I came across Seth Marko’s post, which I thought must’ve been some sort of mistake. But no, it’s not. Says the Philadelphia Free Library,

We deeply regret to inform you that without the necessary budgetary legislation by the State Legislature in Harrisburg, the City of Philadelphia will not have the funds to operate our neighborhood branch libraries, regional libraries, or the Parkway Central Library after October 2, 2009.




  • All branch and regional library programs, including programs for children and teens, after school programs, computer classes, and programs for adults, will be cancelled


  • All Parkway Central Library programs, including children programs, programs to support small businesses and job seekers, computer classes and after school programs, will be cancelled. We are exploring the possibility of relocating the Philadelphia Author Series programs to other non-library facilities.


  • All library visits to schools, day care centers, senior centers and other community centers will cease.


  • All community meetings at our branch and regional libraries, and the Parkway Central Library, will be cancelled.


  • All GED, ABE and ESL programs held at Free Library branches will be discontinued, students should contact their teacher to see if other arrangements are being made.
















on his blog