“That’s So Gay” Opens with Fanfare

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Despite record-breaking snowfall, 150 people convened at the Library Company on Valentine’s Day to view the new exhibition that is getting noticed around the country. From traditional print and broadcast media to websites and blogs, the story…

Birthday Wishes for Ben

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It seems that more than 200 years after his death, Library Company Founder Benjamin Franklin still captures the imagination of the ladies—or the girls anyway. Shortly after his January 17 birthday this year, we received a heartfelt and hand-drawn…

Library Company Material on Display at Swann Galleries

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  Antebellum and Civil War-era highlights of the Library Company’s African Americana Collection will be on display at Swann Auction Galleries from March 22 to 26. In conjunction with its Printed & Manuscript African Americana…

ALA Declaration of the Right to Libraries

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On January 27, students, parents, and advocates signed the ALA Declaration of the Right to Libraries in the Library Company’s Logan Room in conjunction with the American Library Association winter conference. The ceremonial signing showed…

$500,000 NEH Challenge Grant Award

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The Library Company has been awarded a $500,000 Challenge Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to endow the Program in African American History. Announced last month, the award is one of three Challenge Grants awarded to institutions…

More of Our Favorite Things

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Catch up with the blog series by Library Company staff about their favorite things in the collections. Since September, staff have contributed thirteen posts explaining their special attachments to little-known items and providing a wealth…

Gay History in Early America

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Late gay activist Harry Hay thought history knew more about gay people than it knew it knew. “That’s So Gay: Outing Early America” exhibition curator Cornelia King couldn’t agree more. As with so many areas of historical inquiry, the…

Inaugural John C. Van Horne Lecture

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How does an institution honor a Director for almost 30 years of service?  It starts with an endowed lecture in his name.  Mark your calendars for May 28, 2014, when the Library Company will welcome acclaimed writer Nathaniel Philbrick as…

A Jewel of a Franklin Miniature

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In October, Library Company Trustee Davida Deutsch saw a Franklin miniature by French artist Jean Baptiste Weyler (1747-1791) for sale at the Phillip Mould Gallery in London. One look and she knew we had to acquire it for the Library Company.   Painted…

Join the conversation about “That’s So Gay”!

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“That’s So Gay: Outing Early America”—an exhibition featuring textual and visual material in the Library Company’s collections that relates to gay history—will open in February 2014. An accompanying blog being launched this month…

Outsulating the Collections

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  When the Ridgway Building was built in 1965, the cost of fuel was low enough that the architects didn’t think about the need to create a barrier against temperature and moisture.  In 2013, however, the lack of insulation around the…

A Shout-Out to Special Collections

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Inspired by the Library Company’s Visual Culture Program, researcher Abby Glogower arrived in the summer of 2012 with only a vague direction for her dissertation topic. Associate Curator of Prints & Photographs Erika Piola’s thoughtful…

282nd Annual Dinner

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On Tuesday, November 19, the Library Company will hold its 282nd Annual Dinner. The event includes a reception at the Wells Fargo History Museum, dinner at the Union League, and a presentation by Michael F. Suarez, S.J., one of the rare book…

Philadelphia Ephemera Acquired

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The Library Company has acquired the Joe Freedman Collection of Philadelphia Ephemera. Compiled over many decades by a distinguished collector with a discerning eye for historical significance, the Freedman Collection comprises nearly 900…

Conference on Colonial Economies

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On October 24 and 25, the Library Company will present the 13th Annual Conference of the Program in Early American Economy and Society (PEAES). This year’s topic, “Ligaments: Everyday Connections of Colonial Economies,” focuses on the…

Documentary Filmmaker Gives A Gift of Light

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Since 2009, the Library Company has been assisting documentary filmmaker Rick Feist with a project entitled Thomas Paine: Revolution in America, which explores the life and writings of Founding Father Thomas Paine. Paine’s revolutionary…

Collaborative Ephemera Conference Opens Tomorrow

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The broad program starts with a reception and tour of the corresponding exhibition Remnants of Everyday Life:Historical Ephemera in the Workplace, Street, and Home on the evening of September 19. Participants will learn more about the Library…

Getting Creative with Ephemera

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Ephemera!, a mini exhibition showing original work inspired by Remnants of Everyday Life: Historical Ephemera in the Workplace, Street, and Home, will be on view at the Library Company through December 2013. Curators Concetta Barbera, who…

These Are a Few of Our Favorite Things

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Library Company staff are often asked to name their favorite things in the collection, and their answers frequently include the kinds of delightful surprises from deep within the stacks that only those with decades of experience can provide.…

GlobalPhilly 2013

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The Library Company is participating in GlobalPhilly 2013, an exposition celebrating Philadelphia as a world city from September 15 through November 1. A project of the Global Philadelphia Association, the exposition includes more than 100…