Birmingham Public Library Blog

On November 29 please join the Birmingham Public Library (BPL) as it celebrates Giving Tuesday.  Read the following Q&A to learn more… 

  On December 3, 2024, take part in  Giving Tuesday  by making a contribution to the  Friends Foundation of the Birmingham Public Library . By donating $25 or more, you will receive a stylish, custom-designed BPL tote bag! To be eligible for the BPL tote bag, you must be among the first 50 people to  make a $25+ donation  on Giving Tuesday, December 3. The BPL tote bag is perfect for books, groceries, picnics, sewing and knitting projects, travel, and more. It also makes a great holiday gift (especially when filled with books!) Featured on the BPL tote bag is a decorative, nature-inspired motif found on the ceiling of the  Linn-Henley Research Library , as interpreted in a block print by artist and BPL employee Parker Evans. The sturdy tote is 100% cotton canvas and has 24-inch webbed handles with reinforced stress-point stitching, as well as a square bottom gusset. It measures 14.75” x 14.75” x 4.5”. Why Support the Birmingham Public Library? For over...

TODAY IS THE DAY! Be among the first 50 people to donate $25 or more to the Friends Foundation of the Birmingham Public Library  and receive a stylish BPL tote bag.  To be eligible for the custom-designed tote, you must make a donation  today, Giving Tuesday , December 3, between the hours of 12:00 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. Featured on the bag is a decorative, nature-inspired motif found on the ceiling of the Linn-Henley Research Library , as interpreted in a block print by artist and BPL employee Parker Evans. The bag is screen-printed locally by Super Crisp, whose work can be found @supercrispklee . It is 100% cotton canvas and has 24-inch webbed handles with reinforced stress-point stitching, perfect for all your library items! Tote bags will be available for pick-up at the Central Library on Thursday, December 5. Why Support the Birmingham Public Library? For over 100 years, the Birmingham Public Library has provided information, services, programs, and a sense of community...

The Birmingham Public Library (BPL) wishes patrons a happy Giving Tuesday! We ask that you remember us on this noteworthy day. The mission of the global GivingTuesday movement is to inspire people around the world to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity. Today is a special day for GivingTuesday , as the organization is celebrating its 10-year anniversary!

by Pat Rumore These days you can explore the library without leaving your home. Over the last couple of years I have downloaded several apps to my iPad and my Android phone to take advantage of downloadables from the library. This way I can use library services day and night, even from my bed. One I've been exploring lately is Kanopy, which is a video streaming service for libraries with a collection that is described as being five times larger than Netflix—over 30,000 films. When you enter Kanopy, you quickly get an idea of what's available. It is a little more highbrow than Netflix because it includes a wide variety of independent films, world cinema, short films, classic films that are not necessarily what you see on Netflix or TCM, art house films, true crime, horror, as well as The Great Courses. There are lots of documentaries—food for thought on such subjects as human rights of all kinds, pop culture, guns in America, women leading social causes across the ...

   Looking for safe places for your kids to get Halloween candy and do fun crafts?  The Birmingham Public Library has plenty of fun-filled Halloween activities under way today, Monday, October 30, and on Halloween,  Tuesday, October 31.  Check out these Halloween activities at 12 of our libraries, listed alphabetically by location:  Avondale Regional Library  BOO to You!, Tuesday, October 31, 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.   Boo to you, BOOks that is . Come dressed in your favorite non-scary costume and receive a special library BOOk treat, no tricking.  Central Library Trick or Treat, 9:00 a.m.  - 6:00 p.m., Tuesday, October 31   Stop by the  Central Library for a Halloween treat  while supplies last.  Five Points West Regional Library  Happy Halloween Word Search, 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Monday, October 30 and Tuesday, October 31 Complete a word search puzzle. Trick or Treat at Five Points West, Tuesday, O...

  GivingTuesday is a movement that unleashes the power of radical generosity around the world.  GivingTuesday reimagines a world built upon shared humanity and generosity. This important day falls on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Support GivingTuesday by making a donation to the Friends Foundation of the Birmingham Public Library . The Friends Foundation of the Birmingham Public Library fundraises to support programming, improve facilities, and purchase equipment that is beyond the library’s annual budget.  The Foundation improves access to library resources—books and other reading materials, historical collections, educational programs, and technology—through the generous donations of individuals, foundations and corporations throughout the region. The Friends Foundation believes that increasing the reach of the Birmingham Public Library can substantially improve the lives of Birmingham citizens. "The Friends Foundation of the Birmingham Public Library works th...

