Birmingham Public Library Blog

  By Jim Murray| Central Library Business, Science & Technology Department  What: Grow with Google: Make Your Website Work for You  When: Tuesday, May 11, 2021 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. CST  Details: Free but registration is required. Make reservations through the BPL events calendar. On Tuesday May 11, 2021, BPL is co-hosting a Grow with Google marketing webinar designed to strengthen your small business during these challenging times. Now more than ever, businesses need to know how to reach and engage with customers online - to continue to generate leads, make sales, and grow revenue.  In this webinar, you will learn how to create a search-friendly website that drives user action and supports your goals. Whether you’re launching a new website or sprucing up an old one, this workshop will help.  The focus of the webinar is to show attendees how to ensure their website is:  - Goal-oriented to increase conversions and calls to action   - Or...

  By Catherine Oseas | BPL Archives Department  The Birmingham Public Library Archives Department shares tips on preserving materials. When preserving historical materials at home, it helps to have some resources readily at hand.  Here are some places to check on best practices, depending on the types of materials you are looking to preserve. Resources for Preserving Family Papers, Books, Photos, etc.  Papers: How to Preserve Family Archives (papers and photographs) | National Archives http://jwa.org/stories/how-to/preservation http://www.nha.org/history/keepinghistory/KHpreservingpapers.htm    Books: http://www.loc.gov/preservation/care/books.html  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/tips/preservingbooks.html  Fabric/Textiles:  Preserving Textiles | National Archives   How do I store antique textiles at home? | Smithsonian Institution (si.edu) Photos: Archival Formats | National Archives   Preserving and Protecting Photographs (photog...

Spring into May at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, May 7, as the Birmingham Public Library  hosts Bards & Brews  on the Bards Facebook page. BPL's popular spoken word poetry/craft beer event celebrated a year of being virtual only last month .  Tune in from the comfort of  your own home or on the road via your smart phone device as some of the country's most talented poets share their voices on the Bards & Brews Facebook page .  Poets interested in registering for this event should forward their contact information to Bards.Brews@cobpl.org.  In its 11th year, Bards & Brews has gained positive recognition for its ability to bring patrons of all age and races together, to promote the Birmingham area craft beer industry, and as a vehicle for spoken word poets to share their talents. Bards has also become known as an event that unifies the metro Birmingham cultural arts community, as highlighted in  this April 2019 Birmingham Times article .   L...

  Vincent Solfronk, Branch Manager, outside the new Pratt City Branch Library.  Today (April 27, 2021) marks the 10th anniversary of the day a massive tornado struck Birmingham’s Pratt City community, including the Pratt City Branch Library and surrounding neighborhoods.  The tornado caused such massive damage that the library was forced to close. Thankfully, most of Pratt City’s library collection was saved and relocated to temporary storage.  Nearly three years later, in February 2014, the Pratt City Library reopened with a totally new design. The new Pratt City Library has a storm shelter installed, with concrete walls strong enough to withstand tornado-force winds. Reminding patrons and staff of the importance of libraries and reading, the walls on the new Pratt City Library have inspirational quotes from leaders such as President Barack Obama, former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, and educator/activist Mary McLeod Bethune . A special quote that stands out i...

Note: Nomadland, a movie released in 2020 and adapted from the 2017 book,  Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century , won the 2021 Oscar for Best Picture and Best Actress (Frances McDormand) in the Academy Awards held on Sunday, April 25. BPL Archivist Department Head Jim Baggett wrote a review of the book. Check it out below. By Jim Baggett, Central Library Archives Department   In Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century (now also a movie starring Frances McDormand, but the book is better), journalist/author Jessica Bruder follows a wandering tribe of Americans who no longer have a place in the traditional economy.  After losing jobs and homes in the 2009 economic collapse, and finding the job market unwelcoming to middle aged people, they left their bills and underwater mortgages behind and took to the roads. Calling themselves “vandwellers,” they live in RVs, vans, converted delivery trucks, and cars (they are not homeless, they...

  By Leslie Deason | Avondale Regional Branch Library   The  Birmingham Public Library’s Graphic Novel Group would like to share some exciting news.  The Shadow and Bone fantasy series will premiere today, Friday, April 23, 2021, on Netflix.   The "Shadow and Bone" series has received rave reviews, with one reviewer calling it Netflix best fantasy series to date.  This series will be an adaptation of Leigh Bardugo’s worldwide bestselling Grisha trilogy and the Six of Crows duology. The big budget adaptation will be set in a lush fantasy world inspired by Imperial Russia. There will be eight episodes in the first season. This fantasy series will weave magical folklore with the historical inspiration of Imperial Russia.  In the series, Ben Barnes plays General Kirigan, aka The Darkling, and Jessie Mei Li plays Alina Starkhov, an orphan and mapmaker in Ravka’s First Army. Watch the show to listen to one of the more memorable lines uttered by Ben B...

