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 troubleshoot any issues you may be having access downloadable and streaming media and digital titles from our catalog.
Guides
Links
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Google Play
Enjoy millions of the latest Android apps, games, music, movies, TV, books, magazines, and more. -
iTunes App Store
Browse and download apps to your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch from the App Store, including the Overdrive Media Console app. -
Kindle App Store
Instant access to thousands of the most popular free and best-selling apps and games, including the Overdrive Media Console app. -
NOOK Store
Your one-stop-shop for all things NOOK.
Electronic Resources
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Access Video On Demand: Just for Kids
Over 12,000 ad-free entertaining and educational videos, games, songs, and interactives like Sesame Street, Electric Factory, Reading Rainbow, Baby Einstein and more.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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American Song
Listen to over 50,000 recordings from America's past; songs by and about American Indians, miners, immigrants, slaves, children, pioneers, and cowboys; songs of Civil Rights, Prohibition, the Civil War, and more.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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Audiobooks from Overdrive
Download audiobooks from Overdrive to your PC, Mac, or mobile device. Get the Libby app to borrow on the go.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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BookFlix *
A digital literacy resource, for grades preK-3, that pairs animated stories with nonfiction ebooks to build a love of reading. Includes lesson plans for teachers and tips for caregivers
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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Classical Music Library
A comprehensive database of distinguished classical recordings offered in streaming format. The Classical Music Library also includes anthology playlists linked to the major music history and appreciation textbooks.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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ComicsPlus All Access
ComicsPlus All Access offers thousands of digital comics, graphic novels, and manga for kids, teens, and adults. A Free Library of Philadelphia card and PIN is required for for onsite and offsite use.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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ComicsPlus Children
ComicPlus Kids has Adventure Time, Bone series, Minecraft, and the Big Nate series and more. Simultaneous use will allow teachers to use this for whole-class read-alongs. A Free Library card and PIN is required for for onsite and offsite use.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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ComicsPlus Teens
ComicsPlus Teen offers thousands of digital comics, graphic novels, and manga especially for teens. A Free Library of Philadelphia card and PIN is required for onsite and offsite use.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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Contemporary World Music
This resource includes contemporary and traditional world music including tracks of reggae, worldbeat, neo-traditional, world fusion, Balkanic jazz, African film, Bollywood, Arab swing and jazz, and other genres.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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eBooks from Overdrive
Available in a variety of formats, here you will find the Library's Overdrive ebook collection. Get the Libby app to borrow on the go.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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eBooks on EBSCOhost (formerly NetLibrary) *
Approximately 17,000 electronic books in all subject areas from careers to classics to Cliffs notes.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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Freading
Downloadable ebooks for Free Library of Philadelphia library card holders.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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Free Library Podcasts
The Free Library Podcast is an easy way to participate in the author events and lectures that take place at the Central Library. Visit Author Events for upcoming events and information.
Available To: Unrestricted, free web resource
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Gale eBooks (formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library)
Explore over 500 nonfiction, fully searchable reference titles. Access accurate information on science, literature, history, business, and more.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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HistoryMakers Digital Archive
Explore the nation's largest African American video oral history collection. Access high-quality primary source content, with fully searchable transcripts, from thousands of people from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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Input
Input was a local Philadelphia panel discussion program, airing Sunday mornings from 1968 through early 1971
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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Jazz Music Library
Jazz Music Library will be the largest and most comprehensive collection of jazz available online.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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Kanopy
Access to acclaimed movies, documentaries and kids films. Previous users can reactivate by clicking on "Add your library card" and adding their FLP card credentials. Note: Kanopy is unable to filter content for patrons with Children's Restricted Cards.
Available To: Free Library card holders
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Magazines on OverDrive (formerly RBdigital Magazines)
Read and download over 3,000 digital magazines on OverDrive or the Libby app.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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Music Online
Find and listen to music from a variety of genres
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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Upcoming Events
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Art Book Club Online: April
This informal art book appreciation and art making group meets twice a month: once a month online through a… more details
Tue, April 11, 2023 5:00 PM
Parkway Central Library
1901 Vine Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
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Blog Posts
Introducing PressReader, Including The Economist Magazine
Would you like to read newspapers from around the world? Our newest electronic resource, PressReader , brings a wide-ranging selection of current global publications. PressReader provides content from the U.S. and…
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Observe Women’s History Month With the Free Library Podcast
March is Women's History Month and the Free Library Author Events podcast page and YouTube channel have scores of aptly themed book talks. To start you on your way, here are TEN favorites from just this last year. Everything from…
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ComicsPlus is Here!
