Off the Shelf - Spring2016

SPR ING 2016

VOLUME 5 • ISSUE 2

OFF the SHELF A MAGAZINE FROM THE FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA

Big Opportunities for Small Businesses at the Free Library ALSO INSIDE: CAUTIONARY TALES FROM OUR RARE BOOK DEPARTMENT THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY SERIES THE NEW SOUTH PHILADELPHIA LIBRARY

SECURE THE FREE LIBRARY’S TOMORROW M A K E A P L A N N E D G I F T TO DAY The Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation is pleased to offer our supporters a unique way to make a difference to the future of the Library—by establishing a Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA). A CGA enables you to receive a guaranteed income for life in return for an outright gift today. Rates for CGAs are based on your age, and CGAs can be established for as little as $10,000, using cash or highly appreciated stock. Current rates are below as of March 1, 2016.

FOR MORE ABOUT CGAS—AS WELL AS ESTATE GIFTS—PLEASE CONTACT AMANDA GOLDSTEIN, ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT, AT 215-567-7710 OR GOLDSTEINA@FREELIBRARY.ORG. SAMPLE RATES FOR A $10,000 SINGLE LIFE ANNUITY 65

70

75

80

85

90

4.7%

5.1%

5.8%

6.8%

7.8%

9%

CHARITABLE DEDUCTION $3,363

$4,001

$4,502

$4,965

$5,621

$6,269

ANNUAL PAYMENT

$510

$580

$680

$780

$900

ANNUITANT AGE

ANNUITANT RATE

$470

Rates current as of March 1, 2016 Not intended as legal, tax, or investment advice

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

APR 11 • 7:30 PM

APR 21 • 7:30 PM

APR 26 • 7:30 PM

APR 29 • 12:00 PM

FREE

TICKET REQUIRED

FREE

FREE

Diane McKinneyWhetstone

Annette Gordon-Reed and Peter S. Onuf

Robb Armstrong

Seymour Hersh

Fearless: A Cartoonist’s Guide to Life

The Killing of Osama Bin Laden

Lazaretto

“Most Blessed of the Patriarchs”: Thomas Jefferson and the Empire of the Imagination

MAY 3 • 7:30 PM

MAY 5 • 8:00 AM

MAY 5 • 7:30 PM

MAY 12 • 7:30 PM

FREE

TICKET REQUIRED

FREE

TICKET REQUIRED

LEADING VOICES

Chris Cleave Everyone Brave Is Forgiven

WITH

Brendan Jones The Alaskan Laundry

Daniel Shapiro Negotiating the Nonnegotiable: How to Resolve Your Most Emotionally Charged Conflicts

Angela Duckworth Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

Nathaniel Philbrick Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution

FROM THE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR

FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR

Siobhan A. Reardon

DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT

Joseph Benford CHIEF OF STAFF

Indira C. Scott VICE PRESIDENT OF DEVELOPMENT

Melissa B. Greenberg

VICE PRESIDENT OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

Sandra Horrocks

ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

Alix Gerz

SENIOR WRITER AND EDITOR

Julie Berger

COMMUNICATIONS AND PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

Samantha Maldonado

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Jennifer Donsky Ingrid Heim

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Ryan Brandenberg (cover, pages 3, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16) Ed Cunicelli (pages 12, 13, 15) Kelly and Massa Photography (page 4) Jon Roemer (page 3) Jules Vuotto (page 5) FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA FOUNDATION

1901 Vine Street, Suite 111 Philadelphia, PA 19103 215-567-7710 freelibrary.org/support OFF THE SHELF

offtheshelf@freelibrary.org freelibrary.org/publications

Welcome to the spring 2016 issue of Off the Shelf ! The Free Library prides itself on being the Free Library of Opportunity for Philadelphians of all ages and backgrounds. This issue of our magazine highlights just some of the opportunities we are excited about this season.

Every day, the Library helps Philadelphia’s entrepreneurs unlock their potential by giving them the keys to invaluable business resources and programs—offerings we explore in our cover story Big Opportunities for Small Businesses. This election season also brings a new opportunity for civic engagement, which the Library will promote through its new American Presidency Series.

And this is an incredible time of opportunity for the Library itself, as we continue transforming both our programming and physical spaces through the ambitious Building Inspiration: 21st Century Libraries Initiative. South Philadelphia Library will soon be back and better than ever, and Parkway Central Library is continuing its first major transformation since opening its doors in 1927.

In this issue, you’ll also learn your lesson from a cautionary-tale hidden gem from our Rare Book Department, catch up on the latest news from around the system, and find out what Wharton professor Adam Grant has to say about success.

This promises to be an exciting spring at the Library. I hope you find an opportunity to visit us soon.

Warmly,

Siobhan A. Reardon

PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR

Off the Shelf is published twice annually for supporters of the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation and showcases the Library’s educational, economic, and cultural contributions to the region.

ON THE COVER AND BELOW: BUSINESS RESOURCE AND INNOVATION CENTER DEPARTMENT HEAD ALLEN MERRY CONSULTS WITH MARIAN DOSSOU ABOUT HER BUSINESS PLAN FOR KAKEMI, A PRODUCT LINE OF SINGLE-SERVING CAKE MIXES. FOR MORE SUCCESS STORIES, TURN TO PAGE 10.

