Birmingham Public Library Blog

Click To Play Thagg knows reserving, by placing a hold , is the fastest way to get the library material he wants. Using his library card, he can place a hold on almost any book, DVD, music CD or audio book the library has. Even soon to be released titles can be reserved. You too can place a hold on library materials. Try it. Click here. No card? Check this out!

Do you have a digital camera, but have no idea how to use it? Does sharing online videos sound interesting? Curious about Blogs, Wikis, IM, and other Web 2.0 stuff? Not sure how do you turn a computer on? Let us help. Plan now to kick start the New Year with a free technology class at your library. Our new slate of class offerings will answer these and many other common technology questions. Classes begin on Saturday January 5, 2008 Basic PC @ Springville Road and Central Library - RLCC Digital Cameras and Online Photo Sharing @ Five Points West Click here for a full listing of Computer Classes Space is limited. Please call the location hosting the class to register. Photo Credit: Dhammza

Have you ever wondered how to best capture the beauty of Christmas lights through your camera lens? Are you curious about the seven principles of Kwanzaa? Or, are you interested in finding out about the tradition of eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day? You can find all the answers to these questions and more through resources compiled by BPL librarians. Christmas Kwanzaa New Year's Day photograph by Ranjit Bhatnagar

All locations of the Birmingham Public Library will be closed December 24-25 and January 1. Happy Holidays!

I can’t recommend this British comedy enough. I was comatose from the desperate muggings for laughs by Will Ferrell , Jim Carrey , et al. until Hot Fuzz ' s mixture of humor and shoot-em-up action jumpstarted my comedy-loving heart. Nicholas Angel ( Simon Pegg ) is a by-the-books decorated officer in a London police department who is promoted to sergeant against his will and reassigned to the village of Sandford. The reason for the transfer? His arrest record is 400% higher than any other. He does his job so well that he makes the others look bad. Sandford's force—which consists of a rotund simpleton, Danny Butterman ( Nick Frost ); his father, Inspector Frank Butterman ( Jim Broadbent ); two smarmy mustachios named the Andies; a tart; an elderly mumbler; a clueless man; and the head of the Neighborhood Watch Association ( Edward Woodward )—is even more inept than Angel thought it would be. Nothing is taken seriously. Like how they all benefit from Danny's blunders because

The Birmingham Public Library will show two acclaimed Chinese films in conjunction with the community-wide Chinese New Year Festival celebrations. Get ready to ring in the Year of the Rat with this cinematic immersion in Chinese culture! Chungking Express Saturday, January 12 2:00 p.m. From popular Hong Kong director Wong Kar-Wai comes this 1994 film about two policemen and their romantic woes. "As playfully kinetic as it is utterly unclassifiable. Manic, cool and fantastically cosmopolitan..." The Village Voice In the Mood for Love Saturday, January 26 2:00 p.m. This film directed by Wong Kar-Wai is a visually lush, languid tale of unfulfilled longing set in the 1960s Hong Kong. A man and a woman move in to neighboring apartments and form a bond when they both suspect their spouses of having extra-marital affairs. "This may be one of the swooniest movies ever made about love and it luxuriates in its tailspin." The New York Times Details: Both movies will be shown

The 2007 edition of Season's Readings is here. In this year's publication, Birmingham Public Library staff members have reviewed a variety of books covering many of the genres that BPL offers, from children's books to adult and teen books, including both fiction and nonfiction. Look for a copy at your local Birmingham Public Library In addition to this beautiful print collection, a few of the Season's Readings reviewers recorded their reviews as podcasts which we're offering below. Click on the title of the book to listen to the review. The Birmingham Public Library wishes you a safe and happy holiday season! Larry, The King of Rock and Roll by Iris Rainer Dart and Joyce Brotman (reviewed by Lynn Carpenter) Alabama in the Twentieth Century by Wayne Flynt (reviewed by Yvonne Crumpler) Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell (reviewed by Kelly Laney) The United States of Arugula : how we became a gourmet nation by David Kamp (reviewed by Kelsey Bates) The Return

Bringing you the best of Red Mountain Theatre 's original holiday productions, Simple Gifts pays tribute to past classics, highlights new performances and combines their greatest musical moments into one delightful treat! Enjoy your favorite holiday hits in this cheerful celebration that is sure to spread the humor and heart of the season. Get wrapped up in the holidays! Details: Where: Springville Road Library When: Monday, December 17 Time: 6:30 p.m.

From the creative team that brought the critically acclaimed blockbuster Disney’s Beauty and The Beast to ASF comes the musical spectacular Peter Pan ! Join Peter, Wendy, and Tinker Bell on an enchanted flight to Neverland where they join the Lost Boys and take on the dreaded Captain Hook. This amazing production features classic songs including “I’m Flying,” “Pirate Song,” “I Won’t Grow Up,” “I’ve Got to Crow,” and many more. Visit any Birmingham Public Library to enter ASF's Peter Pan contest. A drawing will be held for an overnight stay in Montgomery and tickets to a showing of Peter Pan . The contest will run through Friday, December 14. Peter Pan DVDs and videos Peter Pan soundtrack Peter Pan audiobooks Peter Pan books J. M. Barrie's books J. M. Barrie's life