Free Library of Philadelphia
The Free Library of Philadelphia is the public library system that serves the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is the 16th-largest public library system in the United States. The Free Library of Philadelphia is a non-Mayoral agency of the City of Philadelphia governed by an independent Board of Trustees as per the Charter of the City of Philadelphia.
The Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation is a separate 501 non-profit with its own board of directors and serves to support the mission of the Free Library of Philadelphia through philanthropic dollars.
History
19th century
The Free Library of Philadelphia was chartered in 1891 as "a general library which shall be free to all", through efforts led by Dr. William Pepper, who secured initial funding through a $225,000 bequest from his wealthy uncle, George S. Pepper. However, several libraries claimed the bequest, and only after the courts decided the money was intended to found a new public library did the Free Library finally open in March 1894. Its first location was three cramped rooms in City Hall. On February 11, 1895, the library was moved to the old Concert Hall at 1217-1221 Chestnut Street.20th century
Library officials criticized their new home as "an entirely unsuitable building, where its work is done in unsafe, unsanitary and overcrowded quarters, temporary make-shifts". On December 1, 1910, the Library was moved again, to the northeast corner of 13th and Locust Streets.21st century
In 2025, a study by A.H. Poole using archival research explored how between 1903 and 1916, concluding that the Free Library of Philadelphia’s story hours and its children’s work represented a crucible of community building.Operations
The Free Library of Philadelphia system, comprising 54 neighborhood library locations and the Rosenbach, advances literacy, guides learning, and inspires curiosity with millions of digital and physical materials; 28,000 yearly programs and events; free public computers and Wi-Fi; and rich special collections. With more than 6 million in-person visits and millions more online annually, the Free Library and the Rosenbach are among the most widely used educational and cultural institutions in Philadelphia and boast a worldwide impact.Parkway Central Library
On June 2, 1927, the Parkway Central Library opened for service at its present location at 1901 Vine Street on Logan Square. The building had been in planning since 1911; various obstacles, including World War I, held up progress. The grand Beaux-Arts building was designed by Julian Abele, chief designer in the office of prominent Philadelphia architect Horace Trumbauer, and first opened its doors in 1927. Its design, that of the adjacent Philadelphia Family Court building, and their placement on Logan Circle closely follow that of the Hôtel de Crillon and the Hôtel de la Marine on Paris's Place de la Concorde.Mission
The mission of the Free Library of Philadelphia is "to advance literacy, guide learning, and inspire curiosity."Services
Programs
The Free Library of Philadelphia hosts more than 25,000 events each year, including job-search workshops, small business programming, English as a Second Language conversation groups, and computer classes. Many of these programs and services are funded in whole or in part by The Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation, a not-for-profit which exists to supplement the funds available through the City of Philadelphia for activities at the Free Library of Philadelphia. The Free Library's Culinary Literacy Center, which opened in the spring of 2014 at the Parkway Central Library, offers culinary classes for children, teens, families, and adults to teach literacy skills through cooking as well as math, chemistry, nutrition, and health. The Library hosts a renowned Author Events Series produced through its Foundation, which brings more than 100 writers, politicians, scientists, researchers, and musicians to the Free Library annually. The Library Foundation also supports the Library in hosting the citywide One Book, One Philadelphia program, which encourages all Philadelphians to read and discuss the same book, fostering community and connection; the Summer Reading program, which engages some 50,000 Philadelphia school children each summer; and the Literacy Enrichment After-school Program. In addition, the Free Library hosts months-long celebrations of literary milestones, from the birthdays of influential writers like Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare to the publication anniversaries of groundbreaking titles like Pride and Prejudice and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.The Free Library Foundation also manages READ by 4th, a citywide effort of public and private organizations aiming to significantly increase the number of students in Philadelphia entering the 4th grade at reading level by 2020. READ by 4th's comprehensive strategy includes improving early learning, providing parents with resources to teach their children reading skills, emphasizing summer reading and other strategies to prevent learning loss, decreasing absenteeism by addressing behavioral and health concerns, and enhancing reading instruction in schools.
