the FALL 2017 FALL OFF SHELF A MAGAZINE FROM THE FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA VOLUME 7 • ISSUE 1 VOLUME PHOTO BY B. KRIST FOR VISIT PHILADELPHIA® VISIT FOR KRIST B. BY PHOTO

CELEBRATING A CENTENNIAL: A Look Back on the History of the Parkway and the Parkway Central Library

ALSO INSIDE: PASSPORT SERVICES AT THE FREE LIBRARY BUILDING INSPIRATION UPDATES DISHING WITH MICHAEL SOLOMONOV

FLP497_FNL_OTS_Fall2017 crw1.indd 1 10/4/17 12:57 PM The Free Library Fund ensures that Philadelphians of all ages have access to the books and programs that excite them the most.

SUPPORT THE FREE LIBRARY FUND TODAY! freelibrary.org/support

UPCOMING AUTHOR EVENTS FOR MORE INFO: 215-567-4341 • FREELIBRARY.ORG/AUTHOREVENTS

OCT 23 • 7:30 PM NOV 1 • 7:30 PM NOV 3 • 7:30 PM NOV 6 • 7:30 PM NOV 9 • 7:30 PM

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Deb Perelman Chris Matthews Nikki Giovanni Alice McDermott Smitten Kitchen Reza Aslan Bobby Kennedy: A Good Cry: What We Learn The Ninth Hour Every Day: Triumphant & God: A Human History A Raging Spirit from Tears and Laughter Unfussy New Favorites

NOV 21 • 7:30 PM NOV 28 • 7:30 PM NOV 30 • 7:30 PM DEC 5 • 7:30 PM DEC 7 • 7:30 PM

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Lawrence Jed Perl Roz Chast O’Donnell Bill McKibben Ntozake Shange Calder: The Conquest Going into Town: Playing with Fire: Radio Free Vermont: of Time: The Early Years: Wild Beauty: A Love Letter to New York The 1968 Election and A Fable of Resistance 1898–1940 New and Selected Poems the Transformation of American Politics

FLP497_FNL_OTS_Fall2017 crw1.indd 2 10/4/17 12:57 PM FROM THE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR

Welcome to the fall 2017 issue of Off the Shelf ! In these pages we take a look at our past, present, FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR and future, celebrating the Library’s enduring Siobhan A. Reardon DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT impact on the life of our city. Joseph Benford In honor of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway’s centennial, our feature INTERIM VICE PRESIDENT OF DEVELOPMENT Susan S. Gould story looks back at the history of our city’s boulevard magnifique and that of the beloved Parkway Central Library. We are thrilled to join our VICE PRESIDENT OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS Sandra Horrocks Parkway neighbors in the Parkway 100 celebration, a year-long festival SENIOR WRITER AND EDITOR featuring exhibitions, events, conversations, and more. Our sister Julie Berger institution the Rosenbach is also taking a look back—at the evolution of COMMUNICATIONS AND two groundbreaking tales, in its chilling Frankenstein & Dracula: Gothic PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Monsters, Modern Science exhibition. We take a look at Bram Stoker’s Labonno Islam handwritten Dracula notes on page 6. CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Gina Bixler Each and every day, our neighborhood libraries are meeting the needs of Christopher Brown Jennifer Donsky their surrounding communities in innovative ways. Northeast Regional Alix Gerz Library has been officially designated as a U.S. Department of State Samantha Maldonado Laura Stroffolino Passport Acceptance Facility, and staff is thrilled to have another resource to CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS serve the expansive community of new Americans surrounding the library. Ryan Brandenberg (pages 2, 5) McPherson Square Library, which has the highest program attendance in Jules Vuotto (pages 5, 7, 11, 13) the entire library system, celebrated its 100th anniversary, and the Lucien E. FREE LIBRARY OF Blackwell West Philadelphia Regional Library is back and better than ever. PHILADELPHIA FOUNDATION 1901 Vine Street, Suite 111 Philadelphia, PA 19103 Amid our daily hard work serving Philadelphia’s vibrant communities, 215-567-7710 we are also hard at work becoming the library of the future. Four of our freelibrary.org/support pilot 21st Century Libraries are preparing to reopen their doors after OFF THE SHELF extensive renovations, and construction is underway at the Parkway [email protected] freelibrary.org/publications Central Library to create new public spaces that serve teens, entrepreneurs

Off the Shelf is published twice annually for and small-business owners, job seekers, collaborators, and literature supporters of the Free Library of Philadelphia lovers in exciting new ways. and showcases the Library’s educational, economic, and cultural contributions to the region. Come celebrate with us this fall. Warmly, PHOTO BY JON ROEMER

ON THE COVER AND BELOW: THE PHILADELPHIA PARKWAY, SEEN BELOW AS Siobhan A. Reardon PLANNED FOR THE FAIRMOUNT PARK ART ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR AT THE TURN OF THE 19TH CENTURY, HAS BECOME THE ARTS AND CULTURE HUB ITS PLANNERS ENVISIONED. THE PARKWAY CENTRAL LIBRARY SITS AT ITS VIBRANT MIDPOINT AT LOGAN CIRCLE. WHAT’S INSIDE