  By Caitlin Jackson | Central Library Teen/Youth Services Department  Time is running out for girls interested in careers in computer coding or a fascination with the subject to sign up for Girls Code 205, a free virtual camp being offered by the Birmingham Public Library in partnership with NCWIT Aspire IT. Click here to learn more about this class  https://bplolinenews.blogspot.com/2021/02/get-steamed-for-bpls-girls-code-205.html Online registration ends on Friday, April 30.  Girls Code 205 targets girls going into grades 6th through 12th grade and will meet virtually using Zoom on select Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning June 15 through July 15, 2021.  The dates of the camp (on the flyer above) are as follows, all between 10:00 a.m. and noon: * June 15, June 17, June 22, June 24, July 6, July 8, July 13 and July 15.  The program will cover electrical circuits, game design, 3D design, C++ and Scratch coding. These STEAM projects will be paired with soci...

  Joan Inman| Avondale Regional Branch Library Tuesday, May 4 is National Star Wars Day .  In celebration, Avondale Library is hosting "Paint Your Own Baby Yoda," a virtual painting class for adult patrons, live on Birmingham Public Library's Facebook page that evening from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.  A collaborative program created in conjunction with Huemanity Studios (a paint studio located in Huntsville, Ala.) , viewers will be able to create their own works of art with easily understood, step-by-step guidance led by featured artist Stephanie Kirkland, Owner of Huemanity, and Joan Inman, Adult Programs Librarian at Avondale Library.  Registration is not required but supplies are limited.  Patrons may request a program kit pickup (canvas, paint brushes and paint) at Avondale Library, beginning Monday, April 26, 2021.    

 By Caleb West | BPL Collection Management The BPL Virtual Resources Spotlight highlights the Birmingham Public Library’s vast free online resources available to serve the public.  Thanks to our many library partners BPL is able to assist patrons stuck at home or on the go. Using mobile devices, such as smart phones, iPads, and other computer devices, patrons have access to free homework assistance, e-books, and downloadable & streaming audiobooks, movies (& TV shows), music, comics, and magazines.  Also available is a vast array of resources via BPL’s exceptional local digital collections. Except where indicated, these services are restricted to Birmingham city residents with active library cards.  Many digital resources are also provided by the state of Alabama - Alabama Virtual Library (AVL), the Alabama Public Library Service (APLS) - and the Jefferson County Library Cooperative, a partnership of 40 libraries in Jefferson County including Birmingham's...

  By Diana Prince | Central Library Circulation/Information Desk  Although Women’s History Month has passed, it is not too late to celebrate phenomenal women inspiring us throughout the year. I would like to give a big shout out to the phenomenal Mrs. Ernestine Shepherd. She will truly inspire you. This 84 years young beauty from Baltimore is known for being the world’s oldest living female body builder at one point and has won two bodybuilding titles. She also worked as a model. She is simply AMAZING!  Mrs. Shepherd started regularly exercising at age 56, which proves it’s never too late. She began her journey (inspired by her late sister) slowly and gradually conditioned her body with the help and guidance of an expert personal trainer.  She competes in 5K and 10K races and even runs marathons.  Currently Mrs. Shepherd leads exercise classes for senior citizens and works as a personal trainer herself. Ernestine Shepherd, 84-year-old bodybuilder In 2...

By Diana Prince | Central Library Circulation Desk "The Daily Fix: Your Guide to Healthy Habits for Good Nutrition" is a health gold mine!  Author Alexa L. Fishback provides an incredible amount of powerful information on wellness, exercise, the right foods to eat and healthy habits. There is invaluable information on sleep, supplements and beauty. Having this knowledge will greatly empower you and improve your health! It truly changes the game. Good nutrition is definitely a way of life and we know that food provides the energy and nutrients we need to stay healthy.  This book is brilliantly structured around your daily work-day routine and provides healthy habits to help you stay on track. The author even goes into grocery shopping and stocking, what to snack on, and addresses that afternoon slump that many of us experience. So if you want to get healthy and stay healthy, The Daily Fix is the perfect choice.  You can find this gem at the Central Library in the Busines...

Photo of George P. Collins   Photo from 1893 Alabama-Auburn football game. By Don Veasey| Curator of Photographs, BPL Archives Department  Not everyone is blessed to have some old family photographs. Maybe you have a collection of old views of a city. Maybe you have acquired some "instant ancestor" photos at an antique store. Old photos can be a mixed blessing because they do require some care so that they can be enjoyed for as long as possible. If the condition of the photo is good, you want it to stay that way. If they are faded, silvered, flaking, cracked, bent or broken, you do not want them to get any worse. Even if a photograph looks perfect, the damage that can lead to deterioration may be at the microscopic level.  Photographs are rather picky -- they do not like to be too hot, too dry, too wet, in bright light, dusty or (EEK!) moldy. Unlike a printed sheet of paper, photographs are made up of layers. The image is not printed on paper, the image is a layer ...

  By Fontaine Alison | Five Points West Regional Library Before the COVID-19 pandemic, youth department staff from Birmingham Public Library branches would present their "License to Read" program at nearby schools.  This skit illustrated the advantages of a library card and allowed teachers to distribute card applications to their students. We would return a packet of new cards for all students in the class.  BPL is offering a virtual option: teachers can submit their class rosters, and we send them e-cards for their students. Instead of our skit, students can watch a short video featuring the many resources available to them with their library card. The video was put together by Jenn Patrick, Liz Lorino and me.  Click here for a link to the video  Yes, it is the END of the school year, and traditionally we offer the License to Read program in September, designated as National Library Card Sign-Up Month.  So why sign up now? Because our collection of audio...

