2017 Local Authors Expo Scheduled for Saturday, August 19

When: Saturday, August. 19, 2017, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Where: Central Library, 2100 Park Place, Birmingham, AL 35203
About the 2017 Local Authors Expo: Event featuring over 40 authors selling their books and sharing writing/publishing tips for the public. Keynote speakers are Chandra Sparks Splond (10:30 a.m.), author of nine books, and Nia Mya Reese, 8, (1:00 p.m.) author of the best-selling children's book How to Deal With and Care For Your Annoying Little Brother

Want to meet 40 authors from across Alabama, buy their books, and learn more about the book publishing process? Then make plans to attend the Birmingham Public Library's annual Local Authors Expo this Saturday, Aug. 19, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Central Library, 2100 Park Place in downtown Birmingham.

The free event will showcase authors, including many from the Birmingham area, selling and signing their books and sharing their writing process. Drop by and visit your favorite author, learn more about local authors, and get tips for publishing your work. There will be books across many genres: motivational books, fiction including young adult fantasy, and nonfiction such as inspirational memoirs and stories of overcoming tragedy.

The 40 Authors with books at the 2017 Local Authors Expo are as follows:

Shirley A. Aaron Ed Abernathy Kathy-Ann Alexis Scott Blasingame Franky A. Brown BJ Burgins C.D. Collins John. B. Davis Gwendolyn DeLaine Byron De'Vinner Story Tymetric Dillon Patricia Eleby Alethea & Eddie Fells III Kenneth Friday Mark Hart Carol McVay Hull Richard S Jaffe LaJuan Jones Lucy B. Jones Peter Kirchikov Tondra L. Loder-Jackson

Billy McDonald Betsy Lowery Shirley Mitchell Brittany Nicole Jack Owens Jamie Porter Twylia Reid B. Wayne Seals Nancy Seay Doug Segrest Dr. Akeam A. Simmons Betty Smith Jerelyn Sneed Lyn Stafford Joe Stahlkuppe Jade Stewart SL Stoutermire Carlos B. Taylor C. Duane Wheeler Sherman Williams

An Expression of Appreciation for the Women of the Inglenook Community

by Karnecia Williams, Inglenook Branch Library

Ready to pamper and honor the women of Inglenook 

Turn screaming alarm clock off. Check. Roll out of bed and crawl to the bathroom and take care of daily personal hygiene. Check. Make sure lunches are fixed, clothes are ironed, children’s homework is completed, gas is in the car, etc. Check. Cook breakfast. Check. Turn into a drill sergeant to get children out of bed and ready for school. Check. Load groggy, slow moving children and all of their things in the car and manage not to leave anything. Check. Fight unrelenting school traffic to get kids to school. Check. Now, time to go to work!

More and more households are being led by women. In addition to filling the traditional roles, women are tasked with providing for their households. Many complete these tasks without assistance, leaving them exhausted and depleted. With that in mind, the Inglenook Branch Library created a program titled An Expression of Appreciation for the Women in the Inglenook community to provide women with the fuel, encouragement, and fortitude that they need to improve the quality of their lives and successfully move forward in their journeys. The program also celebrates and honors them for their contribution to the Inglenook Community. Additionally, speakers are invited to discuss effective ways to manage issues such as self-esteem, nutrition, money, and other prominent issues that affect women daily.

The next Expression of Appreciation program will be held on Friday, September 15, at 6:30 p.m. The seating is limited and if you are a woman and live or work in the Inglenook Community and are interested, please contact the Inglenook Library to register.

Delivered to Your Door

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could have anything you bought delivered directly to your house for free? Companies, like the Birmingham-based Shipt, firmly believe that the convenience of having someone shop for your groceries and deliver them to your door outweigh the added cost from using this service. Grocery and store delivery used to be the custom instead of it being an innovative service.

In 1917, the citizens of Birmingham were accustomed to go into a store picking up what they wanted and having the goods delivered to their house. One of the reasons for this was because not everyone owned a car. With the outbreak of World War I, merchants saw an opportunity to cut back on delivery service and reduce their overhead. Under the guise of patriotic duty and a war measure, Birmingham merchants reduced their delivery service to once a day and charged an additional 10 cents fee for special deliveries. The slogan was “A bundle in hand is a badge of patriotism.”

