Free Library of Philadelphia

The Free Library of Philadelphia is the public library system serving Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

History

History of the Free Library of Philadelphia: 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. 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.

Exhibitions and collections

Among the Free Library's exemplary collections is the Print and Picture Collection. Spanning the graphic arts from 1493 to the present time, the Free Library's Fine Art Prints and Photographs collection includes thousands of images. Initially representing only Philadelphia artists, the collection has been extended to include early masters as well as renowned modern printmakers and photographers. You can view prints by such artists as Dürer, Rembrandt, Warhol and Dali. Some of the photographers include Ansel Adams, Bernice Abbott, Ray Metzker, Eadweard Muybridge and Aaron Siskind.

As of 2006, Karen Lightner, Curator of the Print and Picture Collection, has begun an ongoing effort to expand the collection to include artist's books. A 2006 exhibition at the Central Branch of the Free Library, organized by curator Robert Wuilfe, formerly of the arts group Philagrafika, highlighted the important connections between prints and artist's books. The exhibition, entitled "BOUND/UNBOUND:The Dialogue Between Printmaking and the Art of the Book" featured innovative artists from the Philadelphia region, including: Alice Austin, Katie Baldwin, Borowsky Center for Publication Arts at the University of the Arts, Ellie Brown, April Flanders, the Free Library Collection, Rebecca Gilbert, Jesse Goldstein, Neila Kun, Enid Mark, Lindsey Mears, Katie Murken, Claire Owen, Caitlin E. Perkins, Natasha Pestich, Maria G. Pisano, Diane Podolsky, Promised Gifts to the Free Library Collection, Anabelle Rodriguez, Patricia M. Smith, Justin Myer Staller, Silicon Gallery Fine Art Prints, Jill Timm of Mystical Places Press (www.mysticalplaces.com), Susan Viguers and James Engelbart.

The Philbrick Popular Library on the first floor of the Central Library is where patrons can borrow recently-released materials, fiction, audio books and videos. The second balcony houses the Fiction Resource Collection which consists of literature by writers from over 100 countries.

The Free Library also has Grip, Charles Dickens's first pet raven. Dickens had Grip stuffed after its 1841 death, and the Friends of Libraries, USA (FOLUSA) has designated Grip a literary landmark.

Branches

There are 54 library locations of the Free Library of Philadelphia located throughout the city: 49 branches, 3 regional libraries, 1 Central library and 1 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. The Bushrod branch was also established in 1903 through a bequest by Dr. Bushrod James.

See also

List of Carnegie libraries in Philadelphia

References

External links

http://www.freelibrary.org

Dynamic map of all the libraries in the Free Library of Philadelphia System

Category:Public libraries in Pennsylvania Category:Education in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Category:Carnegie libraries in Pennsylvania Category:Visitor attractions in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Category:Buildings and structures in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Category:Libraries in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania