Welcome to the Swarthmore Public Library

Monday through Thursday: 10:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Friday:10:00 AM – Noon and 2:00 PM – 7:00 PM
*Saturday: 10:00 AM – 5 PM
*Sunday: 1:00 PM – 5 PM

*July and August: Saturday 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM, closed Sundays

Our library has a collection of approximately 48,000 items including books, audio books, videos and DVDs, music CDs, books in large type and magazines and newspapers for all ages. As a part of the Delaware County Library System, we offer public Internet access, numerous online databases, e-books and interlibrary loan services.

Free Wireless at the Library!

Swarthmore Public Library is now a WiFi Hotspot.
Our free wireless network is not a secure network. We recommend that you do not use this network for the transfer of sensitive data, such as credit card numbers or bank account numbers, even while using SSL encryption built into your web browser. This data would be vulnerable during transit on the network, where any person in the area running simple software on a wireless laptop computer could intercept the data. Remember that anything wireless is inherently less secure than anything with wires. Swarthmore Public Library and the Delaware County Library System accept no liability for any loss of privacy or data you may experience while using the network.

Art Goes to the Library: An Art Appreciation Experience for Adults

The Swarthmore Public Library is partnering with the Wallingford-Swarthmore Chapter of Art Goes to School to present these programs. Art Goes to the Library has been funded by a grant from the Pennsylvania Humanities Council, the Federal-State partner of the national Endowment for the Humanities.

Mark Rothko: An Exploration
Tuesday, May 13th @ 2:00 PM
Cathy Martin will discuss the life and work of this Latvian born Jewish American painter who during a career that spanned five decades, created a new and impassioned form of abstract painting.

Norman Rockwell and Alice Neel
Wednesday, May 21st @ 2:00 PM
Ann Seidman will demonstrate how two American artists, painter and illustrator Norman Rockwell and social realist Alice Neel, would be hard pressed to give us more differing portrayals of the iconic American meal of Thanksgiving. Rockwell's "Freedom From Want" painted in 1943 and Neel's "Thanksgiving" painted in 1965 offer a lively contrast.

The Work of Theodore Gericault
Wednesday, May 28th @ 2:00 PM
Theodore Gericault (1791-1824) startled Parisian society with his passionate and monumental paintings of contemporary life. Yet it would be another century before the misunderstood Gericault was hailed as a brilliant forerunner of modernity. Join Reisa Mukamal for a review of this important artist's life and work.

Faith Ringgold: A Unique Artist
Wednesday, June 4th @2:00 PM
Born and raised in Harlem, Faith Ringgold is an African-American artist best known for her painted story quilts which combine elements of art, craft, and storytelling. Regina Pound will share information about this multi-faceted artist.

These programs are free and open to the public.
Register for Art Goes To The Library in person, by phone (610-543-0436) or by email: swarthmore@delco.lib.pa.us

Upcoming Events!

Please visit our Events and Children's Programming pages and check back often.

Also, be sure to see our new Adult Programming Flyer.

The Swarthmore Public Library has been chosen by the Pennsylvania Humanities Council to host this special series of programs presented through the Commonwealth Speakers Program. This program is supported in part by federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds administered by the office of Commonwealth Libraries. The Pennsylvania Humanities Council, a nonprofit organization, inspires individuals to enjoy and share a life of learning. For more information, visit the PHC’s website at www.pahumanities.org

HERSTORY: Bringing Women’s Historical Perspectives To Light
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION.
Through a series of three lectures, we will learn about how history as we know it is enriched by the lesser known historical accounts of women of the time. By means of their letters, portraits, quilts, textiles and management of the home and the family, women have provided us with a colorful viewpoint of the social, historical and political events in our country’s story. These programs, presented by Commonwealth Speakers, will incorporate visual aids to recount these fascinating stories. All programs are open to the public and are free of charge. REGISTRATION
Register to attend HERSTORY in any of the following ways:

Sign up at the Swarthmore Public Library
Call 610-543-0436
swarthmore@delco.lib.pa.us

PROGRAMS
Jefferson’s Daughters
Wednesday, June 25th, 2008 at 10:00 AM
Swarthmore Borough Hall Council Room

While Thomas Jefferson’s 18,000 letters have prompted volumes of scholarly studies, the same cannot be said of his daughters’ writings. Using their letters, portraits and images from the home in which they were raised, Commonwealth Speaker and Historian Catherine Kerrison will explore life at Monticello. What was it like to grow up in Jefferson’s shadow? How did his daughters view the political developments of the day and the increasing regional tensions in the antebellum period? How did they accommodate the issues of Jefferson’s two families, white and black? An examination of the lives of Jefferson’s daughters allows participants to explore the meanings of gender, citizenship, race and slavery in a formative period of American history.

Secret Symbols in African Textiles and African American Quilts
Thursday, July 17th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Swarthmore Borough Hall Council Room

From traditional African textiles to contemporary African American quilts, fabric has long been prized for the ways in which it can tell our stories. This hands-on presentation will unravel the secret meanings of authentic African textiles such as mud cloth, adinkra designs and kinte. A folklorist who specializes in material culture, Commonwealth Speaker and Folklorist Cassandra Stancil Gunkel has documented African American quilts and textiles and has curated numerous exhibits in Philadelphia and Bucks County.

Lincoln and the Widow Bixby
Thursday, August 7th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Swarthmore Borough Hall Council Room

What do we know of the real Mrs. Bixby, a widow and mother of five sons killed in the Civil War, and the recipient of possibly the most famous condolence letter of all time? Who was she? How does a mother survive an experience like this? Whatever became of Lydia Bixby and the famous letter penned by Abraham Lincoln? Through the life of Lydia Bixby, Commonwealth Speaker and Historian Judith Giesberg will describe how ordinary women experienced the war and survived loss. The audience will also explore the mystery surrounding Lincoln’s letter.

Unless a fee is specified these programs are free and open to the public. Registration is requested. To register you can sign up at the Swarthmore Public Library located in the Borough Hall at 121 Park Avenue, call 610-543-0436, or send an email to swarthmore@delco.lib.pa.us.

Annie Histamine and Incognito Mosquito

Getting ready for a buggy summer!

Copyright © 2007 Swarthmore Public Library
Swarthmore Public Library, 121 Park Ave., Swarthmore, PA 19081
610- 543-0436, 610- 543-3171
Fax: 610-328-6699
swarthmore@delco.lib.pa.us

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