Digital services
The Free Library's digital offerings include nearly 300,000 streaming or downloadable ebooks; 1,000 public computers; 1,700-plus author event podcasts; 150 online databases; daily homework and computer literacy classes online; Hot Spot community computer training centers; and the roving Techmobile.Hot Spots initiative
In March 2011, the library launched Free Library Hot Spots, placing new computer labs and computer trainers in existing community centers in low-income areas of the city. The initiative was funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program. Each Hot Spot provides computers, internet access, printers, and a small selection of Free Library materials.In April 2012, the Free Library added The Techmobile, a Hot Spot on Wheels, which brings service to neighborhoods throughout Philadelphia. The Techmobile has six public laptops.
Impact
According to a study conducted by Penn's Fels Institute of Government, in 2017 nearly 25,000 people learned to read or taught someone else to read solely because of the resources of the Free Library. In addition, nearly 1,000 people found jobs based on the career resources of the Free Library, and some 8,600 entrepreneurs were able to start, grow or improve their small businesses because of programs and resources available free of charge at the Library.Special collections
Located at the Parkway Central Library, the Free Library's Special Collections span genres and generations, from ancient cuneiform tablets to historic photographs of Philadelphia.The Free Library of Philadelphia's Children's Literature Research Collection houses an extensive research collection of children's literature published after 1836.
The Rare Book Department features one of the world's most renowned Charles Dickens collections, with first editions, personal letters, and Dickens’ stuffed pet raven, Grip, as well as extensive collections of illuminated manuscripts, Americana, Beatrix Potter, early children's books, Edgar Allan Poe, Pennsylvania German folk art, and more. The collection includes over 50 Books of Hours and numerous bibles, liturgical texts, and psalters, including the Lewis Psalter, a masterpiece of Parisian illumination from the reign of Saint Louis.
The Free Library's music collections include the Edwin A. Fleisher Collection of Orchestral Music, the largest lending library of orchestral performance sets in the world.
Additionally, the Rosenbach Museum & Library is a subsidiary of the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation.
Neighborhood libraries
In addition to the Parkway Central Library and the Rosenbach in downtown Philadelphia, the system operates 54 neighborhood and regional library locations throughout the city. Many of these locations were funded by Andrew Carnegie, who donated US$1.5 million to the library in 1903. The Parkway Central Library and twenty extant Carnegie-funded branch libraries were documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey in 2007, as noted in the HABS column of the table below.Image:Phila FLP Kingsessing01.jpg|thumb|Kingsessing Library
| # | Name | Address | Neighborhood Served | HABS No. |
| Andorra | 705 East Cathedral Road | Andorra and Upper Roxborough | ||
| Blanche A. Nixon | 5800 Cobbs Creek Parkway | Cobbs Creek | ||
| Bushrod | 6304 Castor Avenue | Oxford Circle, Castor Gardens, Upper Northwood, Summerdale, and the Lower Northeast | ||
| Bustleton | 10199 Bustleton Avenue | Bustleton and Somerton | ||
| Cecil B. Moore | 2320 Cecil B. Moore Avenue | North Central, Strawberry Mansion, Brewerytown, Sharswood, and the Johnson Homes | ||
| Charles L. Durham | 3320 Haverford Avenue | Mantua and Powelton | ||
| Charles Santore | 932 South 7th Street | Bella Vista, Queen Village, and Hawthorne | ||
| Chestnut Hill | 8711 Germantown Avenue | Chestnut Hill | ||
| David Cohen Ogontz | 6017 Ogontz Avenue | Ogontz and Belfield | ||
| Eastwick | 2851 Island Avenue | Eastwick, Elmwood, Clearview, and Penrose Park | ||
