Birmingham Public Library Blog

Dr. Abidin Yildirim, director of outreach and STEM Coordinator for the UAB School of Engineering, and college mentors work with teens on a structured STEM activity at the  Central Library. The Birmingham Public Library (BPL) has received a $95,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham to expand Teens Engineer BHM, a pilot afterschool program that partners engineering school mentors from UAB with teens at three Birmingham city libraries: Central, Southside, and Woodlawn. The grant will be used to expand the program from three to five libraries over the next two years. The Community Foundation announced the grant and other recipients on May 26 at the link below: http://www.cfbham.org/for-nonprofits/recent-grants/ . Teens Engineer Birmingham, a UAB School of Engineering outreach effort through the Birmingham Public Library, began as a pilot program at the Central Library in 2015. Last year, it was expanded to Southside and Woodlawn Branch Libraries a...

(l-r) UAB School of Engineering Director of Outreach Dr. Abidin Yildirim, BPL System Teen Librarian Lance Simpson, and Grants and Special Projects Librarian Carrie Campbell The BPL Teens Engineer Birmingham, a program of the Birmingham Public Library (BPL), has received a $50,000 grant from the UAB Benevolent Fund grant program. The money will be used to expand BPL’s afterschool robotics program for teens. Lance Simpson, system teen librarian for the Birmingham Public Library, said the grant will help expand the BPL’s teen engineering program, enabling it to serve more young people in Birmingham. Simpson and Carrie Campbell, grants and special projects librarian, submitted the grant application on behalf of BPL. “We are incredibly excited for a chance to work with UAB to provide engineering programs after school for so many of our teens,” Simpson said. “We are grateful for the confidence of the faculty and staff at UAB in selecting us for this great honor, and to the UAB Ben...

The BPL Teens Engineer Birmingham, a program of the Birmingham Public Library (BPL), will receive a $50,000 grant from the UAB Benevolent Fund grant program during the UAB Blazers men's basketball game Thursday, February 25 . The check will be presented on the court to BPL staff during a commercial break. The game tips off at 7:00 p.m. at Bartow Arena on the UAB campus. Lance Simpson, system teen librarian for the Birmingham Public Library, said the grant will help expand the BPL’s teen engineering afterschool program, enabling it to serve more young people in Birmingham. Simpson and Carrie Campbell, grants and special projects librarian, submitted the grant application on behalf of BPL. He said the BPL Teens Engineer Birmingham program is grateful for the UAB Benevolent Fund and UAB employees for supporting their efforts to serve the teens of Birmingham. “Our teens are very excited, and so are the UAB students with whom we've been working,” Simpson said. “This program...

Allaire Doussan and fellow engineering students at a recent robotics program University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) engineering student Allaire Doussan participated in a robotics program at her high school. When she found out the UAB School of Engineering was teaching a summer engineering program at the Birmingham Public Library (BPL) last year, she volunteered to be a part of it to help give back to area teens who shared her joy of robotics and engineering. A year later, Doussan has advanced from volunteer to a paid UAB internship helping teach students who participate in BPL’s weekly afterschool Teens Engineer Birmingham program at the Woodlawn, Southside, and Central Libraries. “It has been great and rewarding teaching the kids,” said Doussan, a biomedical engineering major. “They seem to really enjoy learning.” As part of the program, Doussan and fellow UAB students assist Dr. Abi Yildirim, director of outreach for UAB’s School of Engineering, in teaching roboti...

(l-r) Josia Hudson and Michael Joseph at Southside Library's STEM program Thanks to a $50,000 grant from the UAB Benevolent Fund , the Birmingham Public Library (BPL)’s Teens Engineer Birmingham (TEB) afterschool program has expanded from the Central Library to two additional branch libraries this fall. In mid-September, the Woodlawn Branch Library began offering TEB for students from nearby Woodlawn High School on Mondays at 3:30 p.m. On Tuesdays at 3:30 p.m., the Southside Branch Library is now hosting TEB for students from nearby Ramsay High School. The Central Library has added more activities for participants of its TEB afterschool program, held on Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m. and comprised mostly of students from nearby Phillips Academy. BPL purchased 3D printers and other engineering equipment to expand the program after being chosen as recipient in February of $50,000 from the UAB Benevolent Fund, a grant program funded by UAB employees. Lance Simpson, system teen lib...

