and State rules regarding young workers, to help ensure a safe and positive work experience for young people.
Youth work Links and Ideas
This site's author has a Master's Degree in Social Work from Boston University School of Social Work, and 20 years experience working with adolescents. The site is comprehensive and contains frequently updated links pages for youth and…
Youth Violence Fact Sheet
This site from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists current statistics on youth violence, including risk factors.
Youth Service America: National Child Awareness Month Youth Ambassador Program
Year-long program helps young leaders (ages 16-22) create change around critical issues facing youth today.
Youth Health Empowerment Project (Y-HEP)
Y-HEP's mission is to help young people grow into healthy adults by supporting them in empowering themselves to make healthy choices. They offer outreach and drop-in services.
Youth Health Empowerment Project
Youth Drop-In Center
YourDictionary
Provides an easy-to-use search engine for words and the results are quite detailed. Also offers 400 different language dictionaries.
You Can Play Sax
Community video lessons by and for saxophone players. Watch video lessons to improve your skill or upload a lesson yourself to help others learn the instrument! A space for instructors and students.
Year Up
"Year Up is a one-year, intensive training program that provides urban young adults 18-24, with a unique combination of technical and professional skills, college credits, an educational stipend and corporate apprenticeship."
African American History
In celebration of Black History Month and African American History as a whole, explore our resources on African American history and culture including famous African Americans From Philadelphia, Poets and Poetry, Speculative Fiction,…
American Presidency Series
Join the Free Library for a series of compelling provocative programs that examine the untold stories of, unconventional approaches to, and contemporary concerns about the world's most difficult job. The 2016 American Presidency Series…
Anime and Manga
Anime is an animation style originated in Japan that is characterized by distinctive characters and backgrounds. Storylines may include a variety of fictional or historical characters, events, and settings. Manga is Japanese for "comics"…
Asian Americans
Asian American resources for teens, cultural traditions and celebrations, biographies on famous Asian Americans, history of different Asian ethnic groups in America, lesson plans for teachers to explore a variety of Asian cultures, Asian…
Back to School
The start of another school year is underway here in Philadelphia! Get ready for school with these helpful resources for students, teachers, parents, and caregivers to help make the school year easier. Learn new study skills,…
Bestsellers
Find out about the latest bestsellers from many well known resources.
Black Lives Matter
When stories of gun violence and tragedy seem like a daily occurrence, it can be hard to remember that our city was built on the values of Brotherly Love. While some may argue that all lives matter, it does not feel like we are applying…
Cutting Clutter
Are you constantly trying to find papers you placed down on your desk? Is your closet overflowing with junk? Are you drowning in clutter and don't know where to begin to cleanup? Take charge with these books and resources on clutter,…
Digital Media Guide
Borrowing ebooks and audiobooks, downloading podcasts, and streaming media such as movies, music, and even comic books, from Free Library has never been easier. In this guide, we'll offer tips and information to get you started or…
Fantastic Planets
The void that exists between celestial bodies is vast. How many rings does Saturn have? Where did galaxies come from? What is Dark Matter? How do astronauts travel through space? Where does science fiction end and science fact begin?…
Fix It Yourself
Resources on how to do your own repairs on everyday items: Grab the scissors for sewing projects, drapery, upholstery, or even a haircut! View a list of do it yourself videos and tackle some of those household chores on your to-do list!…
Freedom Train
From July 1st through November 1st, the Rosenbach will feature Freedom Train 1947-1949, an exhibition on the history of the Freedom Train that toured the continuous 48 states in the post-war years. The topics of freedom, liberty, and…
Genealogy
This series of guides, web links, book lists, and resources will introduce you to the genealogical resources available through the Free Library of Philadelphia and to other important libraries and archives throughout the Philadelphia…
Graphic Novels
Graphic novels are, simply defined, book-length comics. Sometimes they tell a single, continous narrative from first page to last; sometimes they are collections of shorter stories or individual comic strips. Comics are sequential visual…
Green Living
Green living allows you to become an everyday environmentalist. Practitioners of sustainable living often attempt to reduce their carbon footprint by altering methods of transportation, energy consumption, and diet. Go green with these…
Grimm
Explore the world of the Brothers Grimm and their legendary tales.
