Birmingham Public Library Blog

By Jennifer Hancock | Central Library   Although I had already read and enjoyed this popular young adult story years ago, and it has already been released as a popular movie , self-quarantine inspired my entire family to reread Ready Player One by Ernest Cline and it gave me a somewhat different perspective. Set in the year 2045, this futuristic tale spends a huge amount of time in a virtual world called the Oasis, where children go to school online, a large population works from home, and families can actually go months at a time as productive citizens without ever leaving the safety of their homes. I won't lie, with the pandemic and now the societal upheavals, the Oasis concept is extremely intriguing! And this book isn't afraid to tackle some of the "results" of the stay-at-home lifestyle, including the technology necessary to access the virtual world, the effects stagnation has on our bodies, and the importance of "essential workers" who can del...

Avondale Regional Branch Library ’s celebration of Gay Pride Month draws to a close on Tuesday, June 30, 2020. In honor of Pride, Avondale Library’s Adult Department is hosting the last of a five-week online interview series that will be posted at 11:00 a.m. today, Monday, June 29, and Tuesday, June 30, on the Avondale Regional Library’s Facebook page .  Today’s interview was with Jay Wall of the Magic City Wellness Center. Hosted by Librarian Joan Inman, the series highlights LGBTQ individuals who are working within Birmingham non-profit sectors such as Magic City Acceptance Center and AIDS Alabama, and includes their personal takes on the importance of celebrating Pride, preserving history, and the integral role that libraries continue to play through their community partnerships by providing access to information for all.   The final interview, to be posted at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, June 30, will have Avondale Librarians Joan Inman and Sydney Leach discussing thei...

By Mary Beth Newbill | Southern History Department , Central Library Mild-mannered bookseller Malcolm Kershaw’s life is about to take an interesting turn. Years ago when he was a new employee at the Old Devil’s Bookstore in Boston, he wrote the inaugural post for the store’s new blog. The post, titled “Eight Perfect Murders,” was Malcolm’s homage to the best, most clever murders in all of crime fiction. Fast forward to the present and Malcolm, now a co-owner of the Old Devil’s, is being asked to assist the FBI in a rather unusual investigation. It seems that several recently committed (and unsolved) murders bear a striking resemblance to those on Malcolm’s list. Is the list serving as a blueprint for the ultimate copycat killer? Can Malcolm, with his encyclopedic knowledge of crime fiction, help the FBI connect the dots? Of course, poor Malcolm can’t help but wonder if the FBI actually suspects him of the crimes. Although he has several air-tight alibis, Malcolm is no innocent....

Josh Coleman is the City of Birmingham's LGBTQ Liaison. As national Gay Pride Month draws to a close, the Birmingham Public Library is preparing to host “Pride Conversations,” a virtual Question & Answer Session with Josh Coleman, LGBTQ Liaison for the City of Birmingham. The Q&A between BPL Outreach Librarian Candice Hardy and Coleman will take place via the video platform Zoom on Monday, June 29, at 2:00 p.m. on the Birmingham Public Library Facebook page ( https://www.facebook.com/BirminghamPublicLibrary ). The public is invited to tune in for this timely conversation. Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin hired Coleman as the city’s first LGBTQ liaison  in June 2018.  As LGBTQ liaison, Coleman focuses on the public safety of Birmingham’s LGBTQ communities, and builds relationships through provision of fair and professional policies and services. For more information on the LGBTQ Affairs and social justice office at the City of Birmingham, click here  .

What:  "Read-in For Justice" When: Saturday, June 27, 2020, from 10:00-11:00 a.m. Where: Online on Birmingham Public Library Facebook Page  Description: Join us virtually and enjoy the voices of local storytellers. This event will feature children's authors Kioka Tuck and DeCorey Hale as well as Theater Arts Instructor Shronda Major of Bush Hills Steam Academy. Check out www.cobpl.org for your connection to books written by persons of color. Birmingham, Ala. - This Saturday, June 27, at 10 a.m., the Birmingham Public Library is hosting a virtual “Read-In for Justice.” Storytellers participating include Kioka Tuck , author of  "Dream Sweet Baby"   DeCorey Hale, author of  "Ebeneezer the Sneezer,"  and  Theater Arts Instructor Shronda Major of Bush Hills Steam Academy. This event was derived as conversations of racial and social injustices have spiked across the United States. Patrons are encouraged to tune in via the Birmingham Public Li...

“ He thinks we’re what we look like on the outside: nice Southern ladies. Let me tell you something…there’s nothing nice about Southern ladies .” –  Grady Hendrix,  The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires   The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires surprised me with how much it has to offer, which shouldn't have even been a surprise because I read Grady Hendrix 's My Best Friend's Exorcism   ("which is like Beaches meets The Exorcist , only it's set in the Eighties" )   last year and felt the same way about that book too. Both could have just ridden a satisfying long, campy wave till the end, but both books dip deeper than mere camp, with Book Club touching upon the topics of patriarchy, classism, feminism, marriage, motherhood, sisterhood, victimhood, and race. Phew . In Book Club , middle-aged housewife and mother of two Patricia is bored with the book club's choices of stale classics that don’t resonate with her ...

