Chronicling Resistance: The Exhibition reveals what eight local activists, cultural organizers, and artists unearthed when they dug deeply into the same Philadelphia archives in order to counter the systemic erasure of Black, Brown, and LGBTQ+ people from the historical record, break silences, and uncover new ways of understanding and enacting resistance. Continue reading
Make fire cider with Nyambi Naturals. This ancestral recipe uses ingredients right from your pantry and garden. Continue reading
Drop in between 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. for a free hands-on screen printing workshop. All ages welcome and no experience required. Continue reading
Drop in between 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. for a free hands-on screen printing workshop. All ages welcome and no experience required. Continue reading
Learn more about the history and future of the Dox Thrash House and join them for a fun printmaking activity. Continue reading
It’s been ninety years since the crisis of the Great Depression inspired a New Deal of arts programs, infrastructure investment, and worker protections. The art and objects funded by New Deal programs show us how workers shaped the country in the 1930s. But it’s not just history. The country is again facing a choice: what do we owe our neighbors? What does our country owe us? Continue reading
Now that the Free Library of Philadelphia has reopened to the public, Parkway Central feels like it is in full bloom again! We hope you enjoy these botanically-themed materials housed in the Children’s Literature Research Collection, Map Collection, and Print & Picture Collection. The exhibition is located in the Second Floor West Gallery of Parkway Central Library. Continue reading
This virtual gallery talk focuses on the companion exhibition to “Medieval Life: European Manuscripts in Philadelphia Collections” which looks at universal themes from *outside* medieval Europe. Continue reading
800 years is a long time ago, but some questions are universal. A Digital Exhibition. Continue reading
Join us Wednesday, October 30, 2019 from 6:00-8:00pm for Design in the Archives. The Free Library of Philadelphia, in coordination with the Delaware Valley Archivists Group, is celebrating American Archives Month with an evening of free activities and entertainment focused on archives and design.
Join us for an evening filled with fancy menus, the history of brewing and wine making, and recipes for non-alcoholic botanicals and teas – all based on drinks in the archives!
Join us for an evening filled with temporary tattoos, origami, a library-wide scavenger hunt, and more – all based on animals from the archives!
Come learn about Parmesan making in Italy according to Thomas Jefferson, the history of food conservation in WWI, how tofu was made in the 18th century, William Glackens’ recipe for beer, and more!
October 27, 2015 at 6pm
Free Library of Philadelphia
1901 Vine Street, 4th floor
Free
Space is limited, so please RSVP here
The Free Library of Philadelphia invites you to learn more about the seven fantastic special collections at Parkway Central: the Automobile Reference Collection, the Children’s Literature Research Collection, the Fleisher Collection of Orchestral Music, the Map Collection, the Print and Picture Collection, the Rare Book Department, and the Theatre Collection.
Treasures from each collection will be on view, and the collections’ curators will lead a special show-and-tell. A reception with light refreshments and drinks will follow.
Sept. 22, 2014 – Feb. 14, 2015, Monday – Saturday, 9am-5pm
Free Library of Philadelphia, Rare Book Department
1901 Vine Street, 3rd Floor, Philadelphia, PA
Free
No registration required
What people see in the heavens has, through the ages, been connected with religion, time and science. This exhibition presents that broad spectrum, in print and manuscript, from the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment.
Follow the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Rare Book Department on Facebook and Twitter.
Oct. 10 – Dec. 21, 2014, Monday – Saturday 9-5, Sunday 1-5
Free Library of Philadelphia
1901 Vine Street, West Hallway Gallery, 1st floor, Philadelphia, PA
Free
No registration required
This exhibition highlights the myriad ways that Shakespeare, both the man and his works, have inspired artists of all kinds: performers, musicians, filmmakers, writers, visual artists, and more. Through items like movie posters, novels, programs, and photographs, visitors can see the vast impact Shakespeare has had on cultural heritage around the world.
Follow the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Rare Book Department on Facebook and Twitter.