WHAT’S INSIDE 4 6 7 8

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NEWS AND NOTES HIDDEN GEMS: THE CAUTIONARY TALES OF STRUWWELPETER FOCUS ON: THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY SERIES BIG OPPORTUNITIES FOR SMALL BUSINESSES AT THE FREE LIBRARY BUILDING INSPIRATION: DEFINING THE FUTURE OF PARKWAY CENTRAL LIBRARY FROM THE NEIGHBORHOODS: THE NEW SOUTH PHILADELPHIA LIBRARY THE FINAL WORD: ADAM GRANT BOARD LISTS

SPECIAL GUESTS THE QUEEN AND KING OF HEARTS

BALL COMMITTEE MEMBERS MARGUERITE AND GERRY LENFEST WITH MARINA KATS AND JOHN MEDVECKIS

BALL COMMITTEE MEMBERS DAVID MONTGOMERY, SUSAN SMITH, AND LYN MONTGOMERY

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: JOHN MCFADDEN, LISA KABNICK, AND BALL COMMITTEE MEMBERS ALYSE AND JIM BODINE

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: ANDREW WHEELER, BALL COMMITTEE MEMBER JANET HAAS, AND LYNN AND JOE MANKO

TWEEDLE DEE AND TWEEDLE DUM-HATTED BALL COMMITTEE MEMBERS JIM AND JANET AVERILL

Library fans and supporters tumbled down the rabbit hole in December at Through the Looking Glass: A Wonderland Ball, in celebration of the 150th anniversary of Lewis Carroll’s mind-bending classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland—and of our beloved Free Library! {4}

AROUND THE SYSTEM 1 Former mayor Rev. Dr. W. Wilson Goode, Sr.; Deputy Commissioner Blanche Carney, Philadelphia Prison System; Siobhan A. Reardon, Free Library President and Director; Commissioner Louis Giorla, Philadelphia Prison System; and Titus Moolathara, Librarian, came together to announce the Free Library’s pilot program Free Library of Philadelphia Prison Services: Expanding Opportunities for Incarcerated Parents and Their Families at Neighborhood Libraries.

2 Library staff aided Philadelphians in signing up for virtual library cards at the Municipal Services Building.

3 Children and families enjoyed a Words at Play Vocabulary Initiative-sponsored trip to the Philadelphia Zoo.

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4 The One Book, One Philadelphia 2016 season kicked off with Cold Mountain author Charles Frazier discussing the intersection of literature and music with Cold Mountain opera composer Jennifer Higdon.

CUSTOMER CORNER KATHERINE MAHONEY Katherine Mahoney feels so fortunate to live a block away from Charles Santore Library in South Philadelphia: “It’s a treasure to have this here,” she said. “We really hit the jackpot.”

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While Katherine and Finn love the familiarity of Santore and its librarians—often they’ll spend entire days there and eat lunch on the outdoor patio when the weather is nice—they also frequent other libraries. Taking a walk in Rittenhouse Square might result in hanging out at Philadelphia City Institute, and visiting Parkway Central is a day trip itself. (Finn loves climbing on the stairs.)

Katherine appreciates how the Library is warm and welcoming to everyone—a place that fosters interaction with people she might not cross paths with otherwise. “When you come here, you find community,” Katherine said, while in the background Finn proved just that by chatting with another child as he played a computer game. “It’s kind of like a club. You have your card as membership.” Regardless of age, culture, or economic status, it’s a club that everyone can enjoy.

• • • BY SAMANTHA MALDONADO

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The Free Library has been there for Katherine in times of prosperity and financial hardship. She and her spunky four-year-old son Finnian fill up their weeks with resources and programs at the Library, which is hugely important because Katherine is a full-time mom and Finn isn’t yet in school. Much of Finn’s learning and socialization takes place at the Library. Science in the Summer, offered in partnership with GSK and the Franklin Institute, has allowed Finn to try his hand at simple experiments in an introduction to basic principles of science. He also looks forward to the annual Halloween parade and associates days of the week with what’s happening at the Library: storytimes on Tuesdays and Spanish classes on Saturdays. As for Katherine—she has attended yoga classes at Santore, which she called her favorite thing, and watched a season of Dexter on borrowed DVDs, in addition to regularly checking out books for herself.

• • • BY ALIX GERZ

HIDDEN GEMS

The Cautionary Tales of Struwwelpeter 36

# Don’t cross your eyes or else they’ll stay that way.

Don’t swallow that bubble gum or else a gum tree might grow in your stomach.

Sound familiar?

literature from the 18th century through today.

According to curator Caitlin Goodman, Struwwelpeter is a wonderful example of a transformation in literature for children, from 18th-century beginnings that tended toward Calvinist moralism to mid-19th-century works with a larger place for imagination and humor.

It inspired a generation of knockoffs, including the prolific New York City children’s publisher McLoughlin Brothers’ Little Slovenly Peter series (also on view). More recent works— from Maurice Sendak’s Pierre to today’s Rotten Ralph series—also take cues from Struwwelpeter.

Adults have used hyperbole to scare kids straight for years. But for children growing up in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the consequences to the bad actions found in their bedtime stories were much more dire—and way more hilarious.

Take, for instance, Heinrich Hoffmann’s gruesome Struwwelpeter (1845), which roughly translates to “Shockheaded Peter” or “Slovenly Peter.” The story goes that Hoffmann, in search of a gift for his son, couldn’t find a children’s book he liked and so purchased a notebook to create his own.