4 NEWS AND NOTES 6 HIDDEN GEMS: NOTES ON A VAMPIRE 7 FOCUS ON: PASSPORT SERVICES 8 CELEBRATING A CENTENNIAL: A LOOK BACK ON THE HISTORY OF THE PARKWAY AND THE PARKWAY CENTRAL LIBRARY 12 FROM THE NEIGHBORHOODS: MCPHERSON SQUARE LIBRARY’S 100TH ANNIVERSARY 14 THE FINAL WORD: MICHAEL SOLOMONOV 15 BOARD LISTS FROM THE FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA PRINT AND PICTURE COLLECTION FROM THE FREE LIBRARY

FLP497_FNL_OTS_Fall2017_crw2.indd 3 10/12/17 8:26 PM ANNOUNCING THE 2018 FEATURED SELECTION

We are excited to announce the 2018 One Book, One Philadelphia featured selection is Another Brooklyn by National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson.

Young August is full of promise and hope when her fragmented family moves from the American South to Brooklyn, New York. While nurtured by friendships with three other neighborhood girls, August comes of age, faces challenges, and chases her dreams. Set in a 1970s transitioning urban landscape, Another Brooklyn is described as “beautifully lyrical” by The Guardian and “powerfully insightful” by The New York Times. The novel has been praised by The Washington Post as one that “mixes wonder and grief so poignantly. Woodson manages to remember what cannot be documented, to suggest what cannot be said. Another Brooklyn is another name for poetry.” PLEASE JOIN US ON JANUARY 17 FOR A KICKOFF CELEBRATION FEATURING AUTHOR JACQUELINE WOODSON IN PARKWAY CENTRAL LIBRARY’S MONTGOMERY AUDITORIUM AT 7:30 P.M. ININ THE THE MEANTIME, MEANTIME, START START READING! READING!

NEW STAFF We have been so pleased to welcome two new executive staff members. They are great additions to the Free Library team!

ANDREW NURKIN has joined the Free Library as Deputy Director for Enrichment and Civic Engagement. In this role, he manages humanities, arts, and civic engagement programs systemwide and leads the newly established Center for Public Life. Before joining the Free Library, Andrew served as Executive Director of Princeton AlumniCorps, a civic leadership nonprofit with programs in seven cities across the U.S., and managed civic-engagement initiatives at Princeton University.

LESLIE WALKER, the new Library Chief of Staff, leads the Executive Office and oversees internal communications. She also works closely with the three boards—the Library Board of Trustees, the Foundation Board of Directors, and the Rosenbach Board of Directors—as well as with the Mayor’s Office and the City Council. Leslie previously worked at the Please Touch Museum, where she was responsible for shaping vision and strategy for the museum’s visitor experience, community partnerships, and education philosophy.

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FLP497_FNL_OTS_Fall2017 crw1.indd 4 10/4/17 12:57 PM AROUND THE SYSTEM

1 Mayor Jim Kenney (third from left) and Free Library President and Director Siobhan A. Reardon (at right), together with Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell (center) and her family, helped the community celebrate the reopening of the Lucien E. Blackwell West Philadelphia Regional Library. 2 Illustrator Greg Pizzoli helped students kick off the 2017 1 Summer of Wonder. 3 The David Cohen Ogontz Library celebrated Pride Month in June with a fabulous Drag Queen Storytime. CUSTOMER CORNER 4 Participants were trained in CPR at the We <3 Hearts: A Heart RASHAUN WILLIAMS Healthy Family Day, held at the Parkway Central Library.

Although Rashaun Williams was born and raised in Philadelphia, he had never spent much time at the library. But late last spring, the 23 year old found himself on the Broad Street Line and noticed an ad announcing the reopening of the South Philadelphia Library. He thought he’d check it out. “I had no expectations,” he said. “I just thought I’d be able to do work here.”

It’s been nearly a year and Rashaun—a DJ and community organizer whose work touches on everything from art initiatives and youth entrepreneurship to environmental advocacy—has ditched his paid memberships to coworking 2 spaces and his extended visits to coffee shops. The South Philadelphia Library is now his office. “The library gives me a creative space to both be serious about work and take time to relax and enjoy myself,” Rashaun says. “Plus, the internet is extremely fast.” At the library, Rashaun isn’t pressured by time constraints—the kind that come with feeling the need to finish work in the period it takes to down a beverage in a café, for example. In a given week, Rashaun spends up to four days working in the library for most of the time it’s open. There, he holds meetings, conducts research, tweaks his website, and coordinates outreach for his various projects, including Elevation Celebrations, or 3 “Elebrations,” which are festive, collaborative events he organizes for artists of all types.

