
Free Library of Philadelphia
The Free Library of Philadelphia is a public library system serving the city of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. The library offers one of the most extensive collections of the country, ranging from magazines and books to art, film, music and other media.
About the Library
The Free Library of Philadelphia was founded in the year 1891 and consists of over 1 million volumes. The Greek Revival building of the central library with its grand entrance hall, enormous reading rooms and sweeping marble staircase looks the way a library should look. The Edwin S Fleisher collection of the library with over 12,000 musical scores is the largest in the world. The department of history and social science has around 100,000 guidebooks, charts and maps. The library's rare-book room consists of a beautiful suite, which houses ancient Sumerian clay tablets, first editions of Dickens, medieval and also more modern manuscripts. The Children's department has the largest children's books collection of the city in a setting made for kids.
Branches
The Free Library of Philadelphia has 54 library locations, located throughout Philadelphia, which includes 1 Central Library, 49 branches, 3 regional libraries and 1 library for the Physically Handicapped and the Blind. However, the mayor in response to financial crisis faced by the city has decided to shut down 11 branches of the public library to save money. On December 2008, hundreds of parents, teachers and schoolchildren marched to protest the imminent closure of the library's 11 branches.
Location of the Central Library
The Central Library of the Free Library of Philadelphia is located at 19th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway at Philadelphia's Logan Circle.
Library Hours
The library remains open from 9 am to 9 pm on Monday to Wednesday, from 9 pm to 5 pm on Saturday, and 1 pm to 5 pm on Sunday. During late May to September, the library remains closed on Sunday. You can take tour of the rare book room from 11 am on Wednesdays.
For Philadelphia travel information to the Free library of Philadelphia you can visit:
http://www.library.phila.gov
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Library_of_Philadelphia

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