Mount Airy: Lovett Memorial Library Getting Closer to Completion
In 2013, the Lovett Memorial Library on Germantown Avenue in Mount Airy was selected as one of four Philadelphia branches to be a part of the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Building Inspiration: 21st Century Libraries Initiative. For more than 130 years it has been a staple of the Mount Airy community. Now, nearly four years […]
Center City: New Program Combats Illiteracy Among Philadelphia’s Youth
The Free Library of Philadelphia has long benefited communities around the city. As the adult illiteracy rate in Philadelphia continues to rise, the library system has strengthened a two-year program called Read by 4th to combat illiteracy at a young age. “The statistic we go off of is that less than 40 percent of kids in third […]
Center City: Library Expands Services to Include Health Literacy
The Free Library of Philadelphia offers many services to the community to help improve literacy and overall quality of life. Recently, the Parkway Central Library expanded programming to include health literacy through a program called the Reaching HEALthy Initiative. The initiative is one of the first multi-professional health care programs that works with social workers, nurses […]
West Philadelphia: Free Library Book Bike Rolls into Local Events
The Free Library of Philadelphia has a new branch, but this one has rims, wheels, brakes and a box full of books above a three-speed handlebar. Known as a “Book Bike,” this new outreach initiative is a fully functioning mobile library that attends events around the city. Employees hope to inspire the public to more fully embrace […]
Center City: Five Parks That Make You Forget You’re In Philadelphia
Philadelphia is full of parks and lush gardens that make it easy to forget it’s a large city on the East Coast. Rittenhouse, Graduate Hospital and Logan Square are three neighborhoods within walking distance of each other and include some of the most walker- and biker-friendly areas in Center City. They’re home to some of the […]
Fairhill: New Chapter For Library Means Bittersweet, Temporary Closure
Rebekah Ray and the staff at the Lillian Marrero Library have been dedicated to the future of the branch, long before the building recently closed for renovations. Now, they are left wondering how the community is going to fare for the next two years, without the essential resources they provide. The Lillian Marrero Library at Sixth […]
Lawncrest: Ever-Changing Library Offers Knowledge to the Neighborhood
The Lawncrest branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia is making a difference in this Northeast Philadelphia community by serving as a resource for residents to get help and information about a variety of topics. Lawncrest resident Barbara Futch makes the trip to the library twice a week. “I come here for the books, I come here to […]
Logan/Olney: 5 Places To Know
Olney and Logan embody a diverse and resilient spirit. Logan, bound by threads that reach back to 17th-century namesake James Logan, boasts a close-knit populace. Olney and Logan are as neighborhoods in touch with their historic roots while admirably coping with contemporary realities. Clustered rank-and-file with homes and businesses, some locales appear trodden, but never down. […]
Society Hill: Preserving Where You Live
Bob Curley, the president of the Society Hill Civic Association, shows that you don’t need to have long standing roots in a community in order to protect its interests. He’s been a resident of Society Hill for only a decade and in that time has spent six years serving on the board. He became the […]
Andorra: Teen Reading Lounge Offers New Activities For Local Teens
For kids in Northwest Philadelphia, there is an abundance of programs, many of which are offered by local branches of the Free Library of Philadelphia. According to JoAnne Woods, the teen librarian at the Andorra branch of the FLP, a big problem is a lack of activities for teenagers. Woods has begun the process of […]