Penn Libraries

Got summer classes? It's time to lock in at the library.

The Penn Libraries can help you succeed in your summer classes just like we do during the rest of the year. Borrow books, access online resources, study in our 15+ libraries, get advice from our librarians, and more!

Visit our website to start your summer journey.

Looking for something new to watch, read, or listen to this month? Check out one of these book or film recommendations from Penn Libraries staff:

📖 Not Quite Not White by Sharmila Sen
🎧 The Raven Thief by Gigi Pandian
📖 When the Hibiscus Falls by M. Evelina Galang
🎥 Bad Axe, IFC films
📖 The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

Borrow ebooks and audiobooks using Libby or check out physical copies from the Featured Books display in Van Pelt Library, all at no cost to the Penn community! Just search find.library.upenn.edu to discover all your access options.

The semester is nearly over, but there's still plenty happening at the Penn Libraries! Here are three things you don't want to miss:

🧑‍🏫 Network with fellow research support staff and learn about library research services
🇺🇸 Print your own Declaration of Independence at the Common Press
📜 Join our weekly Coffee with a Codex and get a peek at a historical manuscript

Visit our website for details. https://www.library.upenn.edu/events

May 3, 2026, marked the 557th anniversary of the birth of Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli, the Florentine diplomat, politician, philosopher, and playwright of the Italian Renaissance, best known for writing The Prince. Along with selections of his work, the Penn Libraries houses over 700 works about Machiavelli and his theories of government and political leadership.

Learn more about the controversial thinker’s influence from librarian Lonya Humphrey.

Remembering the modern Western world's first political scientist Born 557 years ago, Niccolò Machiavelli continues to influence Western political thought. You can find many works by him and about him in the Penn Libraries collections.