BPL Hosts Dedication Ceremony for New Wylam Branch Library

At 6,000 square feet, the new Wylam Branch Library is 3 times as big as the old building.  

 

The Birmingham Public Library and its Board of Trustees hosted a dedication ceremony for the new Wylam Branch Library this week. 

The old Wylam Library, located at 4300 Seventh Ave. Wylam, was demolished after closing its doors in in early May 2019. The former 2,000 square foot building was replaced by a new 6,000 square foot library facility with extra amenities, including a meeting room, and bigger space for children’s and adults programming. The project cost $1.6 million to build. 

A virtual celebration, held during the BPL Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, February 9, featured prepared video remarks from Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, along with District 9 Councilman John Hilliard. The two worked together to make the long-sought vision for a new Wylam Branch Library a reality.

See a link to the virtual dedication by clicking here https://youtu.be/1VRhnhF5dog

 Mayor Woodfin said COVID may have delayed plans for the official grand opening, but added “believe me delay does not mean denied. I am excited to welcome a bigger and better library to the Wylam community.” 

Also making remarks about the impact the new library will make on the Wylam community were Eunice Johnson Rogers, president of the BPL Board of Trustees; Janine Langston, BPL’s Interim Director; and Leroy Lassiter, president of the Wylam Neighborhood Association. 

On April 26, 2019, BPL hosted a closing ceremony allowing community members to reminisce about the old Wylam Library. Its first location was at the Wylam Fraternal Hall in 1921. Later, the library saw other locations up and down Seventh Avenue and Huron Street in Wylam. The library relocated to its current location in 1962. 

 Johnson Rogers said BPL is proud to have the new library building open to the public, noting that 2021 marks the centennial year of BPL’s library operations in Wylam. 

“Libraries are the door to wonder and achievement,” Johnson Rogers said. “This beautiful edifice that you see here today is an example of the city, the City Council, Library Board, the library staff, the citizens and neighbors of Wylam working together cooperatively.”

As citizens of Birmingham cope with living in the midst of an unprecedented time of the COVID-pandemic, Johnson Rogers said libraries “are a resource that represents a haven which allows us to continue to learn and to stay connected with each other and with the world.” 

She extended an invitation to the public to visit BPL’s newest library branch in Wylam and gave a special thanks to Mayor Woodfin, Councilman Hilliard and other stakeholders “who have worked so diligently over the years to make this new branch a reality.” 

Langston, BPL’s Interim Director, said Wylam Library holds a very special place in her heart as she began employment at BPL 34 years ago working at the Wylam branch. 

“It was here that I learned how important the neighborhood libraries are in the community,” she said. “I still remember many of the patrons I served by name.” 

Langston added, “Now as interim director, I am honored to play a small role in the rich history of the Wylam Library. I can’t wait to see how this new library will serve the Wylam community and the entire city of Birmingham.”