4 What draws Rashaun to the South Philadelphia Library aligns with the work he does: It’s all about the community. “You get every kind of person here: homeless people who just need to rest, children who just need to run around and scream, folks who need to finish their work, professors and teachers who are in the middle of creating things, artists who are working on projects,” he says. “The library is for everyday people. It’s just as important to and needed by an adult as a child.” BY SAMANTHA MALDONADO SAMANTHA BY •

FLP497_FNL_OTS_Fall2017 crw1.indd 5 10/4/17 12:57 PM • • • BY ALIX GERZ HIDDEN GEMS Notes on a Vampire

Utter the name Count Dracula us today and why these novels still hold # and you’ll conjure up images of our attention. Stoker and Shelley were gothic castles, creaking coffins, 32 masterful in laying out this course for and sharpened incisors. Utter us, in creating lasting works with layered the name Count Wampyr and and enduring questions at their cores.” you’ll conjure up little more The pages from Stoker’s Dracula notes than a raised eyebrow. In a featured in the exhibition specifically manner of speaking, the latter focus on the writer’s understanding Count doesn’t have quite the and exploration of issues such as the same … bite. science of blood, the power of the unconscious mind, criminology and But Count Wampyr it was, until author degeneracy, and neurology. Bram Stoker took his pencil and slashed through the name on a list of potential Of these pages, Guston says, one of her characters for the novel he was working favorites contains a sketch drawn by on, inserting the word “Dracula” in Stoker’s brother, a physician, illustrating its stead. It’s historic nuggets like this a brain injury. “The connection between that are revealed in the more than these notes and Stoker’s writing on 100 leaves of manuscript notes and Dracula’s ‘degeneracy’ is useful for outlines for Stoker’s Dracula housed interpreting the period understanding of at the Rosenbach. scientific and cultural thinking about the brain and its effects on behavior,” she says. Pages from these notes are among the treasures on display at the Rosenbach’s In addition to highlighting Stoker’s Frankenstein & Dracula: Gothic understanding of Victorian-era science, Monsters, Modern Science, which runs the notes contain vivid details of traits through February and uncovers the of the vampire, making clear the genesis of these two horror classics, Irishman’s role in creating the monster BACKGROUND: BRAM STOKER’S LIST OF we still shudder at today. explores how Mary Shelley and Stoker CHARACTERS HE PLANNED TO INCLUDE IN HIS conceived of their respective novels NOVEL, SHOWING THE CHANGE FROM “COUNT So what sinister characteristics came WAMPYR” TO “COUNT DRACULA” in relation to the science of the day, right from Stoker’s notes? and illustrates the ways in which FOREGROUND: RESEARCH NOTES ON BRAIN TRAUMA USED BY BRAM STOKER AND WRITTEN these works remain metaphors for “Dracula has no mirrors in his home, as he BY HIS BROTHER WILLIAM THORNLEY STOKER, A cannot be reflected in them; he never eats contemporary scientific issues. PROMINENT BRAIN SURGEON or drinks; [he] travels with his own coffins; BRAM STOKER, DRACULA: NOTES AND OUTLINE, [CA. 1890-CA. In a historic first, these pages of Stoker’s 1896], PAGE 1, CAST OF CHARACTERS. “HISTORIAE PERSONAE” and [he] has influence over rats, to name a [ROSENBACH EL3 F.S874D MS] will be on display alongside pages from few,” says Guston, adding that while some BRAM STOKER, DRACULA: NOTES AND OUTLINE, [CA. 1890-CA. Shelley’s manuscript for Frankenstein, 1896], PAGE 45B, NOTE ON HEAD INJURIES BY SIR WILLIAM of the traits listed by Stoker didn’t make on loan from the Bodleian Library at the THORNLEY STOKER, P. [2-3] [ROSENBACH EL3 F.S874D MS] it into Dracula—and more recent stories University of Oxford. have added in new characteristics—“the MAJOR SUPPORT FOR FRANKENSTEIN & DRACULA: GOTHIC “Each novel, while focusing on its own MONSTERS, MODERN SCIENCE HAS BEEN PROVIDED BY THE PEW vampire we’ve come to know is thanks to CENTER FOR ARTS & HERITAGE. THIS MATERIAL IS BASED UPON Bram Stoker’s invention.” creature, presents the challenges that WORK SUPPORTED BY THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION humanity faces when confronted with UNDER GRANT NO. 1516684. ANY OPINIONS, FINDINGS, FOR ROSENBACH VISITING HOURS AND AND CONCLUSIONS OR RECOMMENDATIONS EXPRESSED changing technology,” says curator IN THIS MATERIAL ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR(S) AND DO MORE DETAILS ON STOKER’S NOTES NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE NATIONAL AND FRANKENSTEIN & DRACULA: Judy Guston. “Our exhibition looks SCIENCE FOUNDATION. THE ROSENBACH ACKNOWLEDGES THE GOTHIC MONSTERS, MODERN SCIENCE, at both ends of the century and asks GENEROUS SUPPORT OF ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY’S CENTER FOR SCIENCE AND THE IMAGINATION AND SCHOOL FOR THE VISIT ROSENBACH.ORG. how these challenges are still real for FUTURE OF INNOVATION IN SOCIETY.

