visitors in the reading room looking at book displays

It’s National Library Week!

Celebrate spring in the library with exhibits, activities, and experiences that explore the role herbs, plants, and flowers have played in the history of science and medicine.

Join our curators and librarians for a fun after-hours event in the Othmer Library’s reading room where you’ll have the opportunity to

  • see unexpected treasures not usually on display
  • get a temporary tattoo
  • make a craft to take home
  • enjoy a taste of spring with a special botanical-themed cake and other light refreshments
  • support the library by adopting collection items
  • and much more!

Admission is free, and registration is required.

Featured image: Cupid Inspiring Plants with Love, hand-colored plate from Robert John Thornton’s A New Illustration of the Sexual System of Linnaeus, 1799.

More events

View inside the Jacobs Reading Room
January 14, 2026
Free

Othmer Library Tour

Curious about the other half of the Science History Institute? Step into the Othmer Library of Chemical History!

illustrations of various furnaces
January 14, 2026
Joseph Priestley Society

Alternative Power: Moving Beyond Wind and Solar with Geothermal Energy

Experts discuss the latest advances in geothermal energy, sharing details of its implementation on the Swarthmore College campus.

photo of cheese wrapped in plastic
January 17, 2026
Drop-In Tours

School Lunch Tour

This interactive drop-in tour reveals how food scientists, the government, and the public have shaped in-school nutrition.

    Republish

    Copy the above HTML to republish this content. We have formatted the material to follow our guidelines, which include our credit requirements. Please review our full list of guidelines for more information. By republishing this content, you agree to our republication requirements.