Birmingham Public Library Blog

Good news book lovers: All 18 locations of the Birmingham Public Library are now offering in-person services and curbside hours during weekdays.  The days and hours of service vary by location. See the above flyer or read below for details. Also, the Central Library is now offering Saturday in-person services. The Southern History Department and BPL Archives Department are open by appointment only  between Monday and Friday, and are closed on weekends. The following COVID-19 safety protocols have been implemented to protect BPL staff and patrons at each BPL location:  • All patrons entering library locations will be required to wear masks.  • Hand-sanitizing stations are set up throughout each library for patron’s use. • In compliance with city curfew laws, children under age 17 must be accompanied by parents or legal guardian while inside BPL locations during school hours, and children age 10 and under must be accompanied by an adult at all times while in the library.   In-person lib

  The Birmingham Public Library is hosting three virtual programs as part of its annual celebration of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Holiday. See details below:   • Thursday, January 14, MLK Storytime with Avondale Library’s Ms. Cas, Avondale Library and Birmingham Public Library Facebook page (Available anytime after 8:00 a.m. today)  Avondale Storyteller Ms. Cas presents a video storytime on peace and cooperation on Thursday, January 14. Ms. Cas shares that Martin Luther King, Jr. always inspires her to think on peace and the power of working together.  Ms. Cas tells a compelling version of the Tortoise and the Hare from Peggy Appiah’s book, Tales of an Ashanti Father. This classic story, viewed through the lens of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy, is sure to appeal to listeners young and old alike.  Although the reading began at 8:00 a.m. today, patrons can watch Ms. Cas’s video anytime, starting today, January 14, by visiting the Birmingham Public Library Facebook Page .  •

All locations of the Birmingham Public Library will be closed Monday, January 18 in observation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

  BPL Book Review: Thumbs Up to Wild and Crazy Guys   By William Anthony| Business, Science, Technology Department Central Library   Some of the definitive and most frequently quoted comedies from the late 1970s to the early 1990s took that era of Hollywood by storm and embedded themselves into popular culture forever.  From Animal House and T he Jerk   to Planes, Trains, and Automobiles and Groundhog Day to Ghostbusters and Beverly Hills Cop , all of these movies and many more continue to make us laugh really hard to this very day. As everything just seems uncertain nowadays, Wild  and  Crazy Guys : How the Comedy Mavericks of the '80s Changed Hollywood Forever encapsulates a creative, fascinating time period full of laughing, crying, pratfalls, quick wit, blockbuster hits, and the cost of fame itself. We could all use a good chuckle reading about the following wild and crazy comedians.   Nick de Semlyn not only explores why these movies have stood the test of time, but, mor

  What: The Eighteenth Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Lecture "A Reckoning with Monuments, Memory and the Legacy of White Supremacy" When: Tuesday, January 19, 2021, 2:00 p.m.  Where : BPL Facebook Page, www.facebook.com/BirminghamPublicLibrary Details:  Author Connor O'Neill will discuss the legacy of white supremacy in this virtual event, the Birmingham Public Library's 18th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Lecture. No registration required. Birmingham, Ala. – For nearly two decades each January, the Birmingham Public Library’s Department of Archives and Manuscripts has sponsored Begin the Day: The Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Lecture as part of the celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  The 2021 Martin Luther King Lecture , to air virtually on the BPL Facebook page at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 19, will feature author Connor Towne O’Neill discussing his new book, Down Along with That Devil’s Bones: A Reckoning with Monuments, M

  As part of a citywide celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend, the Birmingham Public Library will host a panel discussion online on Saturday featuring African-American men sharing inspiring words of encouragement for youth. "Brothers and Bow Ties: A Vision Cast Virtual Event” will take place at 10:00 a.m. this Saturday, January 16, 2021, on the BPL Facebook page .  Cedric D. Sparks, Chief of Staff for the City of Birmingham, will serve as host and moderator of the event.  Brothers & Bow Ties is part of a citywide celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend, and will include a panel of black men offering words of encouragement to young boys and teenagers between the ages of 11 and 18.  The program will provide donations for those in need at the Central Library on MLK Day Monday, January 18, 2021, commemorating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a “Day of Service.” Brothers and Bow Ties is designed to motivate adolescent males between the ages

  Need something to look forward to this weekend? The Birmingham Public Library (BPL) has got you covered with a virtual poetry slam on Friday night and the return of in-person library services Saturday at the Central Library.   Begin at 6:00 p.m. tonight Friday, January 8, by watching some of Alabama’s most talented spoken word poetry artists compete for a $300 grand prize when BPL hosts its first ever Bards & Brews Virtual Poetry Slam.  The competition will air live on the Bards & Brews Facebook page .   BPL’s popular monthly spoken word poetry/craft beer event , in its 11 th year, switched to a virtual event last April due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Poetry slams are Bards & Brews biggest event, but this is the first time the slam will be held online. After watching Bards & Brews tonight,  join us downtown as the Central Library, located at 2100 Park Place,  resumes in-person services on Saturday, January 9, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This will be the first time the