BPL’s Jim Baggett Honored by Alabama Historical Association, University of Alabama

 

BPL Archives Department Head Jim Baggett speaking at Homewood Public Library

On Friday, April 9, Birmingham Public Library Archivist Jim Baggett received top honors from both the Alabama Historical Association and the University of Alabama. 

 The Alabama Historical Association, the oldest statewide historical association in Alabama, presented Baggett with the Milo B. Howard Award for his article “’A Law Abiding People’: Alabama’s 1901 Constitution and the Attempted Lynching of Jim Brown.” The article was published in The Alabama Review. 

UA  named Baggett the 2021 Outstanding Alumnus in Library & Information Studies for his service and contributions to librarianship in Alabama.

Baggett began working at BPL as an intern in 1988 and has been Head of the BPL’s Archives Department and Archivist for the City of Birmingham since 1997. He holds a Master’s degree in public history from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (1988) and a Masters of Library and Information Studies from the University of Alabama (1997). Baggett got his Bachelor's degree in History from UAB in 1986, with a minor in English.

Baggett has gained a statewide reputation as a “go to” person for archival information about Alabama, the City of Birmingham and Jefferson County. He has served as president of the Society of Alabama Archivists, Chair of the Jefferson County Historical Commission, and as a trustee for several professional associations including the Birmingham Historical Society and Alabama Historical Association. 

 Birmingham Public Library Interim Director Janine Langston called Baggett “a true BPL treasure.”

“Jim Baggett is an award-winning scholar and talented storyteller who can bring history to life,” Langston said. “Through his wealth of knowledge and dedicated service to the Birmingham Public Library, our history has been documented and preserved for future generations.” 

Baggett has lectured and presented conference papers throughout the U.S. and in Europe. He has been featured on Alabama Public Television, Alabama Public Radio, National Public Radio, C-SPAN, and Birmingham area television stations and newspapers.

 Baggett has served as curator or co-curator for several exhibits, including Looking Back at Gee’s Bend: The Photographs of John Reese,  which traveled to sixteen locations in five states, and Common Bonds: Birmingham Snapshots, 1900-1950, which traveled throughout Alabama and to Europe.

 He has authored or edited five books on Birmingham and Alabama history, including A Woman of the Town: Louise Wooster, Birmingham’s Magdalen and Alabama Illustrated: Engravings from 19th Century Newspapers. 

Baggett has written articles on archival preservation and Alabama history for Alabama Librarian, Alabama Heritage, Birmingham magazine, The Alabama Review, and other publications. 

In 2019, Baggett received the Eminent Librarian Award from the Alabama Library Association. In 2013, he received the Virginia Van der Veer Hamilton Award from the Alabama Historical Association.

 Baggett said he humbled by the awards from the Alabama Library Association and UA. 

"There's nothing I could have accomplished without the support of the Birmingham Public Library and the help of the wonderful people I've worked with over the years,” Baggett said. “I still enjoy coming to work, and that's a great gift."