Birmingham Public Library Blog

  Birmingham, Ala. – The Birmingham Public Library has plenty of free programs and events to help patrons get in the Halloween spirit throughout October. BPL libraries across the City of Birmingham are hosting nearly 40 Halloween activities this month, including 31 being held between October 16 and October 31. Make sure to be at the Central Library's Arrington Auditorium this Saturday, October 19, from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. for BPL Assistant Archivist Connor Marullo's discussion "Haunted Birmingham: A Talk About the Magic City's Macabre Past"   Many of our 18 locations will also be giving away free candy on Halloween Day Thursday, October 31.     See details, dates and times of our Halloween programs below, listed alphabetically.  Avondale Regional Branch Library   Programs for Kids and Teens  Boo-k BINGO -   October 14-19, 21-26, 28  Join us for a ghoulish month-long BINGO! Earn a chance to win a spook-tacular book bundle! With every BINGO, you can register

  Phoenix King, Independence The Birmingham Public Library   is privileged to host the Helen Keller Art Show of Alabama (HKAS) during the month of October. The exhibition features 40 pieces of art created by students with visual impairments, blindness, and/or deaf blindness from across the state of Alabama. HKAS is on display in the First Floor Gallery at the Central Library  through October 30, 2024.  A reception will take place in the gallery on Friday, October 18, from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. Children who participate in the Helen Keller Art Show of Alabama use various media to create one-of-a-kind masterpieces. Most of the artworks in the exhibition have tactile components and can be experienced by viewing as well as through the sense of touch. The pieces are produced in public, private, residential, and home schools. BPL is the sixth venue to host the show this year. So far, the exhibition has visited the Shelby County Arts Council (Columbiana), the Heritage Hall Museum (Talladega)

Don't miss the  Birmingham Public Library' s  3rd Annual Let Loose in the Library: Classic Cocktails , set for 5:30 to 9:00 p.m. at the  Central Library  downtown next Tuesday, October 22. Kick off your  2024 Magic City Classic week  by making new friends and reconnecting with alumni from  Alabama State University  and  Alabama A&M University .  Hosted by V 94.9 FM DJ/radio personality Dana "Lady Woo" Woodruff and Jermaine "Funnymaine" Johnson,   BPL's Classic Cocktails kickoff party  promises to be an evening to remember!  The event features tailgate-style food, a cigar lounge, fabulous specialty cocktail drinks, a beer bar, and fun games. Get your dancing shoes ready for music spun by DJ Christin French. Classic Cocktails is sponsored by the  Friends Foundation of the Birmingham Public Library  plus other sponsors listed on the flyer above. Tickets are $40 apiece and available for purchase on  Eventbrite .  Proceeds help support library programs a

Please join the Birmingham Public Library Department of Archives & Manuscripts as we explore the horrifying history of Birmingham's ghosts.  This free program, "Haunted Birmingham: A Talk About the Magic City's Macabre Past," will take place from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. inside the Arrington Auditorium on the fourth floor of the BPL Research Library, 2100 Park Place in downtown Birmingham. From lost lovers to bloody tragedy, the ghosts of Birmingham have strange and terrible stories to tell. Be warned that this talk is not for the faint of heart, we will be learning about axe murders and ghastly remains.  If you are feeling brave then come, join Connor Marullo the Assistant Archivist on Saturday the 19th, if you dare!  If you have any questions about this event, contact Connor at connor.marullo@cobpl.org or 205-226-3631.  For more details click on this Facebook link    By Connor Marullo, Assistant Archivist|BPL Department of Archives & Manuscripts

  Halloween favorites from the staff of North Birmingham Regional Library . We love spooky season here at the North Birmingham Regional Branch Library !  Here are some fun and exciting staff favorites for the month of October:  Books The House That Horror Built  This novel by Christina Henry introduces us to protagonist Harry Adams: someone who has always loved horror movies. Harry gets a gig cleaning the house of a famous horror director and soon discovers the house holds more secrets than she ever anticipated.  The Stephen King Universe: A Guide to the Worlds of the King of Horror  This fascinating nonfiction selection delves into the world of Stephen King characters and gives readers a good balance of both criticism and interpretation of King’s work. The book also comes with a variety of wonderful illustrations for your viewing pleasure.  Dracula  This classic work of horror fiction (1897) by Bram Stoker introduced the world to what is now considered to be the most famous and widely

  2024 Family History Month programs have kicked off at the Birmingham Public Library. Started in 2001, F amily History Month is held in October as a month-long celebration to encourage people to explore and preserve their family history. It's a great opportunity to learn about your family's traditions, culture, and heritage, and connect with relatives both near and far.   BPL's Southern History Department holds a variety of genealogy programs throughout the year to make it easier for patrons to research and document their family tree. Family History Month is a time to highlight the important role our genealogy programs can play in helping patrons learn more about their family past.  BPL is hosting 6 programs this year including two already held:    Google Your Peeps October 2,  a program that showed patrons how to use the Internet to research their family's past; and  You are Here: Using Digitized Maps in Historical and Genealogical Research October 9 , a program o

  The Central location of the Birmingham Public Library (BPL) will be hosting a Medicare Open Enrollment counseling session on Friday October 25, 2024. Alabama state Certified Medicare Specialists will be on hand at the session to help those currently enrolled in Medicare make more informed decisions about changing their coverage plans. During the Medicare Open Enrollment period, which is held annually from October 15th to December 7th, all people with Medicare may choose to do the following: Switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan Switch from a Medicare Advantage plan to Original Medicare Switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another Join a Medicare drug plan Switch from one Medicare drug plan to another  Drop Medicare drug coverage completely. Free, reliable, and unbiased Medicare counseling is made available to the public by the  Alabama State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) , which is administered locally by the  United Way Agency on Aging in Jefferson Count

Please join us at the Central Library on Tuesday, October 8, for a discussion led by historians Alex Lichtenstein and Tyler Malugani. "Unmasked: Anti-Lynching Activism and Community-Based Memory" is scheduled in conjunction with the Scottsboro Boys Museum  travelling exhibition, which is currently on display in the Grand Commons. A reception will start at 5:30 p.m., and the discussion is set to begin at 6:15 p.m. The Scottsboro Boys Museum commemorates the lives and legacy of nine young African Americans falsely accused of rape in 1931. They spent 102 years in jail for a crime that never happened. In the 1930s, they became international symbols of race-based injustice in the American South. There has been no civil rights moment more significant than Scottsboro in the history of the movement. The exhibit celebrates the positive actions of those of all colors, creeds, and origins who have taken a stand against the tyranny of racial oppression. Next Tuesday, guests will hear fro