BPL Virtual Resources Spotlight: Self-Improvement and Career Development   By Caleb West, BPL Collection Management BACKGROUND: Today is Part II of the BPL Virtual Resources Spotlight, a new blog highlighting the Birmingham Public Library’s vast free online resources available to serve the public. This week, we spotlight BPL’s Self-Improvement and Career Development Package.  For more about BPL’s virtual resources, click here http://www.bplonline.org/virtual/  The Birmingham Public Library is ALWAYS open 24/7 through our FREE online digital resources. The value of our virtual resources has been elevated the past few months during the COVID-19 pandemic. BPL has continued to serve the public through our free online resources and by creating new virtual programming. This week we spotlight our BPL Self-Improvement, Career Development package, which provides for career, educational, and self-betterment. All resources below are also available on the Birming...

Paul Boncella will present Genetic Genealogy News and Q&A on Tuesday, June 30.  What : Genetic Genealogy News and Q & A When: Tuesday, June 30, 2020, at 12:00 p.m. Description : BPL Map Conservator Paul Boncella will lead this Southern History Department online class that provides an overview of key developments in direct to consumer DNA testing companies and their websites, as well as an opportunity to ask any question whatsoever about any aspect of genetic genealogy. Registration is required at https://bit.ly/3dQkoOT . A Zoom invitation will be included in the registration confirmation email. For those unable to join us, the program will be posted at a later date on the Southern History Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SouthernHistoryBPL/ Discovering your ancestral roots is on the rise these days. If you have ever wanted to learn more about how use DNA to trace your family tree and what new tools are available to help you, the Birmingham Public Libr...

By Jim Murray |  Business, Science and Technology Department , Central Library In May, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Oversight and Reform and Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties prepared a report that emphasized the importance of responding to the 2020 Census for residents of Alabama’s 7th Congressional District. The district, currently represented by Congresswoman Terri Sewell , stretches from Jefferson County all the way to Clarke County in the southwestern part of the state. It encompasses much of the City of Birmingham, as well as parts of Tuscaloosa and Montgomery. It has both the highest percentage of minority residents in Alabama (67%) and the highest poverty rate (19%) . Coincidentally, with only 51% of the district’s residents having completed the 2020 Census questionnaire, it also currently has the lowest self–response rate of all congressional districts in the state. If the response rate in the 7th District does not improve,...

By Elizabeth Lorino |  Five Points West Regional Branch Library “ And I think about all the things we could be if we were never told our bodies were not built for them .” –  Elizabeth Acevedo,  The Poet X Xiomara Batista loves her family but feels distant from both her present but emotionally absent father and strict devout mother. Unable to speak her own truth, Xiomara keeps a journal of poems, spilling her feelings about her body and its place in the world, her budding sexuality, and her spiritual journey on the page that she can tuck away from sight. But when she is invited to join a slam poetry club at her school, she has to fight between her growing desire to speak her truth on stage and not wanting to disappoint her mother in the process. The Poet X is a deeply emotional book written through prose poetry that I listened to in a single sitting. And here’s the thing: I’m not the biggest fan of reading poetry on its own. While the book can be read on its own,...

By Jim Murray | Science and Technology Department , Central Library What: Let’s Talk about Medicare: Questions & Answers When: Virtual Facebook Live workshops taking place at noon first Thursday of the month beginning July 2, 2020 on the BPL Facebook page www.facebook.com/BirminghamPublicLibrary  Details:   Birmingham licensed insurance advisor Albert McWilliams Sr. is taking his popular Medicare Q & A sessions virtual, helping BPL patrons learn more about their Medicare options and eligibility. For information, contact the Central Library’s Business, Science and Technology Department by email at cenbusiness@cobpl.org or by calling 205-226-3691. The Birmingham Public Library continues to offer resources and programs to patrons using a variety of virtual platforms. If you are interested in taking part in a virtual learning experience that will help you gain a better understanding of your Medicare options and eligibility, tune into the library’s Faceboo...

Avondale Regional Library has seen lots of requests for books from parents desiring to teach their children about race.   In response to weeks of racial unrest and protests since an unarmed black man, George Floyd, was killed by Minneapolis police officers charged with his death, libraries such as the Birmingham Public Library System have seen a huge jump in books being checked out or downloaded on the subject of race and the black experience in America. Sales of books on those subjects are also on the rise. Staff the Birmingham Public Library have responded to patrons' questions by giving recommendations of good books that help educate the public about racism and social injustice. Among the books BPL employees have been recommending to patrons is "Dear Martin," a bestselling fiction novel bout the fallout of an unarmed black teen fatally shot by a police officer. The book is written by Atlanta author Nic Stone , who in January 2020 held a book talk/book signing ...

