Birmingham Public Library Blog

A large crowd gathered at Central Library for October's Soul Foods Bards & Brews, part of BPL's Eat Drink Read Write Festival. Oscar's Cafe at the Birmingham Museum of Art will host an open mic poetry event on Friday, November 7, 6:30-9:00 p.m. Craft beer will be available for sampling courtesy of Blue Pants Brewery and Good People Brewing Company ; light refreshments will be served. Music by The Reflections. Attendees must be 18 years or older to be admitted, and 21 years or older to be served. IDs will be checked. Special thanks to the Board of the Junior Patrons of the Birmingham Museum of Art. Bards & Brews is usually held on the first Friday of the month at various locations around town. There will not be a Bards & Brews in December, but on January 9 there will be a poetry slam at Central Library . Check out the Bards & Brews page on Facebook for more information. This program is made possible by grants from the Alabama State Council ...

The BPLYP will host a mixer at Central Library on Tuesday, November 18, 6:00-7:30 p.m. Attendees must RSVP at 591-4944 or bcsmith@bham.lib.al.us. In addition to showing your support for the BPLYP by attending Happy Hour at the Library, you may also support them by purchasing a Belk Charity Sale ticket. These tickets are available in the administration office at Central Library during regular business hours . Tickets are $5 and the sale is Saturday, November 8 . Please be sure to buy your Belk charity ticket today.

The Public Libraries In Jefferson County are providing a new free resource—the Alabama Driver’s Permit Practice Test. The test contains 40 multiple choice questions based on the official Alabama Driver’s Handbook . The test will assist those preparing for the Alabama driver’s license test with knowledge rules of the road and road signs in Alabama. Every permit practice test presented on the website contains a series of multiple-choice questions. After the learner answers the questions, they immediately see whether the answer was correct or not. This resource does not issue any certificates of any type nor is it a substitute for the actual Alabama driver’s license test. After passing the permit practice tests it is recommended that the test taker check with their local Alabama Drivers Motor Vehicle office to book their exam time and date. This resource should be especially helpful for young people preparing for the Alabama driver’s license test. However, a person of any age can...

Do you want to brush up on your job searching skills, have your resume reviewed for free, and shop for interview clothes in the same place? Well, on November 6 at 9:30 a.m., the Inglenook Library will be hosting a job seminar which will be conducted by representatives of the Department of Human Resources (DHR) JOBS Program . They’ll present job searching skills and techniques ranging from resume writing to interviewing skills. At the end of the program, the representatives will also review resumes and provide tips and/or corrections that will maximize your resume viewing potential. My Sister's Closet , a partner of the YWCA , will also accompany representatives of the DHR JOBS Program to showcase appropriate interview clothing and to sell them at a minimum cost. Additionally, the Inglenook Library has a plethora of books for you to further your research in leading an effective and productive job search. Check them out below. The Overnight R ésumé : The Fastest Way to Your Next...

Recently while visiting with relatives in northern New Mexico, I learned that my grandfather immigrated to the United States from Mexico sometime in the 1920s. No one is sure why he decided to come to the United States so I decided to do some detective work using the resources available at BPL. I don’t remember a lot about my grandfather except I remember him telling me about the day General Pancho Villa and his army arrived in his village. Who was Pancho Villa and why did he need an army? Using the online catalog I checked out these books: Villa and Zapata: A History of the Mexican Revolution by Frank Mclynn; The General and the Jaguar : Pershing's Hunt for Pancho Villa by Eileen Welsome; and Pancho Villa and Black Jack Pershing : the Punitive Expedition in Mexico by James W. Hurst. They provided some understanding of what was going on when he was growing up Mexico and about the colorful character, Pancho Villa. To learn more about the Mexican Revolution and Cr...

The 40s: The Story of a Decade / The New Yorker Edited by Henry Finder with Giles Harvey Many readers of The New Yorker will be pleasantly surprised to learn that the voice of the magazine, its style and its reporting, are nearly the same as when the magazine was writing the story of the World War II decade. Reading these New Yorker articles, contemporary accounts of world history and the life of the mind of that era, is to consistently remind oneself that the writers didn’t know how anything was going to turn out. We do not have to imagine the shock of Paris at the disintegration of their nation’s defenses in 1940. We can feel it through the writing of the New Yorker journalist, A. J Leibling, in Paris as France fell to the Nazis. Which of the New Yorker essays we read today will be seen as essential to the history of our day? Today we enjoy The New Yorker ’s essay-form character studies and can enjoy the collection of studies from the 1940s. We meet Le Corbusier , the archi...

