Women’s History is BPL history

 

March is Women’s History Month and women’s history is BPL history! 

The original independent Birmingham Public Library Board (1913) included 5 men and 4 women (Encyclopedia of Alabama). Over time, 15 different individuals have served as director of BPL, including 8 women. 

Miss Lila Mae Chapman was BPL’s original vice director before her eventual appointment as director in 1926 (Birmingham News). BPL’s current executive director, Janine Langston, continues the tradition of women serving in the leadership role. 

Woodlawn Branch Library, 5709 1st Ave. North, was originally founded in 1904 when a club of women purchased several books and began lending them out of the home of Mrs. J. B. Gibson. In 1905, the women’s group presented the library to the city of Woodlawn and the institution opened to the public; eventually, Woodlawn became the first branch library of BPL when Woodlawn was annexed into Birmingham. 

Further, according to Bham Wiki—a source of wiki designed by and for the Birmingham community—Woodlawn Branch’s first four librarians were all women. 

According to History of Jefferson County Library Services, a refurbished BPL Bookmobile was made possible by a 1952 donation of $11,000 by Mrs. Horace Hammond. 

Lola Hendricks

Lola Hendricks, a Civil Rights activist, was instrumental in prompting the desegregation of the Birmingham Public Library. In 1962, she filed a lawsuit in federal court that eventually led to all BPL  branches being open to African-Americans and other people of color.  

The Tutwiler Collection of Southern History and Literature and the Southern History Department were named for Julia S. Tutwiler (1841-1916). Tutwiler was an educator and advocate for women’s education and prison reform. Tutwiler’s poem, “Alabama”, is also the source of the words for the official Alabama state song. 

The iconic Storybook Mural located in the East Lake Branch was created by Birmingham artist Carrie Hill in 1937. Other works created by Hill are housed in the Birmingham Museum of Art’s collection and can be viewed on their website. 

The BPL Department of Archives & Manuscripts offer subject lists to facilitate research of women’s history related to individuals and families and women's organizations and clubs. Additionally, libraries around the county have organized events and curated book selections to help you celebrate and find the women’s history information you seek! 

By Katie Jackson, Library Assistant III | Woodlawn Branch