The Free Library is required to spend 12% of its budget on its materials and collections according to state mandate. Actual spending since 2010 has fallen below the mandated levels. | From: Philadelphia Media Network (Read more.)
Could a Baltimore nonprofit hold the answer to turning around the lives of Philly’s most at-risk teens—and our city at-large? | From: The Philadelphia Citizen (Read more.)
Temple sociologist Sara Goldrick-Rab hosts a town hall this week on college debt. Here she talks about her groundbreaking work—and the hope it brings her. | From: The Philadelphia Citizen (Read more.)
From NBC Philadelphia: More than half of Philadelphia’s 54 facilities that make up the Free Library system were closed for weekends, starting in September. But criticism forced officials to rethink the plan. (Read more.)
From The Notebook: When an offense is relatively minor, the child goes into a diversion program, receiving extra supports. Recidivism is also much lower. (Read more.)
From Next City: Oklahoma’s done it longer; New York City does it bigger. What Philadelphia can learn in crafting a pre-K program to close the achievement gap for kids from economically disadvantaged communities. (Read more.)
From the Philadelphia Media Network: City officials say Philadelphia’s public library system has a green light to hire dozens of new employees by year’s end and extend service hours at a dozen branches, but advocates maintain that the system needs a more dedicated and robust funding stream to help it grow and thrive. (Read more.)
From PlanPhilly: Lisa Hall never did any extracurriculars while in school. She wants to change that for her two young children. “I think it exposes them to new things and I hope they find out they’re passionate about something,” said Hall, who lives in Southwest Philadelphia. (Read more.)
From Philadelphia Media Network: The Free Library system is the largest provider of free public Wi-Fi in the region, and with internet access as well as public computers available at every Free Library location with a library card, a world of possibility is opened as users can open email accounts, search for jobs, connect with family members via social media, conduct research, and much more. (Read more.)
From Technical.ly: Backed by a $150,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, a six-week training program at makerspace NextFab could offer one pathway: teaching people how to control a robotic armed used in advanced manufacturing. (Read more.)
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