The result? A transformative work of children’s literature that was meant to be grossly funny—just what kids like— but was also inspired by the morality tales with which young readers of the time would have been quite familiar.

Picture a girl who plays with matches and burns to death; a boy who refuses to eat his soup and starves; or a boy who sucks his thumbs, only to have them violently cut off. Voila! An instant classic.

Struwwelpeter in English translation is currently on display in the Rare Book Department as part of Or Else: Cautionary Tales for Children, an exhibition that highlights moral reckonings, both morbidly satirical and mortally serious, in children’s

“Classic mid-19th-century books like Struwwelpeter or Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland mark the beginning of modern children’s literature,” says Goodman. “These books emphasized imaginative spaces for children and indicated a shift in social attitudes about childhood itself.”

PICTURED HERE IS A PAGE FROM THE ENGLISH STRUWWELPETER (1867), A TRANSLATION OF THE GERMAN CLASSIC. IN THE “STORY OF LITTLE SUK-A-THUMB,” THE PROTAGONIST SUCKS HIS THUMBS, ONLY TO LOSE THEM BOTH TO A TAILOR WITH A GIGANTIC PAIR OF SCISSORS. IMAGE CREDIT: HEINRICH HOFFMANN, THE ENGLISH STRUWWELPETER, OR, PRETTY STORIES AND FUNNY PICTURES FOR LITTLE CHILDREN, AFTER THE FORTIETH EDITION OF THE CELEBRATED GERMAN WORK OF DR. HEINRICH HOFFMANN. LEIPZIC: FRIEDRICH VOLCKMAR, [CA. 1867]. COURTESY OF THE RARE BOOK DEPARTMENT.

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Although they were written for children, Goodman herself is a huge fan, because books like Struwwelpeter “are hilarious, and purposefully so. They were meant to teach you not to be slothful but with good humor,” she says, before adding with a laugh, “because if you were slothful, you might get eaten by a bear.”

OR ELSE IS ON DISPLAY THROUGH JULY 23 IN THE RARE BOOK DEPARTMENT’S WILLIAM B. DIETRICH GALLERY AND FEATURES NEARLY 100 BOOKS AND ILLUSTRATIONS, ALONG WITH A READING NOOK WITH DOZENS OF CAUTIONARY TALES FOR READERS TO PERUSE.

FOCUS ON

THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY SERIES

IT’S NOT EASY TO SORT THROUGH THE POLITICAL NOISE THIS TIME OF YEAR, FROM THE INCESSANT CAMPAIGN ADS, TO THE LOUDLY TALKING HEADS, TO THE NEVER-ENDING DEBATES. BUT THE FREE LIBRARY IS POISED TO HELP PHILADELPHIANS CUT THROUGH THE CAMPAIGN CONFUSION WITH ITS FIRST-EVER AMERICAN PRESIDENCY SERIES, WHICH AIMS TO EXAMINE UNTOLD STORIES OF, UNCONVENTIONAL APPROACHES TO, AND CONTEMPORARY CONCERNS ABOUT THE WORLD’S MOST DIFFICULT JOB. This series—composed of compelling, topical monthly lecture programs as well as an educational children’s component—will put the 2016 election cycle in a broad perspective by examining subjects ranging from the quest for the Hispanic vote to the intersection of sports and politics.

“In times like this, we truly embrace our role as a proponent of and resource for civic literacy,” says Siobhan A. Reardon, president and director.

“There’s no better, safer space than a library to examine our complex political arena and sort through the multifaceted issues at hand.”

The American Presidency Series kicks off this April with a visit from renowned presidential historian Richard Norton Smith, whose talk, “To the Worst of My Ability: Lessons in Presidential Failure,” will explore the careers of presidents who faced the ultimate test, the toughest job in the world—and failed.

Other timely topics will include the Washington Post’s Matea Gold on the ramifications of Citizens United, one-time senatorial candidate Shenna Bellows and author Erin Souza-Rezendes on women in politics, and a panel of foreign journalists on covering the election for a global audience. The series will also include

a book club inspired by this summer’s Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, with a focus on 1948, when the city played host to three presidential conventions.

While the adult programming series will begin immediately after the Pennsylvania primary and run through Inauguration Day in January of 2017, the children’s component will be focused in the fall months leading up to November’s general election and will include mock elections and debates, teen-issue discussions, media education, and other programming aimed at fostering the next generation of informed voters.

With a blend of education and entertainment, the series’ examination of the presidency and the road to get there wins our vote for growing the city’s civic literacy.

The inaugural American Presidency Series lecture featuring Richard Norton Smith will take place on Wednesday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m. in the Skyline Room at Parkway Central Library. For a complete list of up-to-date programs, visit freelibrary.org.

• • • BY ALIX GERZ

THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY SERIES IS MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE GENEROSITY OF THE DOLFINGER-MCMAHON FOUNDATION; MEG AND ROGER BERLIN; SALLY AND DAN GORDON; THE PEGGY AND ELLIS WACHS FAMILY FOUNDATION; AND LAURIE WAGMAN, IN MEMORY OF IRVIN J. BOROWSKY. ALL GIFTS WERE MADE THROUGH THE FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA FOUNDATION.

