Education Philosophy and Religion Department

1901 Vine Street, Room 205
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Open today 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, 12/22 Closed
Monday, 12/23 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Tuesday, 12/24 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. *
Wednesday, 12/25 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Closed *
Thursday, 12/26 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Friday, 12/27 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, 12/28 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
  • * Tuesday has hour changes – in preparation for the Christmas holiday
  • * Wednesday has hour changes – Christmas Day
Sunday Closed
Monday 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Tuesday 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Thursday 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Friday 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Upcoming Closures

  • Wed., Dec. 25 : Closed Christmas Day
  • Tue., Dec. 31 : Closing at 1:00 PM in preparation for the New Year holiday
  • Wed., Jan. 1 : Closed New Year's Day
  • Mon., Jan. 20 : Closed Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
View all holiday closings

Services

Facilities

  • Book drop box
  • Photocopier (black/white)
  • Public restrooms
  • Self-service checkout

Upcoming Events

Philadelphia Reads James Baldwin

Mon, December 23, 2024 6:00 P.M.

As part of the Year of James Baldwin, the Free Library is hosting one of many Philadelphia Reads James Baldwin reading groups throughout the city in collaboration with the Saturday Free School for…

Philadelphia Reads James Baldwin

Mon, December 30, 2024 6:00 P.M.

As part of the Year of James Baldwin, the Free Library is hosting one of many Philadelphia Reads James Baldwin reading groups throughout the city in collaboration with the Saturday Free School for…

Philadelphia Reads James Baldwin

Mon, January 6, 2025 6:00 P.M.

As part of the Year of James Baldwin, the Free Library is hosting one of many Philadelphia Reads James Baldwin reading groups throughout the city in collaboration with the Saturday Free School for…

Philadelphia Reads James Baldwin

Mon, January 13, 2025 6:00 P.M.

As part of the Year of James Baldwin, the Free Library is hosting one of many Philadelphia Reads James Baldwin reading groups throughout the city in collaboration with the Saturday Free School for…


Make an appointment online or call 215-686-5392 from 9-8, Monday through Thursday, and 9-5 Friday and Saturday.

If you'd like to support our department, please consider buying us a book from our Wishlist!:

Bookshop.org

Amazon
 


The Education, Philosophy, and Religion Department provides print, electronic information, and indexes concerning education, philosophy, ethics, religion, mythology, the occult, psychology, self-help, and librarianship. 


 

Great Minds


Your guide to fundamental thinkers' most pivotal works, as found for free via electronic library resources and on the internet.

Sigmund Freud
William James
Maria Montessori
Friedrich Nietzsche
Benedict de Spinoza


Reading Lists: Librarian curated reading lists on various EPR topics.


Historic Philadelphia Pamphlet Collection


The Education Philosophy and Religion department maintains a historic collection of pamplets pertaining to our subject matter that dates from the mid 1700's to the late 1900's.

Education: A collection of brochures and essays on local K-12 public education and higher education. Many University of Pennsylvania sources. Dates range from the 19th century to the mid 20th century. Includes alumni brochures, educational efforts of WWII, and local vocational school information. This material may also be of interest to genealogists, alumni and class rolls are sometimes found and these do sometimes include addresses.

Historic Churches: Consists of local, regional (New England and South), and British publications issued by specific churches. Common topics include anniversary celebrations, building additions and architectural details, cornerstone layings, etc. The majority of the pamphlets are from the 19th century but some date back to the early 18th century. This is a good place to look for genealogical information as pew holders, congregation members, prominent  elders, etc. along with addresses are often included in the pamphlet.

Libraries: Historic materials relating to the history of the Free Library of Philadelphia can be found here along with information on other local library holdings and histories. Includes some ALA publications.

Missions: Includes missionary activities of various denominations in the US and abroad. It also includes pamphlets issued by the YMCA and YM&WHA (Young Men and Women's Hebrew Association) for lack of a more appropriate category in which to place them. 

Sermons, Essays, and Addresses: Look here for sermons delivered by specific ministers or orators and any other essay or address dealing with religion, morality, or ethics. Includes some radio broadcast sermon transcripts originally aired in the 40's and 50's.

Society of Friends: Histories of various Meeting Houses and Quakerism in Pennsylvania, the Northeast, and the UK. Biographies of prominent Quakers are found here along with an incomplete run of the Pendle Hill Bulletin. Please note that this category is split into two tables: one if for Pennsylvania only, the other is for all other geographic locales.


Databases


Databases that cover education, philosophy, religion, and library science that are available to all Free Library patrons.  A library card may be required to access these links. Don't have a FLP Library Card? Get one here

Education, teaching, and library science research databases

Learning support and test preparation databases

  • Homework Help Online: Live, online tutoring every day from 10 a.m. - midnight for K-12, college, and adults. (Spanish 2 p.m. - 2 a.m.) Upload a writing sample and get feedback.
  • LearningExpressLibrary 3.0: Practice tests and test preparation study materials for academic and professional tests, including the SAT and GRE. Watch our video tutorial.
  • LinkedIn Learning: Free access to thousands of courses in business, technology, and creative skills taught by industry experts.
  • March2Success: Practice materials for the ASVAB, SAT, and ACT exams. Perfect for students considering a military career.

Philosophy

  • 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.
  • JSTOR (only available in Free Library locations): This full text database includes 100+ academic journals forcusing on the study of philosophy.

Religion

  • JSTOR (only available in Free Library locations): This full text database includes 100+ academic journals forcusing on the study of religion.