Philadelphia libraries are having a standout year
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The Free Library of Philadelphia is experiencing a renaissance this year, with visitor numbers rising sharply.
Why it matters: Who says reading is dead?
By the numbers: Libraries have counted at least 963,700 visitors stopping into their branches this year through June — an 11% uptick compared to the same period last year, per library data.
- That marks the highest library visitor rate since before the pandemic.
The intrigue: That's an undercount.
- The figure doesn't include the system's biggest library — Parkway Central — and five other branches, which don't yet have electronic visitor counters.
The big picture: The system's standout year comes amid a flood of tourists to the city for several marquee sporting events and celebrations around the nation's 250th birthday.
What they're saying: Library spokesperson Mark Graham tells Axios he credits the uptick in visitors with libraries staying open more often and reliably.
- That includes maintaining Saturday hours across all libraries this summer for the second year in a row.
- Plus: Graham says a spring marketing campaign and partnerships with institutions like the Franklin Institute have helped draw people through their doors.
📚 Top books: "The Correspondent" by Virginia Evans is the most-checked-out book from the Free Library so far this year. That's followed by:
- No. 2: The graphic novel "Wings of Fire" by Tui Sutherland
- No. 3: "Atmosphere: A Love Story" by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- No. 4: "Heart the Lover" by Lily King
📱 Meanwhile, the most-checked-out ebook from the library system so far is "The Wedding People" by Alison Espach.
🧒 Kiddos: The top children's print book is Dav Pilkey's "Dog Man: Big Jim Believes"
🍿 What Philly's watching: The crime drama "Killers of the Flower Moon" has been the most requested movie.
🎻 What Philly's playing: The most popular instrument borrowed from the library has been the standard full-size violin (48 checkouts), followed by a right-handed acoustic guitar (39).