The library is one of few places that our seniors can go to enjoy educational and fun-filled activities. Research shows both the acts of creative expression and social interaction are vital to the mental and physical well-being of senior citizens. Being able to express oneself can actually improve health, both mentally and physically. Creative activities planned for our senior bring many rewarding benefits: Reinforce essential connections between brain cells, including those connected to memory.  Creativity strengthens morale. It alters the way we respond to problems and helps to keep a fresh perspective which makes us emotionally resilient. Creative activities challenge the brain and can relieve sleep and mood disorders. Reading, writing, and word games increase one’s working vocabulary and help to fend off forgetfulness. Creativity promotes a positive outlook and sense of well-being which boosts the immune system and fights disease. Having an active, creative lif...

Mme. Bégué’s Recipes of Old New Orleans Cookery Madame Elizabeth Kettenring Bégué If you’re a fan of brunch or “second breakfast,” have a look through this cookbook and learn the history and recipes of one of the most famous restaurants ever to serve that meal. For many years in the nineteenth century, Bégués  was an institution of New Orleans cookery and was famed for serving up “a Gargantuan feast that began at 11:00 o’clock in the morning and never ended until about 3:00 o’clock in the afternoon.” It would take a lot of walking through the Quarter to burn that off, assuming you could rise from the table afterwards. The restaurant began as a coffee house under proprietor Louis Dutrey and at that time his wife, Elizabeth Kettenring, looked after the kitchen and was already turning out the kind of food that brought the customers in droves after they had finished their morning duties. When Dutrey died, Elizabeth married a butcher named Hypolite Bégué and by 1880 the restauran...

Recent news stories involving domestic violence have drawn renewed attention to this important issue. Although these current stories have involved sports figures, domestic violence is a crime that may be experienced by anyone. Major legislation addressing domestic violence is contained in the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 , introduced by then-Senator Joe Biden. It appears as Title IV in the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (September 13, 1994). The Act includes sections on federal penalties for sex crimes, such as mandatory restitution, and a grant for a national domestic violence hotline. The law also adds sections on interstate domestic violence and grants for rural domestic violence and child abuse enforcement and for community programs on domestic violence. The law was reauthorized in 2013 as the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (March 7, 2013). Several websites, publications, and contact numbers contain very helpful informati...

I have dyslexia and was lucky enough to be in a school system that checked for this in 1966 when I was in third grade. I took some special classes and by fourth grade I was an avid reader. I started reading Helen Fuller Orton ’s mysteries and when I had read all of those in the school’s library, I graduated to Nancy Drew . When I had finished all of the Nancy Drews in the school’s library, I started buying them at Kmart for $1.59 each. I earned money babysitting for children in the neighborhood at fifty cents an hour. I collected the entire 64-book set of the Nancy Drew books in hardback and about the first five in paperback. Through the years, something will come up in conversation or reading and I’ll think, ”I learned that in a Nancy Drew book.” For example:  In  The Secret of the Golden Pavilion , we learn that the silversword plant only grows in one place—the Haleakala Crater on the Hawaiian island of Maui—and on the island of Hawaii, there is a fern forest wit...

The Ancient Splendor , Chenghao Li Nearly 60 aqua media works from across the state will be on display September 21–October 31 during the 2014 Watercolor Society of Alabama Annual Members' Showcase at the Central Library . The free exhibit will be in the library’s Fourth Floor Gallery. E. Gordon West of San Antonio, Texas, is the selection juror. West has received numerous awards in national exhibitions and has works in the permanent collections of the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio, Texas A&M University, and the University of Louisville. He is a graduate of the University of Louisville and studied at the Chicago Art Institute. Steve Rogers of Ormond Beach, Florida is the awards juror. His artwork has won international awards. He was the Purchase Award Winner of the 2006 National Watercolor Society “Best of Show.” His paintings have won four awards in the American Watercolor Society Annual International Exhibitions. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from M...

A sound understanding of banks and banking plays an important part in assuring one’s personal financial health. Acquiring such an understanding, however, takes some time and effort. In the world of banking, there exist different kinds of institutions offering a variety of accounts, products, and investment opportunities. But it is not a matter of one size fits all; which banking services are suitable for you depends upon your particular circumstances, needs, and goals. Therefore, in order to make good decisions about banks, you should try to get good, solid information about what is available so that you can compare their offerings with your priorities. Bank on Birmingham (BoB) is a local non-profit organization that was created to provide information to the public about banking products and services. The membership of Bank on Birmingham, which consists of both local financial institutions and community organizations, is particularly interested in reaching low and moderate i...

