Today we were extremely disheartened to learn how dire the city’s financial situation is because the State has not yet passed a State budget. Along with many other very severe cuts, Mayor Nutter today announced the possible closing of many of our public libraries if the State does not end the budget impasse very soon. Philadelphia has already made major sacrifices to rebalance its budget after the collapse of the global economy. Nonetheless, we need Harrisburg to act immediately to pass a state budget so Philadelphia can try to deal with the financial crisis in the best way possible.

For Philadelphians and our surrounding neighbors, it is more critical than ever that we act in unity to urge passage of the budget and then passage of two bills that let Philadelphia make necessary changes to remain financially viable without drastically cutting services. The additional bills that the state legislature must vote on before recess are State House Bill 1828 and Senate Bill 1058, which authorize the City to defer a portion of its pension payments and temporarily increase the local sales tax by 1 percent. If these bills and a state budget are not passed, the City will be required to cut $700 million in spending from its five year plan to meet state-mandated financial requirements. Cutting $700 million from the city budget will require drastic and wide-reaching service cuts, including laying off hundreds of police officers and firefighters, closing all libraries and recreation centers, closing two City health centers, and eliminating almost 3,000 positions. This legislation to increase the sales tax and defer a portion of the city’s pension payments has no fiscal impact to the State budget—it merely gives Philadelphia’s government the tools to help the city maintain safety and an adequate quality of life.

Represented in every one of our neighborhoods, the Free Library of Philadelphia is the heart of each community. The resources and services we provide are essential to our community members, and usage of the Library has increased dramatically. Job seekers use free public computers for job searches, children seek out safe havens with homework help, and seniors rely on the Library to access information about social security and other federal benefits, information that is now found only online. The Free Library of Philadelphia also provides hundreds of public-access computers with free internet service, a resource highly valued in a city where almost half of the citizens are without internet access at home.
Please help us keep our libraries open! Write to your legislator today and urge him/her to pass these two Philadelphia city bills and the State budget. Now more than ever, we need libraries to serve the underserved and those challenged by the economy. Help us keep our vital libraries open!

For a copy of our suggested letter, click here.

To find out how to contact your legislator, click here for an interactive map.

 

Free Library fans who take home stacks of books week after week may have met their match.

Louise Brown, a 91-year-old resident of Stranraer, Scotland, is about to take home her 25,000th library book. Brown, who borrowed her first library book in 1946, checks out between six and 12 books each week. The icing on the cake? Brown has never had an overdue book.

For the full story, click here.

Fans, family, and friends mourn the passing of author E. Lynn Harris, who died on Thursday, July 23, 2009 in Los Angeles at the age of 54. The author of 11 novels, including Invisible Life and A Love of My Own, and a memoir, What Becomes of the Brokenhearted, Harris placed 10 consecutive books on the New York Times Best Sellers list, and there are over 4 million copies of his books in print.

In an obituary in the New York Times, Bruce Weber described him as "one of the nation's most popular writers," and said: "Mr. Harris clearly tapped a rich vein of reader interest with his racy and sometimes graphic tales of affluent, ambitious, powerful black men... who nonetheless struggled with their attraction to both men and women." Read the complete obituary here.

Local author Karen E. Quinones Miller offered this appreciation in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

E. Lynn Harris visited the Free Library many times over the years, drawing capacity audiences and appreciative fans. Click below to hear the podcasts of his talks at the library.

E. Lynn Harris | Not A Day Goes By
Recorded 7/25/2001

E. Lynn Harris | A Love of My Own
Recorded 9/5/2002

E. Lynn Harris | What Becomes of the Broken-Hearted: A Memoir
Recorded 7/15/2003

E. Lynn Harris | I Say a Little Prayer
Recorded 5/8/2006

“Find what you love, and do it.”

Author Frank McCourt relayed this advice while speaking to thousands of graduating students at my college commencement ceremony. McCourt, who passed away due to metastatic melanoma on Sunday at the age of 78, encouraged us to uncover our passions and follow them—to fans of McCourt’s writing, it was clear he had done the same.

Born to Irish immigrant parents on August 19, 1930 in Brooklyn, New York, McCourt returned to Limerick, Ireland with his family when he was four years old. When he was 19, McCourt struck out on his own in New York and later attended New York University. After receiving a degree in English education from NYU and a master’s in English from Brooklyn College, McCourt taught creative writing at Stuyvesant High School. McCourt retired from teaching in 1987 and set about penning his childhood memoirs, a task he had attempted during his undergraduate education.

In 1996, McCourt published Angela’s Ashes, a tale of growing up in poverty-stricken Limerick and his family’s struggles and sacrifices. The memoir, which was later turned into a film, won the 1996 National Book Critics Circle Award, the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for Autobiography, and the 1997 Boeke Prize.

Three years after the publication of Angela’s Ashes, McCourt picked up where his story left off and published ‘Tis, a memoir about his life after arriving in the United States. His 2005 memoir, Teacher Man, chronicled his experiences teaching in New York City.

The Free Library of Philadelphia was proud to host Frank McCourt on two occasions. Podcasts from his lectures, during which he discussed ‘Tis (1999) and Teacher Man (2005), are available for downloading.

“I think I’ve spent my life finding myself,” McCourt shared with my graduating class, and, as readers, we are blessed with the gift of these life stories.