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On April 12, 2019, the
Business Resource and Innovation Center which opened in 2016 was moved to the newly renovated space on the ground floor of Parkway Central Library. The Business Resource and Innovation Center focuses on helping people find new employment opportunities, helping small business
414:
The library's
Children's Literature Research Collection maintains a research collection of children's literature published after 1836. The CLRC archive holds of the one the largest collections of primary source material for children's literature in the country. The collection includes a range of
396:
After renovations, the 4th floor currently contains the
Culinary Literacy Center, a commercial-grade kitchen used as a classroom and public education dining space which opened in June 2014. The concept came from Free Library of Philadelphia's president and Director, Siobhan Reardon who wanted to
278:. Library officials criticized this second facility as "an entirely unsuitable building, where its work is done in unsafe, unsanitary and overcrowded quarters, temporary make-shifts". Fifteen years later the Library was moved again, on December 1, 1910, to the northeast corner of 13th and
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The Robert and Eileen
Kennedy Heim Center for Cultural and Civic Engagement, located on the first floor directly above Business Resource and Innovation Center, is designed as a center for "engagement and interaction, intellectual discourse, and grassroots problem solving".
463:, of which 500 come from the P.A.B. Widerner bequest of 1899. The collection of eastern Asian manuscripts, from John Frederick Lewis are in the library. The 153 East Asian manuscripts provide physical formats, including books, scrolls, accordion books, and palm-leaf books.
522:
Also located on the ground floor is the 4000-square-foot Marie and Joseph Field Teen Center which is designed as a teen oriented activity center where young adults can form study groups and have access to young adult non-fiction and fiction.
475:, the world's largest lending library of orchestral music consisting of over 21,000 titles and offers a research center into the lives of composers and conductors in the 19th and 20th century. The department holds the
387:
Pepper Hall houses both the literature department which contains over 100,000 volumes and the art department which maintains a collection of over 60,000 books on fine arts, crafts, collectibles and photography.
379:
447:
folk art. The John
Frederick Lewis Collection of European Manuscripts contains over 200 illuminated manuscripts from the 11th to the 16th centuries, and approximately 2,300 cuttings and manuscripts leaves.
490:
The library holds over 130,000 maps from around the world, both historic and current as a part of their Map
Collection. Items in the special collections have been digitized and can be viewed online.
363:
system, to retrieve books from large collections housed in the storage stacks. In 2014, books located in storage were transferred to the
Regional Operations Center (ROC) which is open only to staff.
348:
332:
In addition to being the main library, the building serves as the system's administrative building. The library opened on June 2, 1927, at its present location on 1901
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21:
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the Free
Library of Philadelphia in 1891 as "a general library which shall be free to all". The first public library in Philadelphia was opened in March 1894.
673:
459:. Works of secular literature are represented including Lewis' illuminated manuscripts from the Widener Collection. There is collection of approximately 800
787:
900:
397:"create a space to advance literacy through food and cooking around a communal table". The other section holds the Skyline Terrace which includes a
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in 1927. Four stories and the ground floor are open to the public. The main entrance steps are on Vine Street, between 19th and 20th Street.
510:
The center also offers assistance in intellectual property protection and is one of three locations in
Pennsylvania to be designated by the
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Philbrick Hall, located on the first floor, is the fiction, popular culture and central circulation department of the library.
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A descriptive catalogue of the John
Frederick Lewis Collection of European manuscripts in the Free Library of Philadelphia
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Parkway Central Library had been planned for its current location since 1911; various obstacles, including
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Parkway Central Library's Automobile Reference Collection maintains an extensive automobile catalog.
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growth and assistance in grant finding for non-profit organizations including prospect research.
455:, numerous bibles, liturgical texts, and psalters, including the Lewis Psalter from the reign of
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In April 2019, three new sections opened in the library after over a decade of renovations.
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788:"Free Library's new spaces open this weekend after more than a decade of renovations"
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The 4th level books stacks prior to its relocation to the Regional Operations Center
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which contains over 900 works of sacred and secular music for choral performances.
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Until 2016, the library used an elevator system, similar to one used by the
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is the main public library building and administrative headquarters of the
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401:. Another section of the floor is used as event spaces and meeting rooms.
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843:"The Free Library is opening a resource center for social entrepreneurs"
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original artwork, manuscripts, and ephemera from children's literature.
527:
Robert and Eileen Kennedy Heim Center for Cultural and Civic Engagement
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Leaves of gold: manuscript illumination from Philadelphia collections
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Four stories and the ground floor are currently open to the public.
302:, chief designer in the office of prominent Philadelphia architect
264:
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https://libwww.freelibrary.org/locations/parkway-central-library
649:"Blog: Government Documents at the Regional Operations Center"
674:"Get cooking at the Free Library's Culinary Literacy Center"
409:
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The initial library was located in three cramped rooms at
630:"The Central Library and Logan Circle: New Public Spaces"
224:, of 54 library branches in the Free Library system.
517:
814:
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473:Edwin A. Fleisher Collection of Orchestral Music
146:Edwin A. Fleisher Collection of Orchestral Music
542:List of libraries in 19th-century Philadelphia
309:Its design is similar to that of the adjacent
263:from his wealthy uncle, George S. Pepper, and
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894:
840:
817:"Could the Free Library replace your office?"
