BPL Archives & Manuscripts Department Hosting 50th Birthday Celebration on November 7

 

The BPL Archives & Manuscripts Department is hosting a 50th birthday on Saturday, November 7 

Written by Roy L. Williams, Public Relations Specialist -Birmingham Public Library 

The Birmingham Public Library’s Archives & Manuscripts Department is hosting a 50th birthday celebration this Saturday, November 7, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The public is invited to join us for cake and pizza in Arrington Auditorium, located on the 4th floor of the Linn-Henley Research Library, 2100 Park Place in downtown Birmingham.

Founded in 1976, the BPL Archives Department collection is open to the public and draws thousands of researchers each year from throughout the Birmingham area, the United States and around the world. These researchers include local people investigating the history of houses and buildings; university students researching class papers, theses, and dissertations; scholars researching articles, books and museum exhibitions; and film makers working on documentaries and other motion picture productions.

Since the BPL Archives Department was founded, more than 530 books (including six winners of the Pulitzer Prize) have been researched using its collections. 

Documentary films and television series researched using collections from the BPL Archives Department have appeared on most major television networks and include recipients of the Academy Award, the Peabody and the Emmy.

BPL’s Archives & Manuscripts Department collects government records, business records, maps, photographs, letters, diaries, scrapbooks, and other primary material documenting the history and development of Birmingham, Jefferson County and metro Birmingham. BPL Archives collects material statewide relating to the Episcopal Church in Alabama, the Civil Rights Movement in Alabama, Jewish history and life in Alabama, LGBTQ history and life in Alabama, and the Environmental Movement in Alabama.

Serving as the archives for the City of Birmingham, the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama and numerous organizations and institutions, the collection contains more than 30,000,000 documents and 500,000 photographs.  After Birmingham-SouthernCollege (BSC) closed, BPL Archives Department became home to BSC’s archives in July 2024. 

Hours (By appointment only)

Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.; and 1^st Saturday every month, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.  

Address: Linn-Henley Research Library

2100 Park Place
Birmingham, Alabama 35203-2744
(205) 226-3630

For more information, click on  the Archives link at www.cobpl.org