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• • • BY JULIE BERGER

BIG

OPPORTUNITIES FOR SMALL BUSINESSES AT THE FREE LIBRARY “Wait … I can do that at the library?!” Caitlin Tingo, a librarian in the Business Resource and Innovation Center (BRIC), describes this as the epiphany that happens at least once in every business program she runs at the Free Library. The attendees in her classes—all of whom are seeking ways to start, grow, or improve a small business—are reacting to the wealth of knowledge and practical guidance that is ready and waiting at the Free Library for entrepreneurs.

Each year, the Free Library helps 9,000 Philadelphians develop or enhance their existing businesses. Entrepreneurs come seeking financial data, information on creating a business plan, market research, and demographic insights.

These resources, which would cost tens of thousands of dollars for individuals to obtain on their own, are all free and easily accessible.

“When the Free Library undertook its strategic planning process several years ago, we decided to make small-business owners a real focus of our work, as we were acutely aware that the Library

was becoming a go-to destination where entrepreneurs in our region came to seek out advice, network with other professionals, and ultimately grow their businesses,” says Siobhan A. Reardon, president and director. “Today, we are continuing to strengthen our business collections, programs, and related physical spaces because we know that this work is crucial in continuing to fuel Philadelphia’s economic engine.”

Many customers come seeking the top-notch collection of business and technology books available to borrow from the Library. Others take advantage of the free access a library card provides them to valuable—and costly—business databases, like ReferenceUSA: U.S. Businesses Database and BusinessDecision.

Yet it is the comprehensive business seminars and workshops that produce the “I can do that at the library?” eureka moments.

With offerings like Small Business Tax Workshop, Affordable Care Act for Businesses, and Access to Capital, the businessprogram calendar is a veritable menu of options for both budding businesspersons and experienced entrepreneurs. Recent programming has targeted technology in business, with new classes focusing on Wordpress, HTML basics, website building, and more. One of the most popular programs is the Business Plans Toolkit, a three-part series offered quarterly at the Parkway Central Library that covers topics including researching competition, targeting customers, and studying an industry.

The program is consistently at full capacity, because “creating a

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business plan and conducting the necessary research can be an intimidating prospect for someone who is just starting out,” says BRIC Department Head Allen Merry. The program will soon be offered on the Library’s spacious fourth floor, where it will be able to accommodate more customers. Charles Smith, recently retired Assistant Chief of Central Public Services and past head of the Business, Science, and Industry Department, explains that “for each part of the business plan, the Library has a resource that can help you find the answers.”

Often, that resource is a devoted librarian. Patent Librarian Sharyl Overhiser, who frequently assists customers with their business research, enthuses, “I love learning about patrons’ ideas for businesses or patents or trademarks. From toasters to medical equipment to food trucks, it’s all fascinating.” The Free Library is one of three Patent and Trademark Resource Centers in Pennsylvania. In addition to Overhiser’s services, the Library offers quarterly “Patent One-on-Ones” with attorney John Child. Like so much of its business-related offerings, these appointments fill up almost instantly.

CUSTOMERS COME HERE TEEMING WITH BUSINESS IDEAS. GILLIAN ROBBINS, A BRIC LIBRARIAN AT PARKWAY CENTRAL, WORKED WITH A BUDDING ENTREPRENEUR LOOKING TO OPEN A MOBILE SALON WITH HIS WIFE. “WE WORKED TOGETHER—THE INDUSTRY EXPERT AND THE RESEARCH EXPERT—TO FIND ANSWERS,” SHE SAYS. “IT IS GREAT TO SEE INNOVATIVE IDEAS IN THE WORKS. WHAT’S MORE IS THAT INNOVATORS ARE COMING TO THE FREE LIBRARY WITH THEIR DIFFICULT QUESTIONS.” Parkway Central Library is also home to the Regional Foundation Center (RFC), Philadelphia’s largest publicly accessible collection of print and electronic resources on fundraising, nonprofit management, general philanthropy, and institutional advancement.

Drawing customers from across the Delaware Valley, the RFC promotes responsible nonprofit management and successful fundraising by nonprofit groups at all levels—from grassroots startups to established institutions. Users come seeking guidance on how to turn their passion for addressing key needs in our city—promoting children’s literacy, bolstering senior programs, increasing services for veterans and the homeless, reducing recidivism—into actionable nonprofit organizations.

The RFC—opened 41 years ago as part of the New York-based Foundation Center—offers individuals and groups scores of programs each year, including workshops on writing grant

THE FREE LIBRARY OFFERS BUSINESS WORKSHOPS AND SEMINARS ON WIDE-RANGING TOPICS AT NO COST TO PARTICIPANTS.

SUCCESS STORIES

MELISSA D’AGOSTINO

MARIAN M. DOSSOU

UMAR MYCKA

D’AGOSTINO FASHION TEXTILE DESIGN

KAKEMI (90-SECOND CAKE KITS)

THE POISON IVY HORTICULTURALIST

TOP FREE LIBRARY BUSINESS RESOURCE

TOP FREE LIBRARY BUSINESS RESOURCE

TOP FREE LIBRARY BUSINESS RESOURCE

BusinesssDecision database, which allowed her to focus on fundamental like-market demographics

A two-week entrepreneurship boot camp the Library’s Business Resource and Innovation Center (BRIC) sponsored in partnership with the Corzo Center for the Creative Economy

HOW THE FREE LIBRARY HELPED HER

HOW THE FREE LIBRARY HELPED HER

HOW THE FREE LIBRARY HELPED HIM

Marian says the Library helped her feel more confident about pursuing her business, providing her “access to information, people, and resources that would otherwise cost me a lot of money and time. ... The Free Library has also been a great place to network and talk to like-minded people who are pursuing their dreams.”

