Joseph E. Coleman Northwest Regional Library

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Joseph E. Coleman Northwest Regional Library Located in historic Germantown, Northwest Regional was renamed in 2002 to honor the late Councilman Coleman. The library serves Northwest Philadelphia.

We provide access to much more than books, and can help you with technology and finding information!

Here is our schedule for the week of October 19-24! Aside from our usual offerings, a few things to note: MONDAY, OCTOBE...
10/19/2026

Here is our schedule for the week of October 19-24! Aside from our usual offerings, a few things to note:

MONDAY, OCTOBER 19
➡️5:30-6:30 p.m. Estate Planning Workshop with Affordable Housing Centers of Pennsylvania (AHCOPA). Planning ahead is crucial to protect your family and property. Whether you are starting from scratch or have questions about a Power of Attorney or existing will, this workshop will provide guidance to help you take the next step.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20
➡️11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Career Exploration Workshop. Explore careers that build on your strengths and interests and get hands-on experience with online resources. FREE! Boxed lunch provided. Registration at tinyurl.com/Coleman-Career-Exploration (or click the link in our bio) is required.
➡️3:30-5:30 p.m. (NEW PROGRAM!) Teen Craft Co-op. Join our weekly, after-school craft meet up. We will work on projects such as blackout poetry, collage, painting, and fiber arts.
➡️5:30-6:30 p.m. Live Performance: Patricio Acevedo. Patricio’s music invokes the traditions of his native Chile. His music is a reflection on the highlands of the Andes, as well as the vast plains of Patagonia in the south of Chile. All ages welcome.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21
➡️10:00-11:00 a.m. Meet the Author! Jaylene Clark Owens. Join the award-winning actor, poet, and author for a reading of her picture book, “A Black Girl and Her Braids,” along with fun songs and activities! Free copies of the book will be provided while supplies last. Best for ages 3-8.
➡️3:00-4:30 p.m. Lives of Others: A Memoir Meet-up. Join our monthly book club to explore diverse life journeys of resilient and inspiring people. Reading the book beforehand is encouraged but not required. This month’s selection is Crying in H Mart, by Michelle Zauner.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24
➡️10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Natural Creativity Center’s Annual Literacy Fair, hosted for the first time by Coleman Library! Free books for every young person, local authors reading their stories, young DJs, and more.

Get a FREE headshot photo taken at the library! Headshots are great for enhancing your professional portfolio or LinkedI...
10/17/2026

Get a FREE headshot photo taken at the library! Headshots are great for enhancing your professional portfolio or LinkedIn profile. No appointments are needed. Photographs by Aaron Stallworth of Aaron Stallworth Photography. Stop by and pose for your FREE headshot on October 27th from 4:45 p.m.-6:45 p.m. (last photo will be taken at 6:35 p.m.).
Aaron Stallworth Photography LLC

This service is made possible with support from Truist Foundation.

The 3rd Annual Germantown Archiving Fair is one day away—don’t miss it! This Saturday, October 17, from 12:00-4:00 p.m.,...
10/16/2026

The 3rd Annual Germantown Archiving Fair is one day away—don’t miss it! This Saturday, October 17, from 12:00-4:00 p.m., join us at Joseph E. Coleman NW Regional Library for hands-on archiving activities. Record personal stories, explore family histories, and share in local and library history together. Register in advance at tinyurl.com/gtown-archiving-fair (or click the link in our bio) to learn more and see the schedule. This is a Hyperlocal Heritage program.

DORIANA DIAZ Germantown United CDC The Colored Girls Museum Johnson House Philly Germantown Info Hub gtownradio iMPeRFeCT Gallery Free Library of Philadelphia

October is American Archives Month, and Joseph E. Coleman NW Regional Library is a proud partner of Archives Month Philly, an annual celebration of archives, special collections libraries, and cultural institutions.

Launch your career with support from the ! Don’t miss the last in the Career Exploration Workshop fall series, held at J...
10/15/2026

Launch your career with support from the ! Don’t miss the last in the Career Exploration Workshop fall series, held at Joseph E. Coleman NW Regional Library on Tuesday, October 20, from 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Build on your strengths and interests today: https://libwww.freelibrary.org/blog/post/7673

Free! Boxed lunch provided. Registration is required. Go to tinyurl.com/Coleman-Career-Exploration or click the link in our bio.

Here is our schedule for the week of October 12-17. Aside from our usual offerings, a few things to note: MONDAY, OCTOBE...
10/12/2026

Here is our schedule for the week of October 12-17. Aside from our usual offerings, a few things to note:

MONDAY, OCTOBER 12
➡️Closed for Columbus/Indigenous Peoples’ Day

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13
➡️4:30-5:30 p.m. Storytime Yoga in Vernon Park. Join Heartwell Yoga for songs, stories, breath, yoga poses and relaxation to move us through all that the back-to-school transition brings up. (For young children with a grown-up). Please bring a towel or yoga mat and dress for moving around. No yoga experience is needed. Meet at the first base benches in Vernon Park. In case of bad weather, we’ll move inside into the Children’s department.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14
➡️12:00-4:30 p.m. Commerce Dept Office Hours. Local business owners are welcome to drop in in for one-on-one consultations with the Commerce Department to learn about how the city can support you and your business.
➡️3:15-4:30 p.m. (NEW) Teen Performance: Drop-in Sessions with MB. All teens are welcome to drop-in for a weekly program with musical artist MB to explore performance practices that express what makes you you. Develop your creative voice to sing, rap, move, make magic, or story-tell.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17
➡️12:00-4:00 p.m. 3rd Annual Germantown Community Archiving Fair. Everyone is welcome to participate in community archiving at Coleman Library with hands-on archiving activities to record personal stories, explore family histories, and share in local and library history together.
➡️1:00-2:30 p.m. Celebrate the Day of the Dead a little early by making Calaveritas (sugar skulls) with Tia Ivonne Pinto. Learn about the tradition, watch a short movie about the creator of Skeleton-Art, and then, if you want, place one of your skulls in our library ofrenda. All ages welcome. Supplies are limited.

