Free Library of Philadelphia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Free Library of Philadelphia
Established	1891
Location	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Branches	55
Collection
Items collected	Chamber Music Collection Children's Literature Research Collection Drinker Choral Music Library Early American Children's Books Edwin A. Fleisher Collection of Orchestral Music Map Collection Print and Picture Collection (largest in the U.S.A) Rare Book Collections Sheet Music Collection Theatre Collection
Size	4,240,304
Access and use
Population served	1,560,297
Other information
Budget	$47,903,751
Director	Leslie M. Walker (Interim)
Website	http://www.freelibrary.org/

The Free Library of Philadelphia is a huge public library system. It serves everyone in Philadelphia County. It's the 13th largest public library system in the United States. The library is run by its own group of leaders, not directly by the city's mayor. There's also a separate group called the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation. This group helps raise money to support the library's important work.

History of the Library

How the Library Started

The Free Library of Philadelphia officially started in 1891. It was meant to be "a general library which shall be free to all." This idea came from Dr. William Pepper. He helped get the first money for the library from his rich uncle, George S. Pepper.

However, other libraries also wanted this money. After a court decided the money was for a new public library, the Free Library finally opened. This happened in March 1894. Its first home was in just three small rooms inside City Hall.

• On February 11, 1895, the library moved to an old Concert Hall on Chestnut Street.
• Library staff said this new place was "unsuitable" and "overcrowded."
• On December 1, 1910, the library moved again to 13th and Locust Streets.

Today, the Free Library system has 54 neighborhood libraries. It also includes the Rosenbach. The library helps people learn, read, and explore new ideas. It has millions of books, digital items, and free computer access. The library also hosts 28,000 programs and events each year. Millions of people visit the library or use its online services every year.

Parkway Central Library

The main Parkway Central Library building.

Parkway Central Library, seen from the street.

The main library building, called the Parkway Central Library, opened on June 2, 1927. It is located on Logan Square. Planning for this building started in 1911. But things like World War I caused delays.

The beautiful building was designed by Julian Abele. He was the main designer for a famous architect named Horace Trumbauer. The building's design is similar to two famous buildings in Paris, France. These are the Hôtel de Crillon and the Hôtel de la Marine.

Library's Main Goal

The main goal of the Free Library of Philadelphia is to "advance literacy, guide learning, and inspire curiosity." This means they want to help people read better, learn new things, and be curious about the world.

Library Services and Programs

Fun Programs and Events

The Free Library of Philadelphia holds more than 25,000 events every year! These include:

• Workshops to help people find jobs.
• Programs for small businesses.
• Groups for people learning English.
• Classes to learn computer skills.

The library also has a special Culinary Literacy Center. It opened in 2014 at the Parkway Central Library. Here, kids, teens, and families can take cooking classes. These classes teach reading, math, science, and healthy eating through cooking.

The library also hosts a famous Author Events Series. Over 100 writers, politicians, scientists, and musicians visit the library each year. They share their ideas and stories.

Other popular programs include:

• One Book, One Philadelphia: This program encourages everyone in Philadelphia to read and talk about the same book.
• Summer Reading program: About 50,000 Philadelphia kids join this program each summer. It helps them keep reading skills sharp.
• Literacy Enrichment After-school Program (LEAP): This program helps kids with reading after school.

The library also celebrates important literary events. They honor famous writers like Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare. They also celebrate the anniversaries of classic books like Pride and Prejudice.

The Free Library also helps with READ by 4th. This is a city-wide effort to help more Philadelphia students read well by 4th grade. It focuses on early learning, helping parents, and encouraging summer reading.

Digital Library Services

The Free Library offers many services online and digitally. These include:

• Almost 300,000 ebooks you can stream or download.
• Over 1,000 public computers for use.
• More than 1,700 podcasts from author events.
• Over 150 online databases for research.
• Daily online homework help and computer classes.
• "Hot Spot" computer training centers in communities.
• The "Techmobile," a mobile computer lab.

Hot Spots and the Techmobile

In March 2011, the library started "Free Library Hot Spots." These are new computer labs with trainers. They are placed in community centers in areas with lower incomes. This program helps people get free computer and internet access. It was funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

In April 2012, the library added The Techmobile. This is like a "Hot Spot on Wheels." It brings computers and internet access to different neighborhoods. The Techmobile has six laptops for public use.

Library's Positive Impact

A study in 2017 showed how much the library helps people.

• Almost 25,000 people learned to read or helped someone else read because of the library.
• Nearly 1,000 people found jobs using the library's career resources.
• About 8,600 business owners started or improved their small businesses. This was thanks to the library's free programs and resources.

Special Collections

The Parkway Central Library has amazing Special Collections. These collections include items from different times and topics. They range from ancient clay tablets to old photos of Philadelphia.

• The Free Library's Children's Literature Research Collection has many children's books published after 1836.

• The Rare Book Department has one of the world's best collections about Charles Dickens. It includes first editions of his books and his personal letters. It even has Grip, his stuffed pet raven! This department also has:
  • Beautiful illuminated manuscripts (hand-decorated books).
  • Items about early American history.
  • A large collection of Beatrix Potter books.
  • Early children's books.
  • Items related to Edgar Allan Poe.
  • Pennsylvania German folk art.
  • Over 50 Books of Hours (prayer books).
  • Many Bibles and religious texts, including the Lewis Psalter.

• The library's music collections are also special. The Edwin A. Fleisher Collection of Orchestral Music is the largest collection of orchestral music sets in the world that you can borrow.

• The Rosenbach Museum & Library is also part of the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation.

Neighborhood Libraries

Besides the Parkway Central Library and the Rosenbach, there are 54 other library locations. These are spread out in neighborhoods all over Philadelphia. Many of these libraries were built with money donated by Andrew Carnegie. He gave $1.5 million to the library in 1903.

Here are some of the neighborhood libraries:

Holmesburg Library

Kingsessing Library

Lillian Marrero Library

Oak Lane Library

Thomas F. Donatucci, Sr. Library

Tacony Library

Walnut Street West Library

Wyoming Library

See also

In Spanish: Biblioteca Pública de Filadelfia para niños