Hill Grocery Company went even further than the other Birmingham merchants by abolishing free delivery service beginning August 18, 2017. The business adopted the idea that customers should just “take with” them their purchases, and in turn, the customers would pay a lower price for their goods. Owner James Hill suggested that “It was fashionable for women to carry bundles. It is coming to be a demonstration of patriotism to carry home purchases.” He added, “The capable housewife is going to see that there is no wasted money, no wasted strength of resources in the operations of her household.” This “Take With It You” plan was a means of reducing waste that could be measured in savings in the household budget.

Enjoyed this story of life 100 years ago in Birmingham? It is part of our Throwback Thursday series that runs each week on the Southern History Department’s Facebook page.

Solar Eclipse Glasses Are All Gone

Unfortunately, all BPL locations are OUT of solar eclipse glasses. See the image above on how to safely view the solar eclipse without special glasses. Here's a link to a video showing you how to make your own viewer: https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/how-make-solar-eclipse-sun-viewer.

Be safe and happy viewing!

2017 Local Authors Expo Spotlight: Jade Stewart

Author Jade Stewart

About the Author: Jade Stewart, 23, is a graduate of Loyola University New Orleans, obtaining a BA in English Writing with a minor in French. She is currently attending Columbia University to pursue an MFA in writing. She lives in Irondale, Alabama, with her parents, James and Kimberly Stewart, and brother Christian, 18.
Book: Fate
How to reach the author: fatenovel@gmail.com, https://twitter.com/_ja_stewart, and https://www.facebook.com/fate.jastewart/?ref=bookmarks
Quote Stewart uses as a guide in life: “No matter the obstacle, always persevere.”

Jade Stewart is a living witness to the power of perseverance and never giving up on your dream. Seven years ago while attending Jefferson County International Baccalaureate (JCIB) High School, the Irondale native came up with the idea of a book about a teenage girl adapting to life in a new school and supernatural forces combating her. Bit by bit while taking rigorous classes at her IB high school and pursing a degree in English at Loyola University in New Orleans, Stewart worked on her novel.

In February 2016—seven years into her writing journey—Stewart self-published her first novel, Fate. Stewart will meet the public as one of 40 authors participating in the 2017 Local Authors Expo taking place on Saturday, August 19, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., at the Central Library. She will sell and sign copies of her book.

Fate is a young adult fantasy novel. It tells the story of Ophelia St. Cloud, a teenage girl from the Bronx who moves to Buffalo with her mom to attend the prestigious Jules Perdot Academy. Thinking she would have the "typical" school year, Ophelia has no idea about the supernatural forces against her, and even more, the powers she has to fight against them. Mixed in with some new friends, "mean girls," and guys who are vying for her attention, Ophelia unexpectedly joins with three less-than-normal classmates to combat the supernatural beings around them.

Aside from the main plot, Fate tackles the issue of bullying and cyberbullying and features multi-ethnic characters with a diverse range of personalities. It teaches readers to not judge by outward appearances and to accept people of all cultures and backgrounds.

Stewart, who plans to pursue a writing career, said she is excited to be participating in the Local Authors Expo for the first time.

“I love that this event promotes reading and appreciation of local authors,” Stewart said. “No matter the obstacle, always persevere.”

Celebrate Innovation Week at the Birmingham Public Library

What: Innovation Week at the Birmingham Public Library
When: August 17-24, 2017
Where: Central Library, Linn-Henley Research Library, Regional Library Computer Center (RLCC), 4th floor

It’s August and that means it’s time for Birmingham Innovation Week. Since 2014 Birmingham’s entrepreneurial minded community has set aside a week each year to celebrate and provide inspiration for those individuals, agencies, organizations, and businesses engaged in creative activities that stimulate local economic growth and opportunity. This year the Birmingham Public Library will be hosting five programs during Innovation Week that promote the resources the library has to help its patrons develop their innovative ideas. Here are the descriptions of the individual programs and the days and times that they will be offered:

Thursday August 17, 2017, 12:00-1:30 p.m.
Using Google to Grow Your Business: Getting Started with Social Media and Email Marketing using Google
The Birmingham Public Library is partnering with the City of Birmingham's Economic Development Office and Zeekee, a local digital marketing firm, to offer a seminar aimed at helping small businesses make the most of the free tools and resources available on Google.

