The closest branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia to Thomas Jefferson University is the Independence Branch located on 18 South 7th Street. 
The primary service areas for the Independence Branch are Chinatown, Old City, Queen Village, Society Hill, and Washington Square West.
The Independence branch staff is happy to help faculty, staff and students from the TJU community in helping to find materials in general subject areas that are not typically found in the Scott Memorial Library collection.
The Independence Branch collection contains over 50,000 books, magazines, videos, and audiocassettes. In addition, they have twelve multimedia computers available for public use. The electronic resources available include free Internet access, various software programs and CD-ROMs, along with access to all of the electronic resources of the Free Library of Philadelphia for library card holders.
Special services and collections
Some of the special services available at the Independence Branch are as follows:
- Children's Learning Center featuring an after school homework help program
- Community meeting room
- Variety of regularly scheduled cultural programs (listed on their Branch Calendar)
- Community resources web page
The Independence Branch has special collections in the following areas:
- Asian studies, including Chinese language materials
- Gay and lesbian resources
- Historical studies
Acquiring a library card
Library cards for the Free Library are available to city residents, people employed in the city of Philadelphia, students attending school within the city, people paying taxes to the city, and people 65 or older possessing a valid library card with an Access PA sticker from another Pennsylvania library.
Out-of-state residents may obtain a card by paying an annual fee of $15.00. To register for a library card, you can either obtain it in person at any of the Free Library locations or online.
Address, telephone number and web site address
18 South 7th St. (next to the Balch Institute)
Phone: 215-685-1633
URL: http://libwww.library.phila.gov/branches/brnlist.taf?_function=detail&buildloc_uid1=200
Free Library of Philadelphia URL: http://www.library.phila.gov/
Hours:
Monday 12:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Tuesday 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday 12:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Thursday 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Friday 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Closed on Sunday
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