The Five Points West Regional Branch Library began as the Central Park Library in the mid-1930s. It moved from upstairs at Fire Station number 24 to the Central Park Recreation Center to the Central Park Library Building on Bessemer Road to the Britlings Cafeteria Building on Avenue V to its present location at the Five Points West Library . It houses the Literacy and Outreach Office. The Food for Fines Drive here at the Five Points West Library (FPW) was a major success! Patrons from all across the city and county donated canned foods and non-perishable items during the month of September. A maximum of $10.00 in fines could be waived for 10 non-perishable food items donated. FPW Circulation Department staff—Andrei, Darrell, Nese, and Tammie—boxed up the items to donate to the Central Park Baptist Church Food Bank, 1900 43rd Street, Ensley. The Central Park Baptist Church has been a part of this neighborhood for over 50 years and we have been donating our canned goods to ...

To help the public learn more about the Dalai Lama prior to his Birmingham visit in late October, the Birmingham Public Library will offer several free programs and resources. The following locations will feature free screenings of the documentary 10 Questions for the Dalai Lama : Wednesday, October 15, 12:00  p.m., Central Library Tuesday, October 21, 12:00 p.m., Avondale Library Tuesday, October 21, 6:30 p.m., Springville Road Library Wednesday, October 22, 6:30 p.m., East Lake Library Thursday, October 23, 10:00 a.m., Smithfield Library Thursday, October 23, 11:00 a.m., Titusville Library A resource list about books and DVDs on His Holiness will be available at Birmingham library locations in October. Part of Human Rights Week will include the city's A Celebration of the Human Spirit Film Festival, a two-day film festival with movies that celebrate the human spirit, the quest for freedom, and the power of indivi...

Staff Modeling Up-Cycled Scarves and Bags Last week the staff of the Birmingham Public Library gathered together for the annual day of training. Every year on this day, the staff supports the community by collecting Christmas toys for Mayor's Office-Division of Youth Services and canned food for the local food banks. This year a new opportunity to support the Birmingham community was initiated by the library's United Way coordinator, Stephanie George. Stephanie, who has a passion for crafting and recycling, asked staff to help her with her United Way fundraiser by donating old T-shirts. She took the used T-shirts and up-cycled them by creating beautiful scarves and bags. The scarves and bags were sold for five dollars each during the day and $475 was raised. The fund raiser not only made use of recycled materials, but was also a fun and creative way to support a most worthy cause. The BPL staff look forward to seeing what new fundraising project Stephanie creates next y...

The Dalai Lama will be in Birmingham this week as part of Human Rights Week. Prior to his public appearance on Sunday, October 26, at Regions Field, the City of Birmingham and the Birmingham Public Library have planned several free film screenings that celebrate the human spirit, the quest for freedom, and the power of individuals to change the world. Several library locations will show the documentary Ten Questions for the Dalai Lama , October 21-23: Wednesday, October 22, 6:30 p.m., East Lake Library Thursday, October 23, 10:00 a.m., Smithfield Library Thursday, October 23, 11:00 a.m., Titusville Library Walden Media will host free screenings of different films on Friday, October 24, at the Birmingham Museum of Art and on Saturday, October 25, at the Alabama Theatre . The four Walden Media films are free, but attendees must register in advance, via Eventbrite. Here's the schedule: Friday, October 24, The Wat...

The Magic City Classic is an annual American football "classic" between  Alabama A&M University and Alabama State University, two of Alabama's most prominent historically black universities. The game is payed at Legion Field in Birmingham, and some of the festivities held in conjunction with the game include a parade and the "Battle of the Bands" between the two schools' marching bands. In the early seventies, I had a memorable experience—one of excitement, curiosity and fascination. I was curious as to why my mother dressed me in my finest to sit outside in the frigid temperature, and excited to attend one of the most renowned HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) football games. It was formerly known as the "Classic,” but later the name was changed to the "Magic City Classic.” I was also excited by the number of people gathered at the Classic, or as some labeled it,  “The Fashion Show,” where they dressed in their finest...

