Birmingham Public Library Blog

by Mary Anne Ellis, Southern History Department, Central Library Abstracts from Alabama Newspapers Compiled by Larry E. Caver, Jr. At this time of the year when the weather turns colder, I really enjoy those mornings when I can linger over my coffee and read the newspaper. But newspapers are more than just entertainment—if you’re doing genealogical research and not checking newspaper records, you can be missing out on some fantastic information. Abstracts from Alabama Newspapers is a two-volume set of notices from newspapers in fourteen different Alabama counties. We’re so accustomed to instant news sources that it’s easy to forget how much our ancestors depended on the newspaper for their information about what was going on in the world. Newspapers can contain notices of births, deaths, and marriages and this can be a lifeline for family history research in times before vital records laws became the order of the day. A local newspaper might also contain property transactions, ...

Looking back through my blog posts, I discovered that I had not introduced any of this season's new Christmas books.  Many Christmas titles are published in October, so these are already available to enjoy next to the fireplace with a glass of eggnog.  Take a break from the holiday rush, relax, and escape into one of these delightful books.  I hope all of you have a festive and enjoyable holiday season.  The book descriptions are provided by the publishers. Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery   / Jenny Colgan In the Cornish coastal village of Mount Polbearne, the Christmas season has arrived. It's a joyous time for family, friends, and feasting, as decorations sparkle along the town's winding streets and shop windows glow with festive displays. And in Polly's Little Beach Street Bakery, the aroma of gingerbread cookies and other treats tempts people in from the cold.  Though Polly is busy keeping up with the demands of the season, she still makes ti...

What: Shot in Alabama: Historical Birmingham Photographs exhibit Where: Central Library, First Floor Gallery near the display windows When: December 10, 2017-February 4, 2018 Details: Free and open to the public during library hours. On Sunday, January 7,  Shot in Alabama  author Frances Robb will give a gallery tour of the exhibit at 2:30 p.m., followed by a lecture at 3:00 p.m. in the Fiction Department. If you like looking at historic photographs, make plans to make your way to the Birmingham Public Library (BPL)’s Central branch to view its new exhibit  Shot in Alabama: Historical Birmingham Photographs . The exhibit is open to the public through February 4, 2018, in the First Floor Gallery. The photo display features nearly 30 pictures from the book Shot in Alabama: A History of Photography, 1839-1941, and a List of Photographers   by author Frances Osborn Robb, released by the University of Alabama Press in 2016. Shot in Alabama is Robb's visua...

The same Flipster app for Android phones and tablets is now available for Chromebooks via Google Play. This means that library patrons can easily access the enhanced Flipster app and download digital magazines using a supported Chromebook. Learn more . Flipster is a free digital magazine service available through the Birmingham Public Library for residents of Birmingham with a JCLC libary card. Full-text popular magazines are available to be read on a mobile device or computer.

On December 8 hoopla digital announced a new agreement with Marvel Entertainment that adds over 250 collections and graphic novels to the service. Through this agreement, patrons of participating public libraries can now borrow Marvel works such as Thor: God of Thunder , Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet , Civil War , and X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga via hoopla digital on their smartphones, tablets, and computers. Marvel content arriving on hoopla digital includes heroes and villains that have been a part of Marvel’s blockbuster films and acclaimed television shows, including The Avengers , Guardians of the Galaxy , Spider-Man , Daredevil , Punisher , and The Runaways . Marvel’s collections add to hoopla’s catalog of more than 600,000 movies, TV shows, music albums, eBooks, audiobooks, and comics. “Through this agreement, we are building a digital home for comic book fans where they can find all their favorite characters and have instant access to hundreds ...

by Maya Jones, West End Branch Library This week Kimberley Wiley and I enjoyed our hours spent staffing a Birmingham Public Library table at the Birmingham City Schools Community Services Information Fair at Sixth Avenue Baptist Church. We created library cards, renewed library cards, and checked out books, DVDs, and graphic novels to parents. This program is presented every year and is open to all parents/guardians of Birmingham City School children. I had the privilege of presenting information about the Birmingham Public Library and presentations about services were given by the following agencies. Feel free to check out their websites. Maya Jones and Kimberly Wiley manning the BPL table Alabama Partners for Clean Air Birmingham Fire and Rescue Birmingham Healthy Start Plus Birmingham Public Library Boy Scouts of America Childcare Resources The Dannon Project Girls Inc. of Central Alabama Family Court of Jefferson County Family Guidance Center Jefferson County D...

Did you attend elementary school in Birmingham? Are you searching for historical information about local schools? If so, we have good news! Birmingham Public Library's Digital Collections now has newspaper articles covering Birmingham's elementary schools available online . Schools include: ACIPCO School  Alley School  Baker Elementary School  Barrett Elementary School  Bluff Park Elementary  Bush Elementary School Bryant Elementary School  Butler Elementary School  Calloway Elementary School  Central Park Elementary School  Curry Elementary School Dupuy Elementary School  Lewis Elementary School  East Lake Elementary School  Barrett Elementary School  South East Lake Elementary School  Eagen Elementary School Banks High School Dudley Elementary Schoo Inglenook Elementary School Dupuy Elementary School Edgewood Elementary School Elyton Elementary School  Fairmont Elementary Schoo...