Halloween
Hello boils and ghouls! It's that time of year again—Halloween! We've concocted a creepy cross section of spooky stories from our chilling collections of boo-ks, mad monsters in macabre movies, and scary soundtracks, as well as links to…
Health
What are your health questions? The Free Library can connect you with resources to help you live a healthier lifestyle, including research tools, cooking classes, resources to help you quit smoking or increase your exercise, and…
Health Literacy Month
October is Health Literacy Month, a month dedicated to promoting the importance of understandable health information. The month was first honored as an annual worldwide event in 1999 and continues to be an important initiative in…
Honeybees
The third Saturday in August is National Honeybee Day, a day to celebrate this small but vital insect. Philadelphians should be especially proud; the modern beehive, known as the Langstroth hive, was invented in the City of Brotherly…
Jerry Pinkney
Philadelphia born and raised, Jerry Pinkney is one of the most beloved artists in children’s literature, illustrating more than 100 books that have delighted children—and adults—for generations. This year, as the American Library…
LGBTQ
The Free Library of Philadelphia celebrates LGBTQ+ Pride Month in June with book and film recommendations, events for all ages, and resources in Philadelphia. Through this Explore Topic, you can also find lesbian, gay, bisexual,…
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. was the most important voice of the American civil rights movement, which worked for equal rights for all. He was famous for using nonviolent resistance to overcome injustice, and he never got tired of trying to…
Medieval Manuscripts
Are you interested in learning more about the history of people who lived in Europe between 500 and 1500 A.D.? Below you can find helpful information for your research or check out our Medieval Manuscript Digital Collection with over…
Philadelphia Cooks
Explore diverse cooking styles and cuisine throughout Philadelphia, read cookbooks by renowned Philly chefs, learn about the latest nutritional values and advancements, search or browse through The Philadelphia Inquirer's restaurant and…
Poetry
Poetry in all its forms including classic selections from our Literature Department, Haikus, poetry for children, and poetry with special appeal for tweens and teens. Read poets from diverse cultures and in other languages, as well as…
Remembering September 11th
On September 11th, 2001, the world changed. For those of us who experienced it as a current event, life can be divided between a before and after, and we can clearly remember where we were when the news first reached us. For those not…
Returning Citizens
Resources for returning citizens in the transition from incarceration to society including information on job training, housing assistance, and counseling services. One such resource is Bridges, which offers returning citizens from jails…
Season's Greetings
It's that time of year again, full of many diverse holiday celebrations including Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice, and New Year's. This Explore Topic features lists of great books, music, and movies to share and learn…
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare, born in 1564, was an English poet, playwright and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. Poet Ben Johnson wrote “He was not of an age but for all…
STEM
An acronym referring to the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics fields of study. The term was created for schools from kindergarten through college to improve competitiveness in learning and workforce development. "Science"…
Talking About Consent
As librarians, we are frequently asked to offer advice about resources that help explain current events to young children. When a disturbing story appears in the news, parents and caregivers may struggle to find age-appropriate…
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a public holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November throughout the United States. It originated as a harvest festival of giving thanks and although it has historical roots in religious and cultural traditions,…
The Olympics
The 2018 Winter Olympics, being held in PyeongChang, South Korea and known as the XXIII Olympic Winter Games, are a major international multi-sport event. The Games will run from February 9 to 25, featuring close to 3,000 athletes…
U.S. Elections and Politics
The United States midterm general election will be held on Tuesday, November 6, 2018. In Pennsylvania, the ballot includes candidates for Governor, Lt. Governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, the Pennsylvania State Senate,…