Like comics? You're going to love this! Our newest electronic resources from ComicsPlus bring thousands of digital comics, graphic novels, and manga from a variety of library-friendly publishers for kids,…
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New Databases from Access Videos on Demand
If you like documentaries, world cinema, or films for kids, we think you will love our latest electronic resource: Access Videos! These three collections have no monthly watch limits and include: The Access Videos on Demand:…
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The Overdrive App is Being Replaced with Libby
What is Overdrive? Overdrive is the Free Library of Philadelphia’s portal to thousands of e-books, e-audiobooks, and e-magazines that you can read for free using your Free Library of Philadelphia library card. In April 2023, the…
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Celebrating Black Voices with the Free Library Podcast
It’s Black History Month and the Free Library has an extensive archive of podcasts and videos to help you celebrate a diverse range of writers working in politics, fiction, food, poetry, religion, memoirs, sports, and much more.…
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All the Historic Black Newspapers Available Online With Your Library Card
What better way to learn about Black history than through the lens of Black news sources, as written and published by the African American journalists of yesterday? The Free Library is pleased to highlight a digital resource…
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Kanopy is Back!
The Free Library is very pleased to announce the return of Kanopy, the popular on-demand video streaming service that The New York Times has called, "a garden of cinematic delights." Kanopy PLUS, including…
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Explore Creative Careers with Field Teen Center!
Throughout the month of July, Field Teen Center recorded interviews with a voice actor, four game designers, and a comic book writer. If you’re interested in creative jobs or if you just want to learn more about how your favorite…
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Newspapers: A Guide Into the Past
Many of us may get our news from online sources these days—social media feeds provide a constant source of information about everything from policy proposals, the weather, celebrity news, and more, as the events unfold in…
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Take a Video Tour Through Parkway Central Library!
by Autumn M. and Alexis A. You might think of the Parkway Central Library as a great place to check out your favorite books and movies, but there’s so much more we have to offer and a lot of beautiful sights in the actual building…
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Author Events Fall 2021 Schedule
While—for now—the realities of the ongoing pandemic keep us from gathering in the Parkway Central Library’s Montgomery Auditorium for a new season of Author Events , this month we’re bringing you a host of…
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Author Events Celebrates Pride Month
June is Pride Month and the Free Library’s Author Events series has an extensive archive of podcasts and videos to help you celebrate a diverse range of writers working in politics, fiction, health and fitness, literary fiction,…
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LGBTQ+ Middle Grade and YA ebooks and Audiobooks
Here are five ebook and audiobook titles about identity, acceptance, love, and loss to consider this month as we celebrate those journeys with our friends, families, and ourselves. King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callander…
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Kanopy and Hoopla Access Ends June 30, 2021
Effective June 30, 2021, we will no longer be offering Kanopy and Hoopla services to our patrons. Instead, the Free Library will use the funding for those subscriptions to support our collections of physical materials in neighborhood…
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Philly Jazz Legends: Lee Morgan
This is the seventh in a series of posts highlighting major figures in jazz history who were from Philly (even if most ended up in New York City). A virtual book discussion of Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American…
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Nourishing Literacy | Greens Across Tables
Thank you to Nourishing Literacy (NL) team member Carolyn for writing this blog post! In addition to sharing her experience and findings, Carolyn has included some of the activities and approaches that we use in NL. The NL team enjoys…
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Spring has Sprung with New Upcoming Author Events!
Spring has sprung, and so has the Free Library’s Author Events calendar! Our events are, of course, still virtual, so you can enjoy our diverse array of authors from the comfort of wherever you’re social distancing. Most are…
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Introducing OverDrive Magazines!
In August, we announced big changes on the horizon now that OverDrive has acquired the RBdigital platform. If you remember, RBdigital audiobooks moved to our OverDrive platform. Now comes the second and final change: RBdigital magazines…
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Memories of the Golden Age of Hip Hop
I bomb atomically, Socrates’ philosophies and hypotheses Can’t define how I be dropping these mockeries Lyrically perform armed robbery - "Triumph (feat. Cappadonna)" by Wu-Tang Clan, 1997 I am a rap fan.…