Keep up-to-date with your library account on your mobile phone using the library's Shoutbomb text messaging service. Sign up using your phone Text the word SIGNUP to 205-358-4149. Then reply to the messages from Shoutbomb with your library card number and PIN . Once your Shoutbomb registration has been completed, you will automatically get text notices about items available to pick up, items that are due soon, overdue items, and fines. A text will be sent only when activity on your account triggers a message.

by David Blake, Fiction Department, Central Library Leonardo da Vinci Walter Isaacson Our enduring image of Leonardo is one he created for himself— the discerning sage with his long hair and beard. The pleasure of Walter Isaacson’s Leonardo da Vinci is that we get glimpses of the beautiful, endearingly vain man who, through his insatiable curiosity and unmatched visual acuity, evolved into the authentically wise sage we see in his self-portraits. Biographers, including Sigmund Freud, have long been fussy about Leonardo’s homosexuality, but Isaacson’s Leonardo is an unselfconscious gay man, athletic, with long golden curls and widely remarked upon for his androgynous beauty, who drew like an angel even before he was apprenticed in Florence at the age of twelve. In his youth, unusually, he wore his robes, often pink or purple, above the knee. It is said we get a glimpse of the young Leonardo in his master Verrocchio’s statue of David , standing triumphant over the head of Goliath. ...

The Birmingham Public Library is partnering again this year with UAB’s Regions Institute for Financial Education  to offer a series of Money Matters workshops to be held each month at our Central location. Each of the workshops covers a different topic, but all are designed to help you gain a better understanding of your personal finances and begin making a plan for the future. All workshops will be held in the Youth Department’s Story Castle, which is located on 2nd floor of the Central Library. Representatives from the Regions Institute for Financial Education in UAB’s Collat School of Business  will serve as instructors for each of the workshops. What: Money Matters  workshop series When: Third Wednesday of the Month, October 2017 thru May 2018 Time: 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. Where: Birmingham Public Library – Central Library , Youth Department, 2nd floor, Story Castle To learn more about the workshop series as well as other personal finance resources av...

by Mark Skinner, East Ensley Branch Library One of the great things about the Birmingham Public Library System is its commitment to children’s programs. Along with Summer Reading and other programs throughout the year, BPL has sought to provide STEM learning to its patrons. The library is working to fill in the gap between what the student is learning in school with activities they might not have access to at their school. At the East Ensley Library and other library branches, we use STEM-oriented toys, puzzles, games, and programs to help bridge that gap. STEM learning allows the children who visit our library to think critically and creatively to solve problems, or to just simply have fun making something with a friend. The best part about STEM is that is doesn’t have to be expensive. There are many resources that show you how to use everyday household items to learn something new about science or engineering. Here are a few websites to check out: StarNet Science Bu...

On December 4 hoopla digital introduced a new line of Picture Books with Read-Alongs for young readers. These read-along titles are displayed in picture-book layout, and feature an audio player with narration as well as text that will highlight in red in sync with the narrative audio, making the read-along feature the perfect tool for new or reluctant readers and second-language learners. "We developed this eReader with feedback from librarians, patrons, and publishers and created an experience that really celebrates the work of the authors and illustrators on our platform," said owner and founder of hoopla digital Jeff Jankowski. Click here to view a selection of read-along titles including Disney-Pixar's Coco and HarperCollins' Pete the Cat .

Greetings, shoppers and book lovers! Recycling a gently loved book is so much better than regifting that ugly TJ Maxx picture frame from Aunt Ida. While there's still plenty of time for Christmas shopping, the Friends Bookstore is reducing it's fill-a-bag sale price from $20 to $10. So come in and take advantage of tremendous savings and dig around for a thoughtful gift for someone you like. (Excludes T-shirts, albums, and special priced books and items.) The sale runs through December 22, when the library closes December 23-26 for the Christmas holiday. The Friends Bookstore is located on the first floor of the Central Library and is open Monday-Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Call 205-226-3676 for more information.

The Japanese delegation that will escort Miss Iwate to Japan for a four-month  exhibition tour and a 90th birthday celebration. Former Birmingham Public  Library Arts, Literature and Sports Department head Haruyo Miyawa (left) and  her father. Dr. Ichiro Miyagawa, sponsored a luncheon at the library for the guests What: Miss Iwate's 90th birthday celebration and tour of Japan When: Departs Birmingham on Tuesday, December 5, 2017, returns to BPL at end of March 2018 Details: Miss Iwate will be on an exhibition across Japan with other dolls as part of a traveling tour. Miss Iwate, the Birmingham Public Library’s Japanese Friendship Doll since 1927, is returning to her homeland for a tour of Japan as part of a 90th birthday celebration. A group from Japan that visited Miss Iwate at the Central Library last week is taking the doll back to Japan for a four-month tour on Tuesday, December 5. The delegation includes Masaru Aoki of Yoshitoku Dolls Tokyo, which restor...