Every Monday to Saturday at 11am
Free Library of Philadelphia, Rare Book Department
1901 Vine Street, 3rd Floor, Philadelphia, PA
Free
No registration required
A public tour of the Rare Book Department has been in operation since 1949. Rare book librarians on staff provide a basic introduction to the history of the book using the items from the collections, including cuneiform tablets, a section of a papyrus scroll, a medieval manuscript and a leaf from a Gutenberg Bible. The tour also includes a visit to our Elkins Room, the actual library of a former Free Library Trustee who was also a prominent book collector.
Follow the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Rare Book Department on Facebook and Twitter.
Event on October 11, 2014 at 1:00 pm in the Montgomery Auditorium
Exhibit on view all October, Monday – Saturday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm in the Rare Book Department
Free Library of Philadelphia,
1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA
Free
No registration required
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of “The Book of Three,” the first book in Lloyd Alexander’s Prydain Chronicles, the Rare Book Department is displaying a small exhibition of archival material relating to its creation and publication.
Philadelphia native Lloyd Alexander wrote more than 40 books for children and young adults, including the “exciting, highly imaginative, and sometimes profound” (New York Times) fantasy series The Chronicles of Prydain. In 1995, he donated his papers to the Children’s Literature Research Collection of the Free Library of Philadelphia.
On October 11, at 1pm in the Montgomery Auditorium, bestselling fantasy author Tamora Pierce will lecture on Lloyd Alexander, followed by a discussion with Alexander’s goddaughter Sharyn November, senior editor at Viking Children’s Books and Editorial Director at Firebird Books.
A screening of “The Black Cauldron” will follow the lecture and discussion.
Follow the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Rare Book Department on Facebook and Twitter. More event details at http://libwww.freelibrary.org/authorevents/index.cfm?ID=47433&type=2
Of Money & Magic: The Industry and Artistry of Early American Film
“A Movie Camera Study Of Those Who Mean Most To It” from MGM Studios, 1927
An Exhibit at
Free Library of Philadelphia
Rare Book Department – 3rd floor
1901 Vine Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Presented by the Theatre Collection of the Rare Book Department, this exhibition celebrates the early celluloid era while tracing the development of the moving picture from cinema prehistory to the advent of sound. By examining these changes from the perspective of the actors, directors, producers, and studios (including the Philadelphia-based Lubin Film Manufacturing Company), visitors will see how business, technology, and artistic expression dovetailed to create and grow what has become one of the most popular of all modern entertainments. The exhibition features film stills, advertising, studio documents, and artifacts such as an original 1904 Lubin projector.
This exhibit runs August 12, 2013 through January 11, 2014; Monday through Saturday, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
The Elkins Room, the actual library of a former Free Library Trustee who was also a prominent book collector
Tuesday October 8, 3:00-4:00pm
Free Library of Philadelphia
Rare Book Department – 3rd floor
1901 Vine Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Please RSVP for the October 8 tour here
(tour limited to 12 people)
Stop by the Free Library of Philadelphia on Tuesday, October 8 between 3 & 4pm to check out the Rare Book Department. The tour of the Rare Book Department has been in operation since 1949. Rare book librarians on staff provide a basic introduction to the history of the book using the items from the collections, including cuneiform tablets, a section of a papyrus scroll, a medieval manuscript and a leaf from a Gutenberg Bible. The tour also includes a visit to the Elkins Room, the actual library of a former Free Library Trustee who was also a prominent book collector. For more information…
“Grip,” Charles Dickens’s pet raven
“Grip,” Charles Dickens’s pet raven
Friday October 25, 3:00-4:00pm
Free Library of Philadelphia
Rare Book Department – 3rd floor
1901 Vine Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Please RSVP for the October 25 tour here
(tour limited to 12 people)
Stop by the Free Library of Philadelphia on Friday, October 25 between 3 & 4pm to check out the Rare Book Department. The tour of the Rare Book Department has been in operation since 1949. Rare book librarians on staff provide a basic introduction to the history of the book using the items from the collections, including cuneiform tablets, a section of a papyrus scroll, a medieval manuscript and a leaf from a Gutenberg Bible. The tour also includes a visit to the Elkins Room, the actual library of a former Free Library Trustee who was also a prominent book collector. For more information…
The Elkins Room, the actual library of a former Free Library Trustee who was also a prominent book collector
Archives Month Philly 