Kanopy is shining a spotlight on the Black Lives Matter movement by curating a collection of films dealing with Social and Systemic Injustice.  The films listed below are just a sample of the excellent documentaries on Kanopy dealing with this sensitive subject.  If you're using a computer, you can click on the Black Lives Matter banner on the home screen to access this collection.  On all devices, you can simply scroll down to the Social and Systemic Injustice subject heading.  The descriptions of the documentaries are provided by Kanopy . Policing the Police The new FRONTLINE documentary, Policing the Police , is a provocative journey inside one police force that's been ordered to reform by the Department of Justice: the Newark Police Department in New Jersey. Take a nuanced glimpse into how topics in the national discussion about race and policing are playing out every day on the streets of Newark, in community members' homes, and in the city's police preci...

Juneteeth is Friday, June 19, 2020. What: "From Juneteenth to Justice," a Virtual Program Partnership Between the Birmingham Public Library and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute When: Friday, June 19, 2020 Time: 12:00 p.m. on BPL Facebook page  Presented by Barry McNeely, Education Programs Consultant for BCRI (Birmingham Civil Rights Institute) Details: Candice Hardy, Outreach Librarian for the Birmingham Public Library, will host a Zoom Video Presentation of this powerful discussion to celebrate Juneteeth. Books of interest on the subject of race and social justice will be shared. On Friday, June 19, 2020, African-Americans across the United States will celebrate Juneteenth , the oldest known national celebration of the end of slavery. Also called Emancipation Day, it marks the day black slaves learned that President Abraham Lincoln had on Jan. 1, 1863 issued the Emancipation Proclamation , freeing them. Most slaves did not receive word of Lincoln’s ...

Thoreau statue and replica cabin, Walden Pond, Concord, MA By Jim Baggett | Archives Department , Central Library The Covid-19 shutdowns and quarantines have reminded us of something important about ourselves. We are not meant to sit still for too long. We spawned in the oceans and learned to run on the savannas. We are explorers and wanderers. And there is probably no American writer who understood this aspect of human nature better than Henry David Thoreau . In his 1851 essay “ Walking ,” Thoreau tells readers, “We should go forth on the shortest walk, perchance, in the spirit of undying adventure.” Readers who have opinions about Thoreau tend to have strong opinions. Thoreau will make your mind soar or leave you cold. There’s seldom a place in between. This is especially true of young adult readers. Some who discover Thoreau in their youth, like this reviewer, are left amazed every time they pick up one of his works. Other young readers find Thoreau pompous, way too much ov...

By Mary Beth Newbill | Southern History Department , Central Library Where to look when you can’t find a birth certificate As helpful as birth certificates are for genealogy research, they can be difficult to obtain or may not exist for the ancestors for which you need them most. Confidentiality laws can limit access to them for decades and many states did not begin requiring them until well into the 20th century. The good news is that there are lots of alternatives when it comes to documenting a person’s birth date/place and the names of their parents. Birth certificates are undoubtedly handy documents to have. If you want to apply for a passport, a Social Security card, or otherwise need to prove your identity, you’ll have to have a birth certificate. Many times our ancestors realized later in life that they needed just such a document. For those born before their states starting requiring them, they would get what’s called a delayed birth certificate. Delayed birth certificat...

By Lynn Hutchins | Information and Circulation Department , Central Library Did you know you can get a library card online? What CAN I do with my eCard? An eCard gives you immediate access to the following: Electronic resources – magazine, newspaper, and journal articles from online databases. Place reserves using our online catalog (We will upgrade you to a full-use library card when you pick up your items, so please bring appropriate identification at that time.) Access Downloadable Audiobooks and eBooks (You will need to come to the library to upgrade your card to a full-use library card after a month.) What CAN'T I do with my eCard? You will be asked to upgrade to a full-use library in order to do the following: Check out items from any of the 40 Jefferson County public libraries Access the Internet from any library public access computer (Public computers can be accessed with full-use cards, limited-use cards, or guest passes. You can get a limited-use card ...

By Floyd Council, Executive Director of the  Birmingham Public Library  African-American Music Appreciation Month is an annual celebration of African-American music in the United States. It was initiated as Black Music Month by President Jimmy Carter who, on June 7, 1979, decreed that June would be the month of black music. In 2009, the commemoration was given its current name by President Barack Obama. In his 2016 proclamation, Obama noted that African-American music and musicians have helped the country "to dance, to express our faith through song, to march against injustice, and to defend our country's enduring promise of freedom and opportunity for all. "(see wiki)." In celebration of Black Music Month 2020, I would like to recognize the untimely death of George Floyd with a weekly tribute to black music, musicians, and iconic recording artist who have contributed to the impact of Civil rights and social justice in America. Marvin Gaye This week, ...