If you've ever thought about writing a novel, it's time to blow the dust off your keyboard and get busy! National Novel Writing Month challenges people of all ages to write 50,000 words of a novel in the 30 days of November. This year, NaNoWriMo expects 400,000 participants from 616 affiliated chapters across six continents. “Every year, we're reminded that there are still stories that have yet to be told, still voices yet to be heard from all corners of the world,” says Executive Director Grant Faulkner. “NaNoWriMo helps people make creativity a priority in life and realize the vital ways our stories connect us. We are our stories.” To participate is easy: simply sign up at  www.NaNoWriMo.org . Writing begins on November 1 and ends at midnight on November 30. Anyone who crosses the 50,000-word finish line is declared a Winner. In the meantime, NaNoWriMo lets burgeoning writers connect with a worldwide community of like-minded novelists through discussion forums, onlin...

One of the remarkable things about being a librarian is that some people think we know everything.   It never ceases to amaze me how often people ask for my opinion or ask me a question about something in which I have no expertise.   For example, people walk up with all manner of cell phones and ask various questions about them.   I have a Windows phone, which definitely puts me in the minority, so when someone asks me how to do something on an iPhone or Android phone, I may be able to figure it out, but I have no first-hand experience.   The same is true for various laptops, tablets, etc.    Since people ask for my opinion on various topics, I’ve decided to discuss a topic that I have experience with, but I’m in no way an expert.   I have interviewed and hired people to fill vacant positions, as needed, for many years.   I have also co-interviewed with others who were filling vacant positions.   I’m not a human resources professional ,...

  Renasant Bank is reaching out to help small businesses succeed with a free six-part entrepreneurial success series. Series topics include Financial Management, Networking and Relationship Building, Social Media, Tax Information, Business Plan Components, Human Resources and Access to Capital. Renasant staff and local experts are leading these valuable learning sessions throughout the Birmingham and Shelby County communities. The event is co-sponsored by the Birmingham Public Library System and Trudy Phillips Consulting . Complementary refreshments will be served. Tracey Morant Adams, Senior Vice President Small Business and Community Development Director said of the series, ‘This free series is part of Renasant Bank’s continuing commitment to further the success of small business owners and entrepreneurs in our area. We are pleased to provide valuable tools and insight to help our local community businesses thrive and flourish.” To register for any of the sessions, ple...

Coraline Neil Gaiman This time of year kids and parents are always looking for a spooky story. One of my all-time favorites is Neil Gaiman’s novella, Coraline. I think it’s the perfect Halloween read for (almost) all ages. Coraline is a little girl who is bored and lonely. Her parents’ eyes are always glued to their computers. They have just moved into a new building in a different neighborhood, an old mansion divided into flats. Without a sibling or a friend to play with Coraline explores the creaky old building and finds companionship with the wacky neighbors. Coraline becomes acquainted with Miss Spink and Miss Forcible, two old ladies retired from show business, and Mr. Bobo, who is allegedly in the process of training a mouse circus. One rainy day when she is confined to the house, Coraline finds a peculiar door in her living room. Her curiosity is piqued when she opens the door to find the entrance bricked up. The neighbors all warn her to stay away from the mysterious doo...

Which of these buildings was home to Birmingham's most famous brothel? Birmingham Noir: A Nighttime Walking Tour of Notorious Downtown Historic Sites Murders Mysteries Fallen Women October 26 and 30, 2014 Put on your walking shoes and join Birmingham Public Library Archivist Jim Baggett for a visit to some of Birmingham’s most infamous historic places. Learn about the Magic City’s most famous brothel, spectacular 19th century murders, political intrigues, and the scandal that nearly destroyed Bull Connor’s career. Admission is free, but reservations are required and spaces are limited. These tours always fill early. The tours begin at 5:45 p.m. in the atrium of the Central Library and last approximately 90 minutes . The tours end back at the library so visitors are welcome to park in the library’s lot. To make a reservation contact Jim Baggett at jbaggett@bham.lib.al.us.

How do you turn this on? Why is this called a mouse? Why is it called "Windows," and where are the curtains?  It seems that practically everything we do uses a computer. For many who have never dealt with a computer, these every-day operations can be daunting. Just the terminology alone can send someone screaming back to the pre-Y2K hills! The Regional Library Computer Center offers basics courses to introduce people to computers. The courses and trainers help technology newbies become less intimidated with working on a PC. All it requires in taking the first step and then one-step at a time. It takes time and practice. For those who have had a class or more under their belt, here are some web sites for practice. The more you become familiar with the basics, the sooner you can take the next step. Mouse Exercises Tutorials: http://www.pbclibrary.org/mousing/  The Palm Beach County Library offers tutorials to help beginners learn to use the mouse. The “Mousing Arou...