Library Releases New African American Booklist

The Birmingham Public Library (BPL) hosted a series of programs focusing on the arts in February—visual arts, performing arts, language arts, and theatre arts. Now as it wraps up programming for Black History Month, BPL continues to highlight the arts by showcasing literary works with the release of its annual publication the African American Booklist.

This 2012 publication includes 115 book titles—with brief descriptions—of works published last year by and about African Americans. "The African American Booklist is a compilation of our librarians’ reading suggestions. Our goal in creating and publishing the list is to help patrons make choices on what to read next,” states Renee Blalock, Director of the Birmingham Public Library. The publication includes titles for adults, teens, and youth, along with a list of top ten titles in the BPL collection. Copies of the African American Booklist are free and available at the Central Library downtown and all BPL branch locations.