514:as a Patent & Trademark Resource Center.
810:
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717:. Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art.
259:secured initial funding through a $ 225,000
220:system. It is the largest library, and only
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571:"Philadelphia 2015: The State of the City"
547:List of Carnegie libraries in Philadelphia
471:The library music department contains the
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512:United States Patent and Trademark Office
410:Children's Literature Research Collection
140:Children's Literature Research Collection
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502:Business Resource and Innovation Center
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423:The Rare Book Department features the
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1129:Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
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1088:Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
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1185:Library buildings completed in 1927
1175:1927 establishments in Pennsylvania
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518:Marie and Joseph Field Teen Center
311:Philadelphia Family Court building
14:
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863:
815:Althouse, Michaela (2019-08-12).
786:Madej, Patricia (12 April 2019).
366:
16:Historic building in Philadelphia
607:The Free Library of Philadelphia
59:
1124:Moore College of Art and Design
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252:Pediment Of The Central Library
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144:Early American Children's Books
136:Automobile Reference Collection
1083:Pennsylvania Convention Center
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1:
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841:Abraham, Tony (2016-01-28).
767:Free Library of Philadelphia
743:Free Library of Philadelphia
702:. Philadelphia: The Library.
653:Free Library of Philadelphia
317:closely follows that of the
218:Free Library of Philadelphia
150:Print and Picture Collection
142:Drinker Choral Music Library
7:
672:Nguyen, Anna (2 May 2018).
535:
65:Parkway Central Library on
10:
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1195:Vine Street (Philadelphia)
1190:Logan Square, Philadelphia
647:F., Timothy (2015-11-10).
439:, early children's books,
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1180:Libraries in Philadelphia
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910:Center City, Philadelphia
552:Benjamin Franklin Parkway
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313:, and their placement on
298:building was designed by
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392:Culinary Literacy Center
138:Chamber Music Collection
1119:Parkway Central Library
1109:George A. McCall School
433:illuminated manuscripts
361:New York Public Library
206:Parkway Central Library
54:Parkway Central Library
1150:University of the Arts
996:Washington Square West
580:. 2015. Archived from
384:
353:
253:
227:The library opened on
154:Sheet Music Collection
107:; 97 years ago
792:Philadelphia Inquirer
763:"Digital Collections"
739:"Fleisher Collection"
713:Tanis, James (2001).
698:Wolff, Edwin (1937).
678:Philadelphia Inquirer
382:
351:
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152:Rare Book Collections
634:City of Philadelphia
419:Rare Book Department
327:Place de la Concorde
198:For other uses, see
821:Technical.ly Philly
445:Pennsylvania German
405:Special collections
383:Pepper Hall in 2008
37:39.9595°N 75.1710°W
33: /
1114:St. Peter's School
1044:Historic districts
1029:Rittenhouse Square
976:Rittenhouse Square
610:. 1927. p. 13
477:Drinker Collection
451:There are over 50
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323:Hôtel de la Marine
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156:Theatre Collection
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1034:Washington Square
991:Washington Square
941:Independence Mall
847:Generocity Philly
724:978-0-87633-145-3
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174:Other information
166:Population served
42:39.9595; -75.1710
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161:Access and use
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1078:Liberty Bell
1057:Society Hill
1024:Logan Circle
986:South Street
981:Society Hill
951:Logan Square
852:27 September
850:. Retrieved
846:
836:
826:27 September
824:. Retrieved
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797:28 September
795:. Retrieved
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315:Logan Circle
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300:Julian Abele
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286:20th century
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244:19th century
233:Philadelphia
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210:Free Library
209:
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112:June 2, 1927
105:June 2, 1927
95:Pennsylvania
91:Philadelphia
71:Philadelphia
18:
966:Penn Center
614:19 December
457:Saint Louis
375:Pepper Hall
334:Vine Street
329:in Paris.
292:World War I
229:Vine Street
102:Established
87:Vine Street
67:Vine Street
40: /
1169:Categories
772:2017-12-29
748:2017-12-19
658:2017-12-19
591:2017-12-29
558:References
461:incunabula
399:green roof
296:Beaux-Arts
128:Collection
28:75°10′16″W
25:39°57′34″N
1097:Education
1066:Landmarks
926:Chinatown
282:streets.
272:City Hall
265:chartered
169:1,560,297
1052:Old City
961:Old City
536:See also
431:, among
321:and the
179:Director
120:Branches
82:Location
1006:Squares
344:Library
261:bequest
239:History
187:Website
110: (
97:, 19103
1138:Closed
721:
483:Others
443:, and
280:Locust
585:(PDF)
574:(PDF)
467:Music
85:1901
854:2019
828:2019
799:2019
719:ISBN
685:2019
616:2017
429:Grip
336:in
325:on
306:.
231:in
212:or
69:in
1171::
845:.
819:.
807:^
790:.
765:.
741:.
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651:.
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576:.
340:.
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751:.
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687:.
661:.
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618:.
594:.
202:.
114:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.