Library Company of Philadelphia
The Library Company of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-546-3181 voice
215-546-5167 fax
The Library Company is free and open to the public.
Library Hours
Reading room and gallery: 9:00 a.m. – 4:45 p.m., weekdays
Print room: by appointment only
The Library Company is closed on the following holidays:
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - Monday, January 21
Presidents’ Day - Monday, February 18
Good Friday - Friday, March 21
Memorial Day - Monday, May 26
Independence Day - Friday, July 4
Labor Day - Monday, September 1
Thanksgiving - Thursday, November 27 & Friday, November 28
Christmas - Thursday, December 25th & Friday, December 26
Contact Information
General Information: (215) 546-3181
Reading Room: (215) 546-2465
Print Room: (215) 546-8229
Fax: (215) 546-5167
Location
Locust Street, between Broad Street and 13th Street in Center City Philadelphia, a few blocks from City Hall and one block east of the Academy of Music. There are several parking lots nearby. (View Map)
SEPTA's bus routes 23, 42, 76, D, and C, its Broad Street subway, the PATCO high-speed line to New Jersey all have stops close by. The Market Street East commuter rail station (with connections to AMTRAK's 30th Street Station and the airport) is four blocks to the north.
Administration:
Director: Dr. John C. Van Horne, jcvh@librarycompany.org
Librarian: James N. Green, jgreen@librarycompany.org
Development Assistant: Erika Haglund, ehaglund@librarycompany.org
Publicity, Events, & Program Coordinator; Debbie Shapiro, dshapiro@librarycompany.org
Information Technology Manager: Nicole H. Scalessa, nscalessa@librarycompany.org
Curator of African American History: Phil Lapsansky, phil@librarycompany.org
Accountant: Sue Lee, slee@librarycompany.org
Receptionist: Charlene Knight, cknight@librarycompany.org
Reading Room:
Chief of Reference: Cornelia S. King, cking@librarycompany.org
Reference Librarian: Rachel D’Agostino, rdagostino@librarycompany.org
Reference Librarian: Linda August, laugust@librarycompany.org
Print & Photograph Department:
Curator of Prints & Photographs: Sarah Weatherwax, printroom@librarycompany.org
Associate Curator of Prints & Photographs: Jenny Ambrose, ambrose@librarycompany.org
Senior Curatorial Associate: Erika Piola, epiola@librarycompany.org
Print Department Assistant: Linda Wisniewski, repros@librarycompany.org
Curatorial Assistant: Charlene Peacock , cpeacock@librarycompany.org
Cataloging Department
Chief Cataloger & Systems Librarian: Ruth Hughes, hughes@librarycompany.org
Cataloger: Holly Phelps, hphelps@librarycompany.org
Conservation:
Chief of Conservation: Jennifer W. Rosner, bindery@librarycompany.org
Conservator: Andrea Krupp, bindery@librarycompany.org
Conservator: Alice Austin, bindery@librarycompany.org
Maintenance & Security:
Chief of Maintenance & Security: Al Dallasta, adallasta@librarycompany.org
Volunteers:
Louise Beardwood
Ann Condon
Selma P. Kessler
The Library Company of Philadelphia is an independent research library with collections documenting every aspect of the history and background of American culture from the colonial period to the Civil War. A rare book collection of national importance, its holdings number 500,000 books, 75,000 graphics, and 150,000 manuscripts.
The Library Company was founded by Benjamin Franklin and a group of friends in 1731 as a subscription library. It is the only major colonial American library that survives virtually intact.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the Library Company collected books, newspapers, pamphlets, and prints reflecting all the varied interests of its learned and cosmopolitan clientele. These materials have now been reorganized to form an unparalleled collection of primary research materials. The collection is continually augmented by significant gifts and purchases. The following areas receive particular attention: Afro-Americana; American science, technology, architecture, agriculture, natural history, education, philanthropy, and medicine; German Americana; American Judaica; Philadelphia area history; the history of printing, book collecting, and reading; the women's rights movement; household and family life; and printmaking, mapmaking, and photography in Philadelphia.
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