Nobel Prize-winning author José Saramago passed away today at the age of 87. The first Portuguese-language writer to win the Nobel Prize, Saramago reached international acclaim with 1982’s Baltasar and Blimunda (a Portuguese PEN Club Award winner), and his 1995 novel, Blindness, was later turned into a feature film.

Click here to read the New York Times’ coverage, and visit our catalog to browse our available titles of Saramago’s work.

Stay tuned for more information on this prolific author.
 

Aspiring writers and avid readers, take note! Next Tuesday, Oak Lane Branch is hosting an evening with the Liars Club, a group of local authors. Don’t miss your chance to learn about the art of writing and the ins-and-outs of publishing from the people that know it best!

Authors that will be visiting include Solomon Jones (Payback, The Bridge); Jonathan McGoran (Blood Poison, Body Trace); Merry Jones (The Borrowed and Blue Murders, Deadly Neighbors); Jonathan Maberry (The Dragon Factory, The Wolfman); Kelly Simmons (Standing Still); and Keith Strunk (Prallsville Mills and Stockton).

An Evening with the Liars Club
Tuesday, June 22, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Oak Lane Branch
6614 N. 12th St.
215-685-2848

Have you had the chance to be a part of the discussion about the Free Library of the 21st Century this spring? If not, be sure to make it the June 9th event at the Martin Luther King, Jr. High School!

Through a partnership with Mayor Nutter and the Friends of the Free Library, we’ve been hosting public forums on “Libraries of the Future.” The forums, held in neighborhoods across Philadelphia, were planned to help us uncover the needs of our city’s communities and to discuss the evolving role the Free Library plays in the 21st century.

We hope that you will join us and share your thoughts on subjects including how you use your library today and what your vision is for the future of the Free Library! Details below:

Wednesday, June 9, at 6:15 p.m.
Martin Luther King, Jr. High School
6100 Stenton Avenue, 19138
 

As you may have noticed, we recently revamped our homepage. Today, our beta-testing period has come to an end, and the homepage is now permanent! We appreciate all of the feedback you’ve given us—it has helped us shape the update and will continue to provide valuable insight as to how you use freelibrary.org.

Our new homepage allows us to provide you with improved updates and access to resources, such as our catalog, digital collections, and branch pages. We now have more calendar events featured on the home page, as well as hand-picked book recommendations from our staff! With a click of the mouse, you can be directed to our profiles on various social media sites, like Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook.

The quick links on the left-hand side provide specific audiences with what they are looking for, whether it’s job-hunting resources for the career-changer or information on ESL classes for new Americans. The Free Library strives to provide free access to knowledge for all Philadelphians, and with these quick links and the new homepage, we have made it easier to find the information YOU want!
 

We encourage all of the Free Library of Philadelphia customers and supporters to contact your elected city official and ask that they go back to the table and continue to work to resolve the current city budget crisis. We know everyone wants to see strong Library service continue in every neighborhood. Thank you for supporting this invaluable Library system.

To find out how to contact your officials, click here.