Mark your calendar—the 3rd Annual Germantown Community Archiving Fair is one week away! Please join us at J.E. Coleman L...
10/10/2026

Mark your calendar—the 3rd Annual Germantown Community Archiving Fair is one week away! Please join us at J.E. Coleman Library on Saturday, October 17, from 12:00-4:00 p.m. Everyone is welcome to participate in community archiving with hands-on archiving activities to record personal stories, explore family histories, and share in local and library history together. You can participate in one or more of our Community Conversation Circles (see schedule below), and any time between 12:00 and 4:00, you can scan photos or paper documents to a digital collection, digitize a home movie from VHS tape, consult with a genealogy specialist, create a scrapbook to hold photo and other memories, participate in a collaborative craft project making a foam-core quilt with your heirloom fabric scraps, and more.

Community Conversation Circle Schedule:
➡️12:00 p.m. Storytelling: tell a story from your personal or family history
➡️12:30 p.m. Show & Tell: share a few objects, artifacts, or memorabilia
➡️1:00 p.m. Germantown History: what does Germantown History mean to you?
➡️2:00 p.m. Art & Archives: where do they connect?
➡️3:00 p.m. Hyperlocal Democracy: how can we use our voices to support a thriving local democracy?

Our tabling and Community Conversation Circle partners:
DORIANA DIAZ Germantown United CDC The Colored Girls Museum Johnson House Philly Germantown Info Hub gtownradio iMPeRFeCT Gallery
Photo credit slide 4 andrew piccone


Free Library of Philadelphia Archives Month Philly

New Club alert! Starting October 20th, join our weekly after-school craft meet up for TEENS. We will work on projects su...
10/08/2026

New Club alert! Starting October 20th, join our weekly after-school craft meet up for TEENS. We will work on projects such as blackout poetry, collage, painting, and fiber arts. Get fearlessly creative together! Supplies will be provided and all skill levels are welcome. We’ll meet on Tuesdays from 3:30-5:30 p.m. in the 3rd Floor Teen Department. Craft project recommendations welcome!

Back by popular demand- Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner. The Lives of Others memoir book club will resume at Coleman...
10/06/2026

Back by popular demand- Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner. The Lives of Others memoir book club will resume at Coleman NW Regional Library on Wednesday, October 21st at 3pm. Warning: You may leave hungry after we discuss this one! But that’s OK, as we’ll be sharing culinary blogger Maangchi’s recipe for Doenjang-jjigae (Korean stew). 

Reading the book beforehand is encouraged but not required. Limited copies of the month’s selection will be available to check out at Coleman’s adult reference desk.

Get ready! The College Scholarships 101 workshop at Coleman Library is TOMORROW—Tuesday, October 6, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. ...
10/05/2026

Get ready! The College Scholarships 101 workshop at Coleman Library is TOMORROW—Tuesday, October 6, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. In this free workshop hosted by The Alexander Advantage LLC, you’ll learn about available scholarships and strategies for winning them. For college-bound students and their parents or guardians.

And while you’re here, check out some of the Free Library’s other college & career resources. See the display in the teen area on the 3rd floor or check in at a reference desk to get help finding more books and online resources to help you prepare for applying to college and to learn about different careers.

The Free Library’s 2026 College Prep program series is made possible through the Philadelphia City Institute Board of Managers.

Here is our schedule for the week of October 5-10. We are so happy to welcome you back at Coleman! Aside from our usual ...
10/05/2026

Here is our schedule for the week of October 5-10. We are so happy to welcome you back at Coleman! Aside from our usual offerings, a few things to note:

MONDAY, OCTOBER 5
➡️1:00-4:00 p.m. L&I & Quality of Life Office Hours. Community members are welcome to drop in for one-on-one consultations to get department-specific questions answered and to address constituent issues.
➡️5:00-5:30 p.m. Touch a (Fire) Truck. Come celebrate Fire Prevention Week with us. Meet real Philadelphia Firefighters, learn about keeping safe, and explore a real fire engine! For all ages.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6
➡️1:00-3:00 p.m. Work SuccessPhilly/Hiring Bus. Come meet the Office of Human Resources at your Neighborhood Community Action Center and have 1-on-1 time with a Human Resources Professional every month.
➡️4:30-6:30 p.m. College Scholarships 101. In this free workshop hosted by The Alexander Advantage, you’ll learn about available scholarships and strategies for winning them. For college-bound students and their parents or guardians.
➡️NOTE that Digitize Your Archives from 5:00-6:30 p.m. will not be held this week

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9
➡️11:00 a.m.-12:45 p.m. Mindful Painting. Do you enjoy painting with inspiration and guidance? If so, this “paint-by-numbers” session is for you. Supplies are limited, so please register at bit.ly/paintnum or click the link in our bio.
➡️1:00 p.m. Early closure for the holiday weekend

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10
➡️12:00-2:00 p.m. Fairmount Water Works: Your Watershed and You. Join the Water Works team for a hands-on workshop that will deepen your understanding of our watershed using interactive models. For all ages.

Address

68 W Chelten Avenue
Philadelphia, PA
19144

Opening Hours

Monday 11am - 7pm
Tuesday 11am - 7pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

(215) 685-2150

Website

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