Sandi Lee is President of the Friends Foundation of the Birmingham Public Library   The Birmingham Public Library (BPL ) would like to thank everyone who contributed to the Friends Foundation of the Birmingham Public Library on Giving Tuesday! If you are looking for end-of-the year tax deductions for 2024, you still have time to support BPL by giving to the Friends Foundation of BPL.  Your gift ensures that BPL continues to provide the highest-quality experience of lifelong learning, cultural enrichment, and enjoyment to the Birmingham community.   The Friends Foundation of BPL is led by President Sandra "Sandi" Lee. Sandi worked 25 years at BPL in several roles, including interim executive director and deputy director, until retiring in 2018. After retirement, Sandi began volunteering at the Friends Bookstore inside the Central Library downtown, then joined the Friends Foundation.  Sandi was elected president of the Friends Foundation of BPL in 2021, and her ...

  Tuesday, April 22, is Earth Day 2025, and the Birmingham Public Library is holding several free programs for those who want to join together to shine the spotlight on the importance of protecting Earth's natural resources. Events include a free Earth Day Family Fun Night Concert featuring Shaheed & DJ Supreme, happening at Springville Road Regional Library at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, April 22.    The 2025 Earth Day theme is "Our Power, Our Planet," calling on everyone globally to united behind renewable energy. Here is a listing by location of BPL locations hosting Earth Day activities this week:  Central Library, BPL Department of Archives & Manuscripts , (205) 226-3630 Interview Ayurella Horn-Muller, author of  Devoured: The Extraordinary Story of Kudzu, the Vine that Ate the South, online at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 22. The BPL Department of Archives & Manuscripts is hosting a virtual Earth Day interview with Ayurella Horn-Muller, author of D...

The Birmingham Public Library would like to thank all of our wonderful donors from Birmingham and beyond for making #GivingTuesday so successful! As of this writing, we have raised $4,300 of our $6,000 goal. And donations are still coming in. For most of the campaign, each of your gifts has been matched one-to-one by one of our generous Foundation Board members—so each $10 gift has become $20, each $100 gift has become $200, and so on. Our goal is to complete this campaign by January 1, 2013, so that we can purchase each and every item in the new year. Please take a look at our list here , and consider donating enough for an entire wish or helping complete a wish with other donors. No amount is too small. Birmingham Public Library WishList This year is the launch of #GivingTuesday—a day dedicated to giving that falls on the heels of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Nationwide, thousands of charities, corporations, and foundations—including the Birmingham Public Library—have promo...

On Tuesday, November 27, 2012, BPL will join a nationwide movement celebrating a new day dedicated to giving. Charities, families, businesses, community centers, students, retailers, and more will come together to create #GivingTuesday—a new movement to celebrate giving and encourage more, better, and smarter giving during the holiday season. Now is your chance to give to BPL through Library WishList! Our goal is to raise $6,000 this holiday season and fulfill the wishes of BPL’s 19 libraries! Click the logo below to see BPL's WishList. More about #GivingTuesday... #GivingTuesday is a movement to celebrate and provide incentives to give. It will culminate with a national day of giving on November 27, 2012. This first-of-its-kind effort harnesses the collective power of a unique blend of partners—charities, families, businesses and individuals—to transform how people think about, talk about, and participate in the giving season. #GivingTuesday will inspire people to take col...

#GivingTuesdayNow is being held on Tuesday, May 5, 2020.  The Birmingham Public Library is excited to join   #GivingTuesdayNow  on May 5, 2020. This monumental day joins efforts in response to emergency needs due to COVID-19. Thie movement is designed to increase generosity, promote community awareness by helping businesses and nonprofits around the world. #GivingTuesdayNow unites us to come together and give back. This important day adds to the scheduled #GivingTuesday held on Dec. 1, 2020. During the coronavirus pandemic public libraries, including BPL, are featuring programs to provide local information on COVID-19 , virtual storytelling by Avondale Library's Mrs. Eve , and online help for students stuck at home such as  Smithfield Library's math tutoring provided April 28 by Miles College Adjunct Professor Charles McCauley . "  #GivingTuesdayNow  is a great time for people to give back and help organizations, like BPL that are striving...

Several Birmingham Public Library locations are holding activities to help make Valentine's Day even more special for loved ones this week.  Patrons are creating special Valentine's Day cards at East Ensley Branch Library through Friday , February 14. Adults at Powderly Branch Library's No-Sew Heart Pillow craft on Tuesday created soft, stuffed heart pillows using fabric cutting and tying techniques. Patrons at Inglenook Branch Library will decorate Valentine's cupcakes on Thursday, February 13. Titusville Branch Library on Friday will host Love & Hip-Hop Exercise class on Valentine's Day as well an all-day Love Day at the Library including speakers and a focus on books about love.  Here listed by library location are Valentine's Day programs happening through Friday, February 14: East Ensley Branch Library, 900 14th Street Ensley , Ph. (205) 787-1928   Tuesday, February 11- Friday, February 14, 9:00 a.m.  - 5:30 p.m.  Create Your Own Valentine's D...