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FLP497_FNL_OTS_Fall2017 crw1.indd 6 10/4/17 12:57 PM • • • BY JULIE BERGER FOCUS PASSPORT SERVICES ON AT THE FREE LIBRARY

THE FREE LIBRARY HAS ALWAYS HELPED PEOPLE EXPLORE NEW WORLDS—THROUGH FICTIONAL TALES OF FAR-OFF PLACES AND EXTENSIVE INTERNATIONAL-MUSIC COLLECTIONS, AS WELL AS THROUGH ITS ROBUST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE MATERIALS AND TRAVEL RESOURCES. NOW IT CAN BRING PHILADELPHIANS ONE STEP CLOSER TO THEIR NEXT FOREIGN ADVENTURE OR INTERNATIONAL FAMILY VISIT, THROUGH NORTHEAST REGIONAL LIBRARY’S NEW PASSPORT OFFICE.

Northeast Regional Library has been officially designated as a In fact, the community surrounding the Northeast Regional U.S. Department of State Passport Acceptance Facility, offering Library has one of the highest percentages of foreign-born passport processing for new U.S. passports or passport cards, residents in the city of Philadelphia. The passport services add passport photographs, and expedited service. In the office’s first to the Free Library system’s robust offerings for new Americans, three months of operation alone, it served nearly 600 customers. which include English-as-a-Second-Language classes, travel and foreign-language materials, online Citizenship Test Across Pennsylvania, many public libraries now offer passport preparation resources, online language tutorials for over 70 services, including those in Jenkintown, Ephrata, Kutztown, languages, and more. Earlier this year, Northeast Regional and Lancaster. The State Department chose the new Northeast Library hosted an Immigration Resource Fair that highlighted Philadelphia passport-office location strategically: these resources as well as employment and housing information.

“Northeast Regional is surrounded by communities The Passport Office is staffed by two passport application of new Americans and immigrants, so residents acceptance agents. They have seen both native-born Americans have families overseas and have a high demand and new Americans taking advantage of the new service, and for passports,” said regional librarian Peter Lehu. many families coming in to submit applications for children and “A passport office is a way to serve the local babies. Word is spreading: A couple that recently applied for new passports said they came on the recommendation of their niece, community’s needs—and at the same time attract who had come in with her husband and three children to sign them to the library and help them learn about our everyone up for passports a few days earlier. other resources and services.” Customers have welcomed the new service. “I think it is fantastic REGIONAL LIBRARIAN that your library has a passport office now,” said Michelle Revelle. PETER LEHU, PHILADELPHIA “Libraries are conveniently located for everyone—and I am usually PASSPORT AGENCY CUSTOMER SERVICE in here once a week anyway!” MANAGER BRIDGET BIELICKI, STATE REPRESENTATIVE The Passport Office is on the first floor of the library, KEVIN J. BOYLE, AND FREE LIBRARY PRESIDENT AND located at 2228 Cottman Avenue. For hours of DIRECTOR SIOBHAN A. operation and more information about the services REARDON CUT THE RIBBON TO OFFICIALLY OPEN THE available at the Northeast Regional Library’s PASSPORT OFFICE IN JULY. Passport Office, visit freelibrary.org/passports or call 215-725-1740.

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FLP497_FNL_OTS_Fall2017 crw1.indd 7 10/4/17 12:57 PM • • • CONTRIBUTING WRITERS• • • JULIE BERGER, GINA BIXLER, CHRISTOPHER BROWN, KAREN LIGHTNER, DONALD ROOT, LAURA STROFFOLINO CELEBRATING A CENTENNIAL: A Look Back on the History of the Parkway and the Parkway Central Library

AERIAL VIEW OF LOGAN CIRCLE, THE PARKWAY CENTRAL LIBRARY, AND PHILADELPHIA ART

MUSEUM, LOOKING TO THE NORTHWEST, CA. 1929 OF PHILADELPHIA ARCHIVE OF THE FREE LIBRARY FROM THE HISTORY

FLP497_FNL_OTS_Fall2017 crw1.indd 8 10/4/17 12:57 PM “Once constructed, it will remain a thing of beauty and a joy for all generations to come,” declared the Parkway Association in its 1902 Proposed Parkway plan. We, the generations to come, have seen this promise borne out. The Benjamin Franklin Parkway is an international hallmark in the heart of Philadelphia. As it celebrates its centennial, we are paying tribute to our place on this boulevard magnifique and its cherished role in the life of our city.