Monday August 21, 2017 2:15-3:15 p.m. Webinar: Yes, You Can Start a Nonprofit
If you are interested in starting a nonprofit organization, then you should plan to attend this recorded webinar. Produced by SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives), the hour-long webinar covers such issues as corporate structure, articles of incorporation, by-laws, board management, and tax exempt status.

Monday August 21, 2017 3:30-4:30 p.m.
BPL Database: Foundation Directory Online Professional
Learn how to navigate the Foundation Directory Online Database. Developed by the Foundation Center, the database provides the most current and comprehensive information available on U.S. grantmakers and their grants that are available for nonprofit organizations.

Thursday August 24, 2017 2:15-3:15 p.m.
Patent Basics
Participants will learn about the different types of patents, why you might need one, and how to begin your patent search. Follow along as we go through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's seven step strategy for patent searching.

Thursday August 24, 2017 3:30-4:30 p.m.
BPL Database: Reference USA for Business
A staff member from the Business, Science and Technology Department will give a hands-on demonstration of the Reference USA database. Reference USA is an excellent business research tool that contains current information on over 24 million companies, 260 million customers, household lifestyle and purchasing habits, and job listings. The Business module can be used for locating your competition and making contacts and the Lifestyle module is good for locating and contacting your customers.

For more information about the Innovation Week programs at BPL, please contact Jim Murray of the Central Library’s Business, Science and Technology Department by e-mail at jmurray@bham.lib.al.us or by calling 205-226-3691.

Back to School...Again

This year I did not take tax-free weekend, all those television commercials, or department store fliers seriously. Even the parents who came in to register their children for school online didn't give me a clue. Unlike all the students who made the journey back to school this week, the new school year literally crept up on me. I kept seeing children throughout the day in the library and I thought the opening of the school year was weeks away. Every year it gets a little earlier. The Facebook photos of people's children going back to school really should have tipped me off.

As a student, I personally did not enjoy going back to school. It meant the end of my opportunity to sleep late every morning, particularly as a teenager. My grandmother was up every morning at first light and it drove her crazy how long I wanted to stay in bed. She would start banging pots and pans in the kitchen to wake me up, but it didn't phase me. Finally, she would simple yell upstairs for me to get up. My grandmother didn't have any specific chores for me to do, she just wanted me out of bed. I am still not a morning person, but I manage to make it to work on time each day. I admire the discipline it takes for students to drag themselves out of bed, get ready for school, eat, and perhaps walk to school or the bus stop. Students of America, I salute you. Now put the phone down and try to learn something.

During the school year, we will see many students and parents here in the library. We have an abundance of resources to assist students with their schoolwork. In addition to resources that assist with coursework (books, DVDs, databases, downloadables), we also have materials on study skills, time management, test-taking skills, coping with stress, and academic achievement. Furthermore, the library offers an online tutoring service through Tutor.com which provides free tutoring for students in a variety of academic subjects. They also provide AP, PSAT, SAT, and ACT test prep. Please take advantage of the many resources available at the library and I hope you have a great school year.

• Answering Test Questions 
• Becoming Brilliant: What Science Tells Us about Raising Successful Children
• The Study Skills Guide: Essential Strategies for Smart Students
• Coping with Stress

Alabama Decorative Arts Survey Database

by Jim Baggett, Archives Department, Central Library

A Project of the Birmingham Public Library Archives

The Alabama Decorative Arts Survey, begun in 1985 and directed by the Birmingham Museum of Art, was a nine-year state-wide search for 19th and early 20th century ceramics, quilts, coverlets, furniture, carvings, paintings, photographs, metals, textiles, and grave markers created by Alabama artisans.

The records of the survey are now preserved in the Birmingham Public Library Archives and the Archives has created an online, searchable database containing digitized photographs and information for hundreds of objects. The database will be expanded to include additional objects as funding becomes available.

Explore the Alabama Decorative Arts Survey Database at www.bplonline.org/ADAS.

The creation of this database was made possible by grants from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.