by Pat Rumore Learning Center department head Lance Simpson hosts a program for teens in  the Teen Zone at the Central Library As a volunteer on the board of Birmingham Public Library's Friends Foundation , I continue to be excited by the programs being developed in the Central Teen Zone learning center. Three groups of volunteers with special knowledge have helped librarian Lance Simpson create some really exciting hands-on learning opportunities for the teens, grades 9-12, who participate. (I'm hoping for the day when some of these same learning experiences may be offered to adult patrons as well!) UAB School of Engineering volunteer at the Woodlawn Branch Library The Teen Engineer BHM program, co-sponsored with the UAB Engineering Department, operated as a pilot program offered at Central Library and two branches for its first two years through a grant from the UAB Benevolent Fund . This year there will be four branch sites in addition to Central because of...

by Caitlin Jackson, Youth Department , Central Library What does a librarian do? When another librarian and I went to a career fair, most replies dealt in books. It is true that librarians work with information and providing said information can often come in the form of books. However, when working with today’s youth, we also have to provide opportunities through programming and programming requires partners. So, “shhhhhhhh,” here’s the secret: You don’t have to be a librarian to work with the library. Just ask two of our University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Engineering mentors, Allaire and Mo. A few years ago, a librarian had a dream (thank you, Lance!) which was to create a STEM-based program that could travel to many different branches throughout the city. This afterschool program would allow middle and high schoolers access to coding, soldering, and robotics classes. The people who developed these programs were librarians and UAB engineering students and profe...

Mentor and teens at the Five Points West Library At the Five Points West Regional Branch Library on March 6, young teens listened intently as mentors from the UAB School of Engineering taught them computer coding and other engineering skills. The teens are participating in the Birmingham Public Library’s popular Teens Engineer BHM program, which is offering free workshops at 11 locations across the City of Birmingham through May 3, 2018. Read more at this link: http://bplolinenews.blogspot.com/2018/02/teens-engineer-bhm-march-may-workshop.html . Teens Engineer BHM focuses on middle and high school students with an interest in math and science. The program was formed as the result of BPL’s partnership with the UAB School of Engineering, spearheaded by Lance Simpson of the Central Library. BPL was awarded a $50,000 UAB Benevolent Fund grant in 2016, which helped purchase computers and other supplies necessary for the success of the program. In 2017 BPL received a $95,000 two-yea...

Students and Central Library staff as Best Buy Foundation personnel donate a $10,000 check to help expand Central Library's STEM technology program for youth. Bottom photo (second from left): Lance Simpson, Karyn Davis, regional HR manager for Best Buy, Monica White, and BPL director Angela Hall.  Thanks to a $10,000 grant from the Best Buy Foundation, the Birmingham Public Library (BPL) is planning to add new services in its STEM-focused afterschool program for teens in its Central Library. Since the summer of 2015, Central Library at 2100 Park Place has been collaborating with the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Engineering to provide a weekly STEM-focused technology-based afterschool program for teens. BPL's system teen librarian, Lance Simpson, and grants writer, Carrie Campbell, joined with School of Engineering's director of outreach, Dr. Abidin Yildirim, and community volunteer, Keiah Shauku, to write a grant seeking funds to expand the...

by Pat B. Rumore, board member of the Friends Foundation of the Birmingham Public Library Pat Rumore Say you’re interested in Abraham Lincoln , and you want to read the new historical novel by George Saunders, Lincoln in the Bardo . You stop by your Birmingham neighborhood library , but the book is not there. But there’s no problem. You can go online and request it and ask that it be delivered to your library. And usually, in a matter of days, you’ll have it. The above example is just one way in which the Birmingham Public Library (BPL) system works. The system has 18 branches throughout the city, all of which serve many purposes in their particular communities, but the BPL system’s beating heart is the Central Library complex downtown. Central acquires, catalogs, and circulates the books, magazines, DVDs, and CDs that you’re accustomed to finding in the branches. But it also acquires a vast array of electronic media offerings such as downloadable films, e-books, magaz...

Standing l-r: Lance Simpson, Dr. Abidin Yildirim, and Johnathan  Austin. Sitting are student participants Tamia Dunlap, left,  and  Tatyonna Cohill. Touring the STEM technology program at the Central Library on November 17 brought home fond memories for Birmingham City Council President Johnathan Austin. In the early 2000s, Austin and his father, Rev. Gerald Austin, ran a summer technology program called Stars Tech Camp. After observing and talking to the students who were making tracks for their electronic trains, Austin came away impressed. “Our Stars Tech Camp was very similar to this—skill building, tech training, achieving results, and self-sufficiency,” Austin said. “We did exactly what you are doing here at the library—exposing kids to opportunities like this they may not otherwise get to do.” Thanks to a $10,000 grant received in October from the Best Buy Foundation , the Birmingham Public Library (BPL) is planning to add new services in its STEM-focused ...