THE IDEA THE BUILDING OF A BOULEVARD MAGNIFIQUE

The diagonal roadway running from City Hall to Fairmount Park In 1903, following its report, the influential Parkway had first been proposed after the Civil War. City planners and Association persuaded the City Councils to restart the citizens alike saw creating a grand expanse akin to those in other Parkway Project. In 1907, architects Paul Philippe Crét, cities as both essential to and befitting the dignity of the city of Horace Trumbauer, and Clarence Zantzinger conceptualized Philadelphia. “It would place Philadelphia on a par with the leading the grand promenade, and demolition of the area began. cosmopolitan cities of the world,” attested Chas F. Warwick, mayor Factories and neighborhoods were removed in preparation of Philadelphia from 1895 to 1899. for the new Parkway. Paris’s prime promenade, the The Free Library’s place on the Champs-Élysées—dotted with cultural Parkway was not a given. In their institutions, gardens, and shops— quest for a permanent site on which to served as a model. Planners also construct a dedicated central library, looked to the avenues of other cities, officials had considered the old U.S. big and small: Mexico City’s Paseo Mint Building and demolishing the de la Reforma, Berlin’s Siegesallee, Academy of Music to create a site. and Buffalo’s Lincoln Parkway. In the later 19th century, there were several Head Librarian John designs drafted for such a boulevard Thompson urged the in Philadelphia, but these plans were ultimately abandoned during an Parkway planners to economic downturn. give a main-library It was not an idea, however, city leaders and planners were willing to let building a prime spot die. In 1902, the Parkway Association on the Parkway path, compiled The Proposed Parkway for Philadelphia, a detailed plea and plan initially requesting a “for the purpose of bringing to success plot “at the city entrance that project for a diagonal boulevard from City Hall to Fairmount Park.” It of the magnificent mounted this campaign as a fight for Boulevard.” Philadelphia’s soul: “If Philadelphia … COVER OF THE PARKWAY ASSOCIATION’S 1902 THE confesses itself unequal to this PROPOSED PARKWAY FOR PHILADELPHIA, A PLEA In early 1910, library officials splendid project, it will admit that it AND PLAN TO DESIGN A DIAGONAL BOULEVARD successfully petitioned Mayor John CONNECTING CITY HALL TO FAIRMOUNT PARK has no just place among the leading E. Reyburn to set aside a piece of cities of the modern world.” FROM THE FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA PRINT AND PICTURE COLLECTION land on the proposed Parkway for the Supporters sought not only to bring building of the library. The mayor and beauty to the city, but to alleviate urban congestion and uplift the library officials worked diligently, acquiring by the summer city. This mindset was inspired by the City Beautiful Movement— of 1911 our current plot bounded by 19th, 20th, Vine, and an embrace of the French neoclassical architectural principles of Wood streets for $213,625. That fall, the Philadelphia House symmetry, balance, and grandeur—which aimed to instill a sense Wrecking Company demolished the existing structures, of pride and belonging in residents. clearing the way for the new library. { 9 }

FLP497_FNL_OTS_Fall2017 crw1.indd 9 10/4/17 12:57 PM In the fall of 1911, Rudolph Blankenburg succeeded Mayor Reyburn, and the new mayor questioned the city’s capacity to fund the extravagant Parkway. Fearing that the Parkway would be abandoned, jeopardizing the library, Head Librarian Thomson rallied the city’s education and cultural institutions, which successfully pressed for the continuation of the boulevard’s construction. In this same year, architect Horace Trumbauer and his chief designer, Julian Abele—one of the first university- trained African American architects— developed plans for the façade of the

Free Library’s main building. OF PHILADELPHIA ARCHIVE OF THE FREE LIBRARY FROM THE HISTORY

Abele, who headed the project, unveiled a striking Beaux-Arts design for both the library and the neighboring family court, based See more historical images and on the twin façades of the Place de la Concorde’s Hôtel de Crillon and Hôtel de la Marine. The library design was approved the artifacts at the Parkway Central following year, but construction was delayed until 1920. Library exhibition Corridor of In 1917 the Fairmount Park Commission hired Jacques Gréber, Culture: 100 Years of the Benjamin a prominent figure in urban planning and design, to update the 1907 design for the Parkway. In the Gréber plan, Logan Franklin Parkway, on display Square—transformed into a circle—served as the central anchor through November 2018. of the boulevard, again drawing inspiration from the Place de la Concorde on the Champs-Élysées. Construction of the Parkway CORRIDOR OF CULTURE IS MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH A GRANT FROM THE INDEPENDENCE FOUNDATION. officially began following the adoption of Gréber’s plan. By 1926, the construction of the Parkway was considered complete, although many of its iconic institutions had not yet taken their places. The Parkway Central Library opened its doors in 1927—the first newly constructed building on the Parkway—and by 1935 the Franklin Institute, the Rodin Museum, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art had all been erected. Originally named the Fairmount Parkway upon completion, in 1937 Philadelphia’s iconic strip was renamed to honor Benjamin Franklin.