Umar credits the Library with “impacting my business by showing me how to define the benefits of my business to clients, my place in the industry, client demographics, and the best opportunities to find partners and workers.”

Melissa says the Library helped her “take the right steps early on. ... Research and planning were key to balancing challenges during the early growth of my business.”

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The multitude of workshops and seminars offered

proposals, starting and sustaining a nonprofit, conducting donor research, and using the Foundation Directory Online, the most comprehensive database of U.S. grant makers and their grants.

GRATEFUL FOR THE RFC’S ONE-ON-ONE COUNSELING AND CONSULTATION, IN ADDITION TO ITS DATABASE ACCESS AND PROGRAM OFFERINGS, ONE CUSTOMER OFFERED A RESOUNDING ENDORSEMENT: “CALL ME IF I CAN EVER TELL SOMEONE HOW VALUABLE YOUR SERVICES ARE.” Part of what makes these business offerings so valuable is the Library’s relationships with outside organizations. The Free Library has strong mutual relationships with the Small Business Administration, SCORE Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Commerce Department, the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, and many other prominent business organizations. Staff also regularly hosts classes from the Women’s Opportunity Resource Center and the Women’s Business Development Center. Offering these programs at the Library brings in wide, diverse audiences.

“You can never have too many organizations helping people start small businesses,” says Charles Smith.

Knowing that the employment landscape of the 21st century is ever more entrepreneurial, the Library has begun to expand the reach of its programs. In October the Raven Society, the Free Library’s young professionals group, hosted the technology panel Technically Speaking: Learn How Technology Can Advance Your Business or Career. This night of networking was led by experts who created some of Philadelphia’s hottest technology start-up companies. Last summer, the Friends of Lovett Memorial Library sponsored a six-week Entrepreneurship for Teens course that included sessions in social networking and cooking as a business.

“Many of these teens’ futures will depend on having the skill set to operate a budget, create a product, improve a service, market a creation, and work effectively in a group environment,” says librarian Veronica Britto, who created the program and is now the Cluster Leader for the Central Philadelphia Neighborhood Libraries. “A few of these skills are taught in school as Math, Science, English, and Art, but we want to show how they can be applied to the ‘real world.’”

The opening of the Business Resource and Innovation Center (BRIC) in February was the beginning of an overhaul to bring all of these programs, services, and resources under one commanding umbrella. Located at the Parkway Central Library, this new entrepreneurial hub offers a unique environment in which to incubate new business ideas and bring them to fruition.

In addition to continuing to offer the Library’s standard business seminars and services, the BRIC will pair established business leaders in the community with novice entrepreneurs and business owners, offering them one-on-one counseling to help spin creative business concepts into achievable business plans, assist with budget planning and revenue projections, and more.

The Free Library of Opportunity has more excitement on the way: Currently located in the Business, Science, and Industry Department of Parkway Central Library, soon— as part of the Library’s Building Inspiration: 21st Century Libraries Initiative—BRIC will move to a brand-new space on Parkway Central’s ground floor.

READ ON FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS GROUNDBREAKING INITIATIVE!

AT THE GIFT OF GAB: SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING 101, A RECENT WORKSHOP AT THE FREE LIBRARY, ASPIRING ENTREPRENEURS LEARNED ABOUT PUBLIC RELATIONS STRATEGY FROM A LOCAL BRAND MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT.

• • • BY INGRID HEIM

BUILDING INSPIRATION D E S I G N I N G T H E F U T U R E O F PA R K WAY C E N T R A L L I B R A RY

For nearly 100 years, the Parkway Central Library has provided a wondrous place for ambitious minds to explore and engage with their world.

While the Library has always kept pace with evolving customer interests, new technologies and added materials have placed demand for enhanced and expanded infrastructure front and center among the Library’s priorities.

“Parkway Central has not experienced substantial renovation since its opening in 1927, and it can no longer adequately support the rich and complex needs of today’s users,” says Siobhan A. Reardon, president and director. “Modernization and expansion have become imperative.”

In facing this challenge, the Library saw an opportunity to build a facility that not only keeps pace, but that defines the future and serves as a model for all public libraries. Now, as part of our ambitious Building Inspiration: 21st Century Libraries Initiative, work is underway to renovate, reimagine, and reshape Parkway Central for today’s—and tomorrow’s—library users.

This historic, multiphase renovation began with the addition of a new green roof and went on to include restoration of the Music Department, Philbrick Hall, the Rare Book Department, the Skyline Room and fourth floor—including the Culinary Literacy Center—and more.

Currently, the Library is in the process of overhauling its antiquated stacks system, which will open up tens of thousands of square feet for public use. Among the most highly anticipated spaces this renovation will reveal are The Common, the Business Resource and Innovation Center (BRIC), the Marie and Joseph Field Teen Center, and a transformed Grand Staircase.

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THE COMMON

Defining the model of 21st-century libraries as active, civic spaces, The Common will be a dynamic, flexible community space where visitors can define their own experiences, based on their interests and needs.

They can draw content from library resources and collections, independently or collaboratively test new ideas, utilize library personnel and services to learn new technologies or seek practical advice—or some combination of all of these.

