Free Library of Philadelphia

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The Free Library of Philadelphia is the public library system serving Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Free Library has 12 million visits annually: 6 million at its 54 locations throughout Philadelphia and another 6 million online at freelibrary.org.^[1]

History

Initiated by the efforts of Dr. William Pepper, the Free Library of Philadelphia was chartered in 1891 as "a general library which shall be free to all." Pepper received initial funding for the Library through a $225,000 bequest from his wealthy uncle, George S. Pepper. However, litigation arose as several existing libraries claimed the bequest.^[2] The Free Library finally opened in March 1894 after the courts decided the money was intended to found a new public library. The first location for the Library was three cramped rooms in City Hall. On February 11, 1895, the Library was moved to the old Concert Hall, 1217-1221 Chestnut Street. Library officials, however, criticized their new home as "an entirely unsuitable building, where its work is done in unsafe, unsanitary and overcrowded quarters, temporary make-shifts." These unpopular quarters were occupied until December 1, 1910, when the Library was moved yet again, to the northeast corner of 13th and Locust Streets.

On June 2, 1927, the massive Central Library opened for service at its present location on Logan Square. The building had been in the planning stages since 1911; however, various obstacles, including World War I, halted progress on the building. It now serves as the main library and administrative headquarters for the Free Library of Philadelphia system.

Over the years, numerous branches have been added to the Free Library system, many of them funded by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, who donated $1.5 million for branch construction in 1903. Today, there are 54 branches citywide, including three larger regional libraries and the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.

Resources

The Free Library is home to 54 locations and 7.2 million circulating items. In addition, the system has free Wi-Fi at each of its locations and nearly 1,000 public access computers, making it one of the largest providers of free internet in Philadelphia. The Free Library’s website, freelibrary.org, offers access to some 150 databases, 34,000 ebooks, downloadable Author Events podcasts, and daily homework help online.^[3]

In the spring of 2011, the Free Library launched its innovative Hot Spot initiative, bringing computer labs, internet access, and trainers into community centers into Philadelphia’s most underserved neighborhoods. In April of 2012, it launched its Techmobile, the first mobile Hot Spot.^[4]

In addition to its vast amount of physical and virtual resources, the Free Library of Philadelphia hosts some 20,000 programs annually, including storytimes, job-search workshops, small business programming, English as a Second Language conversation groups, and computer classes. In addition, the Library hosts the renowned Author Events Series, which brings more than 100 writers to the Free Library annually; the city-wide One Book, One Philadelphia program; the Summer Reading program, which engages some 50,000 Philadelphia school children each summer; the Literacy Enrichment After-school Program (LEAP); and the Philadelphia Book Festival.^[5]

Impact

According to a recent study conducted by the Fels Institute of Government of the University of Pennsylvania, in 2010, nearly 25,000 people learned to read or taught someone else to read solely because of the resources o f the Free Library. In addition, nearly 1,000 individuals 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.^[6]

Special Collections

The Free Library of Philadelphia houses several rare and unique special collections. The Rare Book Department at Parkway Central Library features one of the world’s most renowned Charles Dickens collections—featuring first editions, personal letters, and Dickens’s stuffed pet raven, Grip—as well as the largest Beatrix Potter collection outside of the United Kingdom. The Department also houses robust collections of cuneiform tablets, medieval and Oriental manuscripts, and Pennsylvania German fraktur, as well as the extensive Children’s Literature Research Collection.^[7]

In addition to the collections housed in the Rare Book Department, the Free Library also features the Edwin A. Fleisher Collection of Orchestral Music, which is the largest lending library of orchestral music in the world. The Library’s Automobile Reference Collection is one of the most extensive public resources of its kind, and the Print and Picture Collection houses roughly half-a-million circulating pictures in the largest public picture lending library in the nation, in addition to thousands of fine art prints, drawings, and photographs. The Free Library also has an extensive special collection devoted to maps.^[8]

Many of the items in the Free Library of Philadelphia’s special collections have been digitized and can be viewed online at freelibrary.org. More information about these and other special collections of the Free Library can be found in its biannual Hidden Gems periodical, which is also accessible online.^[9]

Branches

There are 54 library locations of the Free Library of Philadelphia located throughout the city: 49 branches, 3 regional libraries, the Parkway Central Library and the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.

Many of these branches were funded by Andrew Carnegie, who donated US$1.5 million to the library in 1903.^[10] The Bushrod branch was also established in 1903 through a bequest by Dr. Bushrod James.^[11]

See also

• List of Carnegie libraries in Philadelphia

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Free Library of Philadelphia

• Official website
• Free Library of Philadelphia on Twitter
• Dynamic map of all the libraries in the Free Library of Philadelphia System

Coordinates: 40°01′54″N 75°08′43″W / 40.03169°N 75.14528°W / 40.03169; -75.14528