RIGHT: STONE CARVERS FROM THE JOHN DONNELLY COMPANY COMPLETING CORINTHIAN CAPITALS AT PARKWAY CENTRAL, CA. 1924–1925 BOTTOM: ARCHITECT JACQUES GRÉBER’S GENERAL PLAN OF THE FAIRMOUNT PARKWAY, 1919

BOTH IMAGES FROM THE HISTORY OF THE FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA ARCHIVE

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FLP497_FNL_OTS_Fall2017 crw1.indd 10 10/4/17 12:58 PM THE PARKWAY TODAY

Today the Benjamin Franklin Parkway is a hub of Philadelphia’s Parkway Central’s front lawn—Shakespeare Park—has also gotten civic life, housing some of the city’s most iconic cultural a makeover. Reopening in June 2017 after extensive reconstruction centers and hosting such annual city celebrations as the Wawa by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, this “majestic Welcome America 4th of July concert and fireworks and the forecourt” (as described by Philadelphia Inquirer architecture Thanksgiving Day parade. It received national and international critic Inga Safron) welcomes children for open-air storytimes. spotlight during Pope Francis’s visit in September 2015 and the The charming new space is in bloom with flowers mentioned in NFL Draft in April 2017. The Parkway Museums District now Shakespeare’s plays. encompasses 17 destinations, dotted by sculptures, fountains, As new institutions take up residence on its borders, new and greenery and capped by Dilworth Park at City Hall and parks and public spaces come to life, and the roadway itself is Fairmount Park to the north. refurbished, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway continues to adapt to meet the needs of the institutions that call it home and the “Now is an exciting time for the Free people who traverse it every day. A true center of arts and culture, Library to be on the Parkway, just as with Robert Indiana’s LOVE statue greeting visitors in John F. Kennedy Plaza and the colorful flags of 90 nations waving along when the Parkway Central Library the boulevard’s length, this Philadelphia icon embodies the core opened its doors 90 years ago,” said values of our City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection—just as the planners dreamed more than 100 years ago. Free Library President and Director Siobhan A. Reardon. “As our city and The Free Library joins our the Parkway grow and change, we are Parkway neighbors through thrilled that Parkway Central can grow November 2018 in celebrating and change in step, as the building the Parkway 100—a year-long undergoes construction to transform its festival featuring exhibitions, events, and conversations. spaces and services for the 21st century.”

THE RENOVATED FORECOURT OF PARKWAY CENTRAL, SHAKESPEARE PARK, REOPENED IN JULY 2017.

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FLP497_FNL_OTS_Fall2017 crw1.indd 11 10/4/17 12:58 PM from the NEIGHBORHOODS • • • BY JENNIFER DONSKY

MCPHERSON SQUARE LIBRARY IS ONLY JUST GETTING STARTED AFTER 100 YEARS

“It was the best of times, it was the partnered with Prevention Point to help addicted persons find services for addiction and homelessness. These mainstay worst of times,” wrote Charles Dickens programs, however, are not what have garnered McPherson in 1859 in A Tale of Two Cities. This Square considerable attention; this level of excellence is fictional declaration has been top of business-as-usual for the library staff. mind when visiting—and, especially McPherson Square Library was in the local and national news lately, reading about—McPherson often this past spring and summer for devastating reasons. The opioid crisis that is headline news across the United Square Library and the Kensington States is deeply felt here. The beautiful park around this community in which it is located. stunning library has become the temporary home to addicted persons whose self-destructive behaviors are on full view for McPherson Square Library represents the best of what we hope everyone, including the neighborhood children. The library libraries in the 21st century can be—steadfastly serving its staff has taken amazing strides to confront this crisis and community through robust programming and outreach. It does assist the community in addressing it. this while sitting at the center of one of the worst trials facing our country—the opioid crisis. In the worst of times, this library Library Supervisor Judi Moore, with nearly 30 years of service is creating some of the best opportunities for its community. at McPherson Square, is still full of hope. She and Chera Kowalski, adult and teen librarian, describe a compassionate This year marked the centennial of this community hub, community full of inquisitive, intelligent children. All staff a domed, classically designed building on a hill within a members at the library are dedicated custodians of a historic neighborhood park. It first opened in 1898 in an old house building and caring people through and through. These worst known as the Webster Mansion. The original owner of of times, they assure us, will end. Until then, and far beyond, Webster Mansion was General William MacPherson. The they will be there for the job-seeking adults, the storytime- General was part of the Revolutionary patriot forces and a enjoying families, and, especially, for the children. close friend to George Washington, who was often entertained at the home. After this original building was torn down in 1915, the current library building opened on May 25, 1917.

On May 20, 2017, there was a joyful celebration of the building’s centennial milestone, which purposefully coincided with Impact Services’s annual spring fair. It was a party for the whole neighborhood. Free Library President and Director Siobhan A. Reardon was joined in remarks by Councilwoman Maria Quiñones-Sánchez; food, horse-and- carriage rides, crafts, and games brightened the rainy day.