Reinforcing and extending the Free Library’s commitment to humanities programming, THE COMMON also will provide a unique public forum for artists, historians, and others to share their work.

Parkway Central Library also is home to the Regional Foundation Center, Philadelphia’s largest publicly accessible collection of print and electronic resources on fundraising, nonprofit management, and general philanthropy.

The new BUSINESS RESOURCE AND INNOVATION CENTER (BRIC) will place all of those assets in one commanding place at Parkway Central and will create a unique incubator environment, where full-time and volunteer staff will help spin creative concepts into achievable business plans, mentor new business owners, assist with budget planning and revenue projections, and more.

The 7,500-square-foot BRIC will be prominently located on the Library’s ground floor.

Envisioned to be the literal and symbolic heart of the reimagined Parkway Central Library, the 8,000-square-foot Common will be centrally located on Parkway Central’s first floor, on the northern side of the historic Grand Staircase.

Nearly 9,000 entrepreneurs start or improve their businesses using Library resources each year, and thousands more find direction in the Library’s business seminars, training sessions, and career collections. { 13 }

BUSINESS RESOURCE AND INNOVATION CENTER (BRIC)

THE MARIE AND JOSEPH FIELD TEEN CENTER

Because teens consume services in different ways from children, families, and adult library customers, providing them their own space is critically important to fostering their creative and academic ambitions.

THE FIELD TEEN CENTER will provide collections, study areas, and casual seating designed specifically for our teens, drawing from the most successful aspects of teen-library models around the world. Applying the “HOMAGO” concept—“Hanging Out” in social-media spaces such as Facebook; “Messing Around” or tinkering with digital media; and “Geeking Out” in online groups that facilitate personal interests—to physical space as well as programmed time, the Field Teen Center will operate as an out-ofschool learning environment for young people to meet up, share ideas, and participate in interactive demonstrations and workshops.

Adjacent to the BRIC, the 4,000-square-foot space will offer some privacy, giving teens the ability to freely exchange ideas without disturbing other customers, while still allowing for staff supervision.

The first—and most striking—thing most visitors see upon entering the Parkway Central Library is its stately Grand Staircase, soaring up from the lobby and capped by a spectacular domed skylight.

Designed to create a literal, physical connection between old and new, a modern parallel stairway will be constructed behind and seamlessly integrated with the historic staircase.

Visitors to Parkway Central will fluidly pass through open walkways flanking the historic staircase and opening into tandem stairways leading to The Common, the BRIC, and other new spaces.

The Building Inspiration renovation will include a stunning transformation of this Parkway Central landmark.

THE GRAND STAIRCASE

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DEFINING THE FUTURE

The Free Library of Philadelphia is one of the most powerful educational and cultural institutions in the region.

In a one-year span, the Library welcomes more than 6 million in-person visitors and millions more online. The virtual and literal hub of that activity is the Parkway Central Library, which alone accounts for 1 million visitors each year. They come seeking knowledge, they come seeking inspiration, they come seeking transformation.

Now is the time to transform the Library. Through Building Inspiration, Parkway Central Library is moving forward with incredible momentum, not only reimagining its physical space to best serve the citizens of our diverse and dynamic 21st-century world, but also defining the future for public libraries everywhere.

P A R T I C I P A T E I N P A R K W A Y C E N T R A L’ S F U T U R E The City of Philadelphia provides for the Free Library’s operational infrastructure, but capital projects such as the renovation and restoration of Parkway Central are funded almost entirely through the Free Library Foundation. As such, nearly 80 percent of the funding required to complete the Building Inspiration plans must come from organizations and private individuals—like you.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, OR TO MAKE A GIFT TODAY, VISIT 21STCENTURYLIBRARIES.ORG OR CONTACT MELISSA GREENBERG, VICE PRESIDENT OF DEVELOPMENT, AT MELISSA@FREELIBRARY.ORG OR 215-567-7710.

from the

NEIGHBORHOODS THE NEW SOUTH PHILADELPHIA LIBRARY Have you been waiting and watching with eager anticipation, as we have?

Do you remember the previous library that opened in 1965? What about the original South Philadelphia Library, located at Broad and Ritner Streets, that opened its doors in November 1914?

Well, a new South Philadelphia Library at Broad and Morris Streets is rising— and with it an awesome, collaborative promise focused on the well-being of neighborhood residents.

The Free Library of Philadelphia will soon welcome the brandnew Community Health and Literacy Center, alongside our partners in the Center: The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the City of Philadelphia’s Health Center 2, and the DiSilvestro Recreation Center. Yes, this is still a library—and so much more!

What do you think of a “prescription” that includes books?

How about a nutrition program for kids, involving a health assessment and a fun, physical activity, all under one roof?

Or resources on disease prevention and wellness, staffed by a Community Health Librarian? And what about a recipe for culinary literacy that combines food, math, and chemistry?

These are just some of the possibilities the new Community Health and Literacy Center has in store.

A fabulous new library form follows these incredible new programmatic functions. There will be welcoming spaces, including a community living room and a large meeting room (that can comfortably split in two), featuring state-of-the-art technology in support of community programming. As well, for those seeking quieter contemplation or cozy chats with colleagues, there will be small study rooms available.

