After careful evaluation, the Chester County Library and Henrietta Hankin Branch have made the difficult decision to discontinue our participation in Elmwood Park Zoo’s Community Pass Program. This decision was made in response to mandated changes to Elmwood Park Zoo’s Community Pass usage procedures, which are incompatible with our Confidentiality of Library Records policy. To uphold patron privacy and maintain consistent service, the library will allow its Elmwood Park Zoo memberships to expire.

The last day Chester County Library’s passes can be used is Tuesday, June 30, and the last day to reserve one of Chester County Library’s Elmwood Park Zoo passes is Friday, May 29. The last day Henrietta Hankin Branch’s passes can be used is Monday, August 31, and the last day to reserve one of Henrietta Hankin Branch’s passes is Friday, July 31. 

We recognize that Elmwood Park Zoo is one of the most popular institutions currently participating in our Museum Pass Program, and we know that their loss will be tangible. To compensate for this loss, we will be adding additional memberships to places like the Brandywine Zoo and the Please Touch Museum, and we anticipate adding new museums and cultural centers to our Museum Pass Program by the end of the summer. 

We appreciate your understanding and look forward to announcing new passes soon. 

WE ARE SORRY BUT DUE TO UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED. SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.

On Wednesday, May 20, from 5:00-7:00 p.m., Henrietta Hankin Branch Library is pleased to present a special screening of episode 5 of the fascinating new PBS series, WISDOM KEEPERS. Thirty years after the heralded Bill Moyers series, Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth, the Wisdom Keepers series revisits the perspectives that help us make sense of who we are and where we are going, particularly in these turbulent times. In episode 5, “We all seek transcendence,” host Ray Suarez speaks with Philosopher Simon Critchley about mysticism and belief in the modern era, and the importance of cultivating practices of attention and reflection in the midst of the relentless pressure of modern life. Critchley explores the significance of mysticism and religious practice, not as a matter of belief, but as a way of understanding the human experience of the transcendent. 

Our screening will be followed by a discussion guided by local experts in the areas of theology and philosophy.  The panel will include Dr. Dominic Pigneri, Assoc. Faculty in Theology & Philosophy, Immaculata University; Dr. Daniel A. Forbes, Ph.D., Asst. Prof. of Philosophy, West Chester University; and Dr. Joseph Len Miller, Asst. Prof. of Philosophy, West Chester University. 

Dr. Striblen has been publishing about and teaching ethics for nearly twenty years.  Before earning her PhD, she was a middle school teacher in New Orleans and a US Peace Corps Volunteer in Kazakhstan.  Dominic Pigneri holds a Ph.D. in Systematic Theology from The Catholic University of America. He specializes in Christology and the religious theory of René Girard. Currently he is an Associate Faculty Member teaching theology at Immaculata University. Dr. Forbes is an Assistant Professor in the Philosophy Department at West Chester University. In addition to regularly teaching introductory courses in ethics, he specializes in the history of early modern European philosophy. Dr. Miller is an Assistant Professor in the Philosophy Department at West Chester University. He’s also Chair of the American Philosophical Association’s Committee on Native American and Indigenous Philosophers. In addition to teaching about ethics, his main areas of research are Native American/Indigenous philosophy.  

 We are delighted to share this screener and host a timely discussion on what unites us as a people. Please join us!  There will be light refreshments and time at the end of the presentation for questions and answers. Registration is required. To register, visit https://ccls.libcal.com/event/16641509 or call the library at 610-344-4196.  Henrietta Hankin Library supports PA Forward Civic and Social Literacy.