The library’s anniversary was icing on the cake of its remarkable accomplishments. In the past year, McPherson Square has had the highest program attendance of all neighborhood libraries in Philadelphia. Through its afterschool meal program and summer lunch and snack program, it has served 12,880 free lunches to children, and the library has

CA. 1940

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FLP497_FNL_OTS_Fall2017 crw1.indd 12 10/4/17 12:58 PM Building Inspiration Updates

The Free Library’s first 21st Century Library, South Philadelphia Library, has welcomed more than 150,000 visitors since reopening its doors in June 2016 as part of the South Philadelphia Health and Literacy Center. STAFF SPOTLIGHT: After extensive modernization and expansion, four more 21st Century NANI MANION REGIONAL LIBRARIAN AT LUCIEN E. BLACKWELL Libraries will soon reopen their doors! WEST PHILADELPHIA REGIONAL LIBRARY

LILLIAN LOVETT How did you get started working for the Free Library? LOGAN MARRERO TACONY MEMORIAL I have always loved and frequented libraries. After moving Nov 4 Nov 18 Dec 2 Dec 16 to Philadelphia, I found myself as a Free Library customer looking to make a career change into librarianship. At that time, the Free Library had a Library Trainee/Grow Your Own At the Parkway Central Library, program. I was accepted into the program and completed my masters and my two-year post-degree commitment; I deconstruction of the original have continued to work for the Free Library and serve the six levels of stack-shelving units Philadelphia community ever since. is now complete, clearing the way for exciting new public spaces: What do you enjoy most about your current role as Regional Librarian at Lucien E. Blackwell West The Common, the Business Resource Philadelphia Regional Library? I have thoroughly enjoyed and Innovation Center (BRIC), the seeing former customers return to Blackwell Regional. I Marie H. and Joseph M. Field Teen love that people continue to use the library throughout Center, and other innovative spaces their lives and enjoy seeing them growing and achieving and services. These spaces are milestones: learning to read, graduating high school, starting college, and getting a job. expected to open in fall 2018. How has the library’s recent reopening impacted the community? Blackwell was closed for 16 months. During These critical updates are made possible in large part that time, our regular customers frequented other library by the William Penn Foundation’s historic $25 million grant to the Building Inspiration initiative, as well as by the locations. I am thrilled to see so many of our customers generosity of a number of private individuals and the return—1,700 for our grand reopening! We were missed City of Philadelphia, for which we continue to be so grateful. while we were closed, and customers are happy to return for our collections, computers, and programs and experiences for all ages, from storytimes to career support services to senior programs.

If you could have lunch with any author living or dead, who would it be and why? I would love to have lunch with Barbara Kingsolver on her farm in Virginia, with home- grown and locally sourced food from the region. I always return to her writing, her characters, and her ecosystems. As the creator of the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction, she has enabled talented authors to fully launch their literary careers, creating a richer, more diverse canon of American literature.

IFE NII OWOO’S READ: A PATHWAY FOR HOPE—AN ORIGINAL ARTWORK COMMISSIONED BY THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA PERCENT FOR ART PROGRAM • • • BY JENNIFER DONSKY AND THE FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA—WILL BE ON DISPLAY IN THE NEWLY RENOVATED LOGAN LIBRARY COMMUNITY ROOM.

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FLP497_FNL_OTS_Fall2017 crw1.indd 13 10/4/17 12:58 PM WITH MICHAEL SOLOMONOV

The Israel-born, Pittsburgh-raised chef is now claimed by Philadelphia as a favorite culinary son. As executive chef and co-owner of Zahav, a restaurant of international renown that celebrates Israeli cuisine, Michael Solomonov has “walked gingerly” into “the age of the rock-star chef/entrepreneur,” says Philadelphia Magazine. A four-time James Beard Award winner, he co-owns Philadelphia’s Federal Donuts, Dizengoff, Abe Fisher, Goldie, and the philanthropic Rooster Soup Company, which donates 100 percent of its profits to support Philadelphia’s most vulnerable citizens. Together with business partner Steven Cook, co-founder of CookNSolo Restaurant Partners, he penned the cookbook Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking and the new culinary chronicle Federal Donuts: The (Partially) True Spectacular Story, which tells the story of one of Philadelphia’s now- famous food pairings: fried chicken and donuts.