Our new computer lab, staffed by a Digital Resource Specialist, will offer classes in a wide range of subjects, including PC basics, job searching, social media, and health information, as well as topics suggested by customers. Similar to classes at Northeast Regional and other Free Library locations, some of these classes will be offered in languages other than English.

THE NEW SOUTH PHILADELPHIA LIBRARY (PICTURED HERE STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION) IS SLATED TO OPEN THIS SPRING AND WILL OFFER HEALTH SERVICES, LITERACY PROGRAMS, AND COMMUNITY SPACES.

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STAFF SPOTLIGHT: ANGELA WILLIE, SOUTH PHILADELPHIA CLUSTER LEADER

South Philadelphia has become an incredibly diverse area, home to people with origins throughout the world and speaking scores of different languages. In service to these neighbors, we will be piloting a translation application; we hope and anticipate this will improve communications with our worldly customers and help to make them feel right at home under an expansive roof.

How did you get started working for the Free Library?

I was called for an interview with the Library before I graduated from college and had to decline because it was for a full-time position. I accepted another position, but three months into it the Library called again! I began my library career in the Music Department as a Library Assistant 1 in the summer of 1989 and then put myself through library school while working full-time here. I have since held many positions, including children’s librarian, adult/teen librarian, library supervisor, and business librarian.

We could not provide all these excellent services and beautiful spaces of the new South Philadelphia Library without private support.

We are deeply grateful to the Shellers, whose gift will name the Stephen and Sandra Sheller Common. The Sheller Common, the “community living room” of the library, will be a warm and welcoming space, with comfortable furniture supporting conversation or study. We are also hugely appreciative of the gift from the Cannuscio Rader Family Foundation.

This will establish a Community Health Innovation Fund that will support the Community Health Librarian based at the library. And we continue to be grateful for the William Penn Foundation’s historic $25 million grant to the Building Inspiration: 21st Century Libraries Initiative.

What do you enjoy most about your current role as South Philadelphia Cluster Leader? I most enjoy supporting the staff I supervise in new ways that give the community the best service possible. My most gratifying role is assisting staff with a multitude of concerns, job-related or personal.

I am most humbled by the staff members who look to me for sage advice.

We hope you will come visit us when we reopen our doors in the coming months!

How do you anticipate the newly built South Philadelphia Library will impact customers?

I am in awe of the potential power the new library will have on visitors. The concept of the facility in and of itself is dynamic—magnificent even! It will stand as a national model. This Community Health and Literacy Center will be a one-stop shop for patrons to have their most vital needs met, with educational resources, access to adequate healthcare, and recreational amenities.

• • • BY JENNIFER DONSKY

If you could have lunch with any author, living or dead, who would it be and why? I would say Napoleon Hill, whose book has impacted my way of thinking. The Laws of Success is a 16-lesson course in developing habits that can make one successful. I have instilled many of his suggested habits into my life and career. I would love to have a conversation with him to let him know his lessons continue to serve me well.

• • • JENN DONSKY

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TO LISTEN TO THE FREE, DOWNLOADABLE PODCAST FEATURING ADAM GRANT, VISIT FREELIBRARY.ORG/AUTHOREVENTS.

Adam Grant’s bestselling Give and Take has given business organizations a wholly new approach to success—and it has taken the top-rated Wharton professor to the pinnacle of the management and social science fields. With listings as one of the world’s 25 most influential management thinkers and top 40 business professors under 40, his cover-story profile in the New York Times Magazine has been a cherry atop the growing accolades for this scholar who calls Philadelphia his home. His new book, Originals: How NonConformists Move the World, examines trailblazers who have shaped business, sports, politics, and entertainment.

He has a fan in Star Wars director J.J. Abrams, who praises, “By debunking myths of success stories, challenging long-held beliefs of process, and finding commonality among those who are agents of profound change, Adam Grant gives us a powerful new perspective on not just our place in the world, but our potential to shake it up entirely.”

OTS WHAT ROLE HAVE LIBRARIES PLAYED IN YOUR LIFE? WHAT ROLE DO YOU THINK THEY PLAY IN OUR 21STCENTURY WORLD? AG Growing up, my mom took me to the library every week. It was where I learned to love books, and to use my imagination. Today, libraries are the best place to discover stories and ideas that you didn’t even know existed. Malcolm Gladwell spends a few days in a public library every year, just wandering through the stacks to see what intrigues him. That can’t happen in a Google search—there you have to know what you’re looking for to find it.

OTS YOUR NEW BOOK IS ABOUT TRAILBLAZERS. WHICH OF THESE FIGURES INSPIRES YOU MOST? AG It’s a toss-up between Elon Musk for pioneering new approaches to electric cars and space exploration, J.K. Rowling for rejecting the norm of publishing short children’s books and inspiring an entire generation to read, and Sheryl Sandberg for having the wisdom and the courage to campaign for equality.

OTS WHAT ARE SOME WAYS SCHOOLS COULD BETTER NURTURE ORIGINALITY IN CHILDREN? AG First, stop rewarding achievements, and start rewarding creations. George Lucas recently proposed a brilliant way to do this: Along with grades and standardized tests, universities should ask students to submit a portfolio of their creative work. Imagine if a capstone on every student’s high school experience was the option of making a movie, a novel, a song, a poem, a website, or an invention? Second, focus less on answers and more on questions.

That way, children will learn to explore problems through multiple lenses instead of searching for one solution.

