Q&A on Avondale Regional Library’s New Avondale Neighborhood Interview Series

On July 21, Avondale Regional Branch Library began hosting the Avondale Neighborhood Interview Series, a set of weekly interviews with community members representing non-profits, businesses, and the arts in the Avondale area.

In a Q&A interview with BPL’s Public Relations Department, host Joan Inman talked about what inspired the weekly interview series and gave a sneak preview of some of the upcoming guests.  

Joan Inman of Avondale Library 

Inman has worked at the Birmingham Public Library since 2014 including full time as a Library Assistant III in Avondale’s Circulation and Adult Programming Department since March 2019. She has a Master’s in Art History from UAB and a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts from Auburn University in Montgomery. She is also an Adjunct Art History Professor at Gadsden State Community College. 

BPL:  What inspired Avondale Library to begin these Avondale Neighborhood Interview Series? 

Inman: Starting an interview series was an idea I had floated around for a while and now in our “new normal” during COVID, the project fell into place as being the perfect time to launch it. Our first interview program was for Pride last month and highlighted individuals working in LGBTQ+ non-profits in Birmingham. As a queer identifying person, it was important for me to acknowledge and pay homage to our history, especially when all in-person celebrations have been canceled due to the pandemic.   

The Neighborhood project was a natural next choice for a series because what makes each library in the Birmingham Public Library system unique are the different neighborhoods that they serve. Featuring Avondale is a way for us to honor our community that we serve and to continue to keep bridges of communication open to assists them during this time. Because let’s face it, life is very different and unpredictable right now, and one of the best thing we can do for one another is support each other because we are all in this together.

One of the things that I absolutely love and appreciate about working at Avondale Library is that we are a team full of creative and compassionate individuals who support one another and our ideas for programming. I’m especially appreciative of my boss, Ellen Shade, because she allows my creativity to flourish and continues to always be a supportive source in my programming endeavors.  

BPL: How has the public responded to the Avondale Neighborhood Interview Series after the first week? 

Inman:  The interview series is already receiving positive feedback and I've been contacted by other businesses and non-profits who would like to participate. So far I am booked for filming for the rest of July and August, which must be a good sign!  

BPL: Who are some of the guests signed up? 

Inman: Here is what I have planned for posting so far (all on Tuesdays): 

07/21: Susan Crow, Workshops Inc. (posted last week) 

07/28: Kirsten Atkinson, Hand in Paw  

08/04: Kristen Iskandrian and Laura Cotten, Thank You Books 

08/11: Samuetta Nesbitt, United Way of Central Alabama 

08/18: Marlesa Willis, Girls Inc. 

08/25: Ken Oliver and Linda Baker, Glenwood Inc.  

Other confirmed interviews:  

Create Birmingham 

Sanctum Tattoos and Comics  

Birmingham Yoga  

Birmingham AIDS Outreach 

BPL: Talk about the process of putting these interview videos together. 

Inman: I usually schedule the interviews days ahead of posting and then edit them. So far I've done five interviews with two more scheduled this week and some others scheduled for filming into August. On July 21, I went on Thank You Books (a new bookstore down the street in Crestwood) Instagram Live to conduct our interview.  

It was simultaneously being recorded during the session for the series as well. So the project is keeping me busy! I really love talking to people and reaching out and I think that's important right now for everyone.  

BPL: This Avondale Neighborhood Interview Series is one of many new innovative online programs BPL has started to help patrons during this pandemic. Share your thoughts on how libraries are more than just a place to check out books and DVDs.  

Inman: We are so much more than that! Libraries are primarily sources of information and we play a vital role in continuing to provide free access to that information to all people. That is huge because knowledge is power and is an important part of democracy. I love that about working at the library. But moving beyond that - each of the libraries in the BPL system is the heart of their specific neighborhood, and our services as a collective system reflect that.  

As the community changes, so does the library, and we have done an excellent job of hearing the concerns and needs of our patrons. Whether it’s offering passport or notary services, computer literacy courses, free digital app services, neighborhood association meetings, family programming, free taxes with our partnership with AARP, Bards and Brews, or other after-hours outreach events, we are sort of a “one stop shop” for our communities. I love that about the library and I’m excited to take on future projects that reflect the programming needs in Avondale.  

BPL: What do you enjoy most about working at BPL? 

Inman:  What I love most about working for the library is creating outreach initiatives that educate the public (especially those in my age range of 25-40) on our many services that we offer outside of the "typical" image that libraries are only places to check out materials. 

The most rewarding aspect of these endeavors is gaining lifelong library patrons. I see myself eventually moving on to another role where I would work exclusively in outreach education, but with that said, I am enjoying my time here at the library and the challenges of creating innovative programming.