More than a dozen Birmingham area teens now have insight on how computer coding is used to create movies and video games, thanks to the Birmingham Public Library (BPL) and community partners. On July 11-15, the Central Library hosted the Steel City Hackers Coding Camp for middle and high school students. Generously funded by a UAB Benevolent Fund Local Agency Grant, the coding camp offered local teens a week-long opportunity to learn how to code and create their own movies and video games. Teens used ALICE, a computer programming environment designed to teach code and offered free to the public by Carnegie Mellon University. In addition to gaining a better understanding of the importance of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, teens learned the importance of algorithms and the building blocks for learning and applying other computer programming languages. “This program fit well with our mission to provide 21st century informal education programs at the librar...

What: 2018 Birmingham Public Library Summer Learning, over 400 free activities for kids, teens, and adults being held at 19 locations across the City of Birmingham in June and July 2018. Details: Summer Learning puts an emphasis on learning through reading to prevent the dreaded "summer slide," a term referring to learning loss that occurs when students are on summer break. Make plans to attend the 2018 BPL Summer Learning Kickoff Celebration at the Central Library  on Friday, June 1, 6:30-8:00 p.m. The theme for the 2018 BPL Summer Learning program is " Libraries ROCK .” You can register and print out a downloadable calendar for kids, teens, and adults at BPL's Summer Learning page . Are you a teenager desiring to learn how to program robots or how to create cool objects using a 3D printer? Do you have a child with a gift for poetry who desires to write a spoken word poem about the civil rights movement that’ll be archived for future generations to hear...

The Birmingham Public Library is hosting a fall girls computer coding camp in partnership with Holy Family Cristo Rey Catholic High School ,  thanks to a grant funded by NCWIT (National Center for Women & Information Technology) . Code 205: Intro to Game Design will be led by a team consisting of Katelyn Miller, Caitlin Jackson, and Mohsine Taarji. Caitlin Jackson, a BPL teen librarian, has worked closely with Taarji on past projects, such as Teen Engineers BHM, which included STEM education such as coding, soldering, and 3D printing. Taarji has worked with the library for about five years as an UAB Engineering student mentor and is currently working on his PhD. Teens Engineer BHM is a program BPL began that partners teens interested in engineering careers with mentors from the UAB School of Engineering.  The Birmingham Public Library hopes that Code 205 will serve as a novel program that inspires future sessions in the spring and beyond. When discussing the switch from...

Teen librarian Lance Simpson with STEM students at Central Library What: Teens Engineer BHM Robotics Marathon for middle and high school students When: November 5, 9:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.; November 6, 2:30-5:00 p.m. Where: Central Library , Teen Zone, 2nd floor Details: Free but registration required at lmsimpson@bham.lib.al.us or 205-226-3655 Teens Engineer BHM will host its first Robotics Marathon weekend November 5-6. “Hang out with us at the Central Library for a weekend of awesomeness complete with robots, programming, pizza, and our team of UAB School of Engineering students,” said Lance Simpson, system teen librarian for the Birmingham Public Library (BPL). “Our teens are very excited, and so are the UAB students with whom we've been working,” Simpson said. “This program will encourage students to push themselves academically, and prepare them for great success in future STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) careers.” BPL purchased 3D print...

by Pam Jessie, Woodlawn Branch Library In January three Birmingham Public Library locations (Central, Southside, and Woodlawn) resumed their highly successful teen program, Teens Engineer BHM. Teens Engineer BHM is an ongoing program that focuses on middle and high school students with an interest in math and science. The program was formed as the result of BPL teen librarian Lance Simpson’s partnership with the UAB School of Engineering. BPL applied for and was awarded the UAB Benevolent Fund grant, which has helped to purchase computers and other supplies necessary for the success of the program. Teen Librarian Lance Simpson The students at Woodlawn Library thoroughly enjoyed this program in the fall of the school year and are ready to get started this spring. All middle and high schoolers are welcome and don’t worry if you miss a week—the projects are designed so that you won’t “fall behind” on what’s being done. Students are welcome to come when time allows. Teen ...

Teens Engineer BHM, to be held at Inglenook Library September 19, is a partnership with UAB Engineering School.  Inglenook Branch Library is hosting several new programs during the month of September, including an afterschool tutoring next week, a teen engineers event, and a return of its popular appreciation program for women in the Inglenook community.  Here is a listing of programs taking place at Inglenook (for more information, call the library at 205-849-8739):  * Game Day Friday,   September 13, 3:30 p.m. - Come join a friendly competition with your peers.  * Full STREAM Ahead: Dissect & Repair Smart Devices, Tuesday, September 17, 3:30 p.m.  * Afterschool Tutoring with Makayla, Wednesday, September 18, 3:30 p.m. - Students in need of help with homework are invited to seek assistance from Miss Makayla.  * STREAM Activities with Teen Engineers, Thursday, September 19, 3:30 p.m.- Teen Engineers BHM is a partnership between ...