OTS GROWING UP, YOU WERE A MAGICIAN AND THEN A JUNIOR OLYMPIC SPRINGBOARD DIVER. HOW HAVE THESE PURSUITS IMPACTED THE WORK YOU DO NOW? AG Magic taught me that the element of surprise makes everything more entertaining—I’m always looking for the unexpected and counterintuitive in my research, writing, teaching, and speaking.

When I work with leaders, I often ask them what the opposite of their vision would look like. Diving taught me that as painful as it can be to champion new ideas, it rarely hurts as much as hurling yourself into somersaults and twists, getting completely lost, and crash-landing in the water at 35 miles per hour.

OTS TO YOU, THE FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA IS ALSO THE FREE LIBRARY OF______________. WHY? AG The world—because it’s open and accessible to everyone.

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FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA BOARD OF TRUSTEES CHAIR

Pamela Dembe

MEMBERS

Donna Allie Christopher Arlene Jacqueline Barnett Darwin Beauvais Jeffrey Cooper Brigitte Daniel Donald Generals Melissa Grimm Robert C. Heim Nancy D. Kolb Kathryn Ott Lovell H.W. Jerome Maddox Sonia Sanchez Suzanne Simons John J. Soroko Sherry A. Swirsky Nicholas D. Torres Ignatius C. Wang

EMERITUS

Joseph F. Burke Gloria Twine Chisum Armand Della Porta W. Wilson Goode, Sr. Herman Mattleman Teresa Sarmina

EX-OFFICIO

Tobey Gordon Dichter

FOR $25,000

“The supreme question about a work of art is out of how deep a life does it spring.”

—JAMES JOYCE, ULYSSES

2016 Bloomsday Festival JUNE 9–16, 2016 Join us as we celebrate the quintessential modern masterpiece.

Programming includes free public readings, a pub quiz, a hands-on experience with Joyce’s manuscript, and more.

Visit rosenbach.org for more information.

LEAD SPONSOR

Chair, Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation Board of Directors

FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHAIR

Tobey Gordon Dichter

ROSENBACH.ORG | @ROSENBACHMUSEUM

MEMBERS

Robert Adelson Cynthia Affleck James H. Averill Phyllis W. Beck Sheldon Bonovitz Benito Cachinero-Sánchez George Day Andrea Ehrlich Richard A. Greenawalt Melissa Grimm Janet Haas Robert Heim John Imbesi Mike Innocenzo Philip Jaurigue Geoffrey Kent Alexander Kerr Marciene Mattleman Thomas B. Morris Stephanie Naidoff Bernard Newman Patrick M. Oates Derek N. Pew Nick Pournader Greg Redden William R. Sasso Susan G. Smith Miriam Spector Stacey Leigh Spector Lenore Steiner Barbara Sutherland Monica Vachher Jay Weinstein Larry Weiss

EMERITUS

Peter A. Benoliel Marie Field Elizabeth Gemmill W. Wilson Goode, Sr Daniel Gordon Leslie Anne Miller A. Morris Williams, Jr.

TAKE A FRONT ROW SEAT The George S. Pepper Society recognizes those who give $1,000 or more annually to the Free Library Foundation.

In appreciation of their generosity, Peppers receive advance access to and reserved seating at the Author Events Series, exclusive invitations to private events, personal access to world-renowned authors, and much more.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE PEPPER SOCIETY, CONTACT NICK MCALLISTER AT MCALLISTERN@FREELIBRARY.ORG OR 215-814-3542.

EX-OFFICIO

Pamela Dembe

Chair, Free Library of Philadelphia Board of Trustees

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THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY SERIES Join the Free Library for compelling, provocative programs that examine the untold stories of, unconventional approaches to, and contemporary concerns about the world’s most difficult job.

SUPPORT THE FREE LIBRARY! To make a gift to the Foundation, please visit freelibrary.org/support or call 215-567-7710.

Richard Norton Smith

To the Worst of My Ability: Lessons in Presidential Failure Distinguished presidential historian Richard Norton Smith explores the careers of presidents who faced the toughest job in the world—and failed.

W E D N E S DAY, A PR I L 2 7 • 7 : 3 0 P. M .

Shenna Bellows and Erin Souza-Rezendes The Best Man May Be a Woman: Challenges and Opportunities for Female Candidates

Shenna Bellows, a 2014 Senate candidate, and Erin Souza-Rezendes, the author of Keys to Elected Office: The Essential Guide for Women, discuss the political landscape for women.

W E D N E S DAY, M AY 1 8 • 7 : 3 0 P. M .

Matea Gold

Follow the Money: Citizens United and the 2016 Election Washington Post reporter Matea Gold follows the activities of heavyweight donors, from George Soros on the left to David Koch on the right.

W E D N E S DAY, J U N E 1 5 • 7 : 3 0 P. M .

ALL EVENTS HELD IN THE SKYLINE ROOM, PARKWAY CENTRAL LIBRARY, 1901 VINE STREET

THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY SERIES IS MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE GENEROSITY OF THE DOLFINGER-MCMAHON FOUNDATION; MEG AND ROGER BERLIN; SALLY AND DAN GORDON; THE PEGGY AND ELLIS WACHS FAMILY FOUNDATION; AND LAURIE WAGMAN, IN MEMORY OF IRVIN J. BOROWSKY. ALL GIFTS WERE MADE THROUGH THE FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA FOUNDATION.