OTS WHAT ROLE HAVE LIBRARIES PLAYED IN YOUR OTS ZAHAV, DIZENGOFF, AND GOLDIE ALL HAVE A LIFE? WHAT ROLE DO YOU THINK THEY PLAY IN OUR DISTINCT ISRAELI FLAIR. WHY DO YOU THINK THERE HAS 21ST-CENTURY WORLD? BEEN SUCH AN APPETITE FOR THESE CUISINES MS With the way that we catalog our lives constantly in flux, IN PHILADELPHIA? libraries are that rock-steady resource for every age. They’re the MS People are increasingly interested in where their food backbone. And especially now that I have young kids, they’re an comes from. And as this trend becomes not just a trend but a indelible part of our community. mentality that’s here to stay, I think people are relating to Israeli cuisine more and more, since the food of Israel is an ultimate OTS FRIED CHICKEN AND DONUTS IS A DELICIOUS, representation of such. The food in Israel is harvested right there— SOME SAY GENIUS, PAIRING. WHAT FOOD AND DRINK it’s accessible, it’s as fresh as it gets, and the flavors are different. PAIR BEST WITH CURLING UP IN YOUR FAVORITE All things that whet Philadelphians’ appetites. READING NOOK? MS Ideally, I would crush a couple bourekas [baked filled pastries OTS YOU’RE RUMORED TO HAVE TAKEN MEMBERS with flaky dough] with Bulgarian feta. And since I don’t drink (but OF YOUR STAFF SKY DIVING. WHY?! IS THIS A SECRET even if you do), a lemonnana [mint lemonade] or turmeric lime INGREDIENT TO YOUR RESTAURANTS’ SUCCESS? soda (toss some cucumber and cilantro in there if you have on MS Life’s too short to not go on a slightly insane adventure every hand) are both as delicious as they are refreshing. once in a while. OTS TO YOU, THE FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA TO LISTEN TO A FREE, DOWNLOADABLE IS ALSO THE FREE LIBRARY OF_. WHY? PODCAST FEATURING MICHAEL SOLOM0NOV, MS The Free Library of Philadelphia is also the Free Library of VISIT FREELIBRARY.ORG/AUTHOREVENTS. The Future—a model for other metropolitan cities to get behind!

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FLP497_FNL_OTS_Fall2017 crw1.indd 14 10/4/17 12:58 PM FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA BOARD OF TRUSTEES

CHAIR Pamela Dembe MEMBERS Donna Allie Christopher Arlene Douglas Carney Jenée Chizick-Agüero Jeffrey Cooper Brigitte Daniel Donald Generals Melissa Grimm Anuj Gupta Robert Heim Nancy D. Kolb H. W. Jerome Maddox Folasade Olanipekun-Lewis Kathryn Ott Lovell Sonia Sanchez Suzanne Simons John J. Soroko Elaine Tomlin Nicholas D. Torres Ignatius C. Wang EMERITUS Gloria Twine Chisum Armand Della Porta W. Wilson Goode, Sr. SAVE THE DATE Herman Mattleman Teresa Sarmina EX-OFFICIO Join us as we of the Tobey Gordon Dichter celebrate the centennial Chair, Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Board of Directors high style. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2017 FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS PARKWAY CENTRAL LIBRARY FREELIBRARY.ORG/GALA CHAIR Tobey Gordon Dichter MEMBERS Robert Adelson Cynthia Affleck Carol Banford Phyllis W. Beck OCTOBER 13, 2017—FEBRUARY 11, 2018 Jeffry Benoliel Sheldon Bonovitz Benito Cachinero-Sánchez Jeffrey Cooper George Day Andrea Ehrlich Donna Gerson Richard A. Greenawalt Melissa Grimm Janet Haas Pekka Hakkarainen Robert Heim John Imbesi Mike Innocenzo Philip Jaurigue Geoffrey Kent Alexander Kerr Folasade Olanipekun-Lewis Marciene Mattleman Stephanie Naidoff Bernard Newman Patrick M. Oates William R. Sasso Susan G. Smith Frankenstein & Dracula: Gothic Monsters, Modern Science explores the Miriam Spector Lenore Steiner creation of two of history’s most memorable monsters. In honor of the Shelley Stewart Barbara Sutherland bicentennial of the publication of Frankenstein, handwritten pages of Monica Vachher Mary Shelley’s groundbreaking novel will be displayed alongside Bram Jay Weinstein Larry Weiss Stoker’s personal notes for Dracula for the first time, accompanied EMERITUS by scientific and medical works from the 19th century to the present. James H. Averill Peter A. Benoliel Marie Field Elizabeth Gemmill W. Wilson Goode, Sr Daniel Gordon Leslie Anne Miller MAJOR SUPPORT FOR FRANKENSTEIN & DRACULA: GOTHIC MONSTERS, MODERN SCIENCE HAS BEEN A. Morris Williams, Jr. PROVIDED BY THE PEW CENTER FOR ARTS & HERITAGE, WITH ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FROM THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION UNDER GRANT NO. 1516684 AND ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY’S CENTER EX-OFFICIO FOR SCIENCE AND THE IMAGINATION AND SCHOOL FOR THE FUTURE OF INNOVATION IN SOCIETY. Pamela Dembe Chair, Free Library of Philadelphia Board of Trustees ROSENBACH.ORG | @ROSENBACHMUSEUM

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FLP497_FNL_OTS_Fall2017 crw1.indd 15 10/4/17 12:58 PM The Free Library Fund ensures that Philadelphians of all ages have access to the books and programs that excite them the most.

SUPPORT THE FREE LIBRARY FUND TODAY! freelibrary.org/support

LEADERSHIP ANNUAL GIVING YOUNG PROFESSIONALS freelibrary.org/PepperSociety freelibrary.org/RavenSociety

FLP497_FNL_OTS_Fall2017 crw1.indd 16 10/4/17 2:18 PM