| Falls of Schuylkill | 3501 Midvale Avenue | East Falls | ||
| Fishtown Community | 1217 East Montgomery Avenue | Fishtown and New Kensington | ||
| Fox Chase | 501 Rhawn Street | Fox Chase and Burholme | ||
| Frankford | 4634 Frankford Avenue | Frankford, Northwood, Bridesburg, and part of Juniata Park | ||
| Fumo Family | 2437 South Broad Street | Melrose | ||
| Greater Olney | 5501 North 5th Street | Olney | ||
| Haddington | 446 North 65th Street | Haddington-Carroll Park and Overbrook-Morris Park | ||
| Haverford | 5543 Haverford Avenue | Haddington-Carroll Park | ||
| Holmesburg | 7810 Frankford Avenue | Holmesburg and Mayfair | ||
| Independence | 18 South 7th Street | Society Hill, Old City, Queen Village, Washington Square West, and Chinatown | ||
| Joseph E. Coleman Northwest Regional Library | 68 West Chelten Avenue | Germantown | ||
| Katharine Drexel | 11099 Knights Road | Normandy, North and West Torresdale, Morrell Park, Millbrook, Parkwood, Crestmont Farms, Brookhaven, and Walton Park | ||
| Kensington | 104 West Dauphin Street | Kensington, West Kensington, and Norris Square | ||
| Kingsessing | 1201 South 51st Street | Kingsessing | ||
| Lawncrest | 6098 Rising Sun Avenue | Lawndale, Crescentville, Lawncrest, and Cedar Grove | ||
| Library of Accessible Media for Pennsylvanians | 919 Walnut Street | The Library of Accessible Media for Pennsylvanians serves the whole state of Pennsylvania | ||
| Lillian Marrero | 601 West Lehigh Avenue | Central North, Fairhill, St. Edwards, Hartranft, and West Kensington | ||
| Logan | 1333 Wagner Avenue | Logan | ||
| Lovett | 6945 Germantown Avenue | East and West Mt. Airy | ||
| Lucien E. Blackwell West Philadelphia Regional Library | 125 South 52nd Street | Cedar Park, Walnut Hill, West Market, Mill Creek, Dunlap, and West Park | ||
| McPherson Square | 601 East Indiana Avenue | Kensington, McPherson Square, and K & A | ||
| Nicetown-Tioga | 3720 North Broad Street | Nicetown and Tioga | ||
| Northeast Regional Library | 2228 Cottman Avenue | Greater Northeast | ||
| Oak Lane | 6614 North 12th Street | Oak Lane | ||
| Overbrook Park | 7422 Haverford Avenue | Overbrook Park | ||
| Parkway Central | 1901 Vine Street | -- | ||
| Paschalville | 6942 Woodland Avenue | Paschalville and Elmwood | ||
| Philadelphia City Institute | 1905 Locust Street | Rittenhouse Square and Fitler Square | ||
| Queen Memorial Library | 1201 South 23rd Street | Point Breeze, Graduate Hospital, and Grays Ferry | ||
| Ramonita de Rodriguez | 600 West Girard Avenue | Olde Kensington, Kensington South, Ludlow, Yorktown, East and West Poplar, Northern Liberties, Girard, and Poplar | ||
| Richmond | 2987 Almond Street | Richmond and Port Richmond | ||
| The Rosenbach | 2008-2010 Delancey Place | -- | ||
| Roxborough | 6245 Ridge Avenue | Roxborough, Manayunk and Wissahickon | ||
| South Philadelphia | 1700 South Broad Street | South Philadelphia | ||
| Tacony | 6742 Torresdale Avenue | Tacony and Wissinoming | ||
| Thomas F. Donatucci Sr. | 1935 Shunk Street | Girard Estate, Packer Park, Passyunk Homes, St. Richards, and West Passyunk | ||
| Torresdale | 3079 Holme Avenue | Academy Gardens, Ashton-Woodbridge, Pennypack, Pennypack Woods, Upper Holmesburg, and Winchester Park | ||
| Wadsworth | 1500 Wadsworth Avenue | Wadsworth, Cedarbrook, Ivy Hill, and East Mt. Airy | ||
| Walnut Street West | 201 South 40th Street | University City and Spruce Hill | ||
| Welsh Road | 9233 Roosevelt Boulevard | Aston Wooden Bridge and Bustleton | ||
| West Oak Lane | 2000 Washington Lane | West Oak Lane and parts of Cedarbrook, Ivy Hill, and East Mt. Airy | ||
| Whitman | 200 Snyder Avenue | Whitman and Pennsport | ||
| Widener | 2808 West Lehigh Avenue | North Central, Strawberry Mansion, and Allegheny West | ||
| Wynnefield | 5325 Overbrook Avenue | Wynnefield and Overbrook Farms | ||
| Wyoming | 231 East Wyoming Avenue | Feltonville and Juniata Park |