Apply for your passports at the Birmingham Public Library. By Lynn Hutchins |  Central Library,  Citizen Services  What: Passports Applications @ BPL Who:  All ages  When:  Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m.; Saturday by appointment only  Where:  Birmingham Public Library's  Central Library , 2100 Park Place, 35203, and by appointment only at the Avondale Regional Branch Library , 509 40th Street South Cost:  Payment $110 application fee, payable to the U.S. Department of State (check or money order only) $35 execution fee, payable to the Birmingham Public Library (cash, check, or credit/debit). Passport photos are available for $15. Do you need to get your passport before going abroad this summer? Let the Birmingham Public Library make it easy for you. More people are applying for passports than they were last fall. During the three-month period from October to December 2020, the Birmingham Public Library accepted 49 passport applica...

  William B Anthony | Collection Management Department  With the Academy Awards season just around the corner  for movies (April 25, 2021), this is a great time to revisit one of the best-reviewed films released within the past 10 years. That movie is Room , a 2015 award-winning film based on the 2010 novel written by Emma Donoghue .  Donoghue also wrote the screenplay for this emotionally-heavy indie film. Her perspective breathes resilience into a tortured mother who copes with and rises above her imprisonment in a perpetrator’s backyard. The light in this movie’s darkness shines through her son with an imagination more vast than the whole world. Their relationship carries the story effortlessly.  If Room starred only the main protagonist, an abused mother, and her son, it would still be just as powerful as it actually is. The trauma of abuse can be an uncomfortable topic for some viewers. However, Room never completely abandons hope because the film’s dar...

  By Heather McWilliams| Central Library Youth/Arts Literature & Sports Department Head  Come to the second floor of the Central Library Youth Department and meet our newest team member, Sven!  Larry Moore, The Magic Man , created this 50 ft. snake to hang out in the Youth Department at Central.  If you like what you see, Moore will be providing balloon animals during the Birmingham Public Library 2021 Summer Learning Kick-off on Saturday, June 5th.  More information about the kick-off will be available soon on the BPL website .

By Jenn Seiler-Patrick| Librarian, Five Points West Library and Smithfield Library  Birmingham, do you miss us? We miss you!  Before the pandemic and its necessary social-distancing and limited-occupancy guidelines, Birmingham Public Library locations throughout the city were regularly humming with the activity of our popular Adult Programs throughout the spring and summer months. BPL is bringing it back, both safely and personalized, with its new BOOK-A-LIBRARIAN service.   BOOK-A-LIBRARIAN will facilitate 30- to 40-minute live and virtual programs to you this spring and summer via Zoom. Anyone can attend live sessions to learn about free library apps, genealogy, handcrafts and much more. If you have an idea for a session not currently offered, let us know. We'll create one with you. Sessions are created by BPL workers who bring their passion straight to you.  Current options for BOOK-A-LIBRARIAN sessions include:  * Library Material Requests  * Gr...

  The Central Library, located at 2100 Park Place in downtown Birmingham, will be closed on Saturday, April 17. The  2021 Magic City Classic   college football battle between Alabama A&M and Alabama State, normally held in the fall, will kick off at 6:30 p.m. this Saturday at Legion Field. The Classic is the nation's largest Historically Black College and University (HBCU) football game.   Central Library and BPL's other 17 locations will resume their normal schedule on Monday, April 19. . See the full library location operating hours for in-person and curbside service on the flyer above.

  BPL has partnered with Bama Health Foods on Wellness Wednesdays during April. Are you striving to eat healthier or lose weight after a year of the COVID-19 pandemic? National reports show that the average American gained weight last year during COVID-related stay at home orders.   The Birmingham Public Library (BPL) and Bama Health Foods want to help you.  BPL has partnered with Bama Health Foods to share healthy tips during the month of April as part of its Wellness Wednesdays Virtual Series. Join us on the BPL Facebook page at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesdays.  Bama Health Foods is a health food store as well as a community wellness center that has served Birmingham's community for over 50 years. The store found new life in 2018 with new owner Jacquie Fazekas. Their mission is to enlighten and equip the community with the tools needed for a healthier life. Join us on the Birmingham Public Library Facebook page every Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. from the comfort of your o...

  What:  Citizen Services – "Social Workers Help Change Lives @BPL" Where:  At the following library locations:  Avondale ,  Central ,   Five Points West ,  Springville Road When:  Various Dates  Beginning April 14 Through June 24, 2021 (Central Library will have a social worker available from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. every Wednesday, April 14 through June 23, except June 2) Avondale, Five Points West and Springville Road libraries will have a social worker to assist patrons on Thursdays on dates listed on the flyer above. Details:  Free and open to the public. No appointments necessary.  Social worker services are in high demand as folks cope with stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic, job loss and financial challenges. The Birmingham Public Library and The Dannon Project want to help. Beginning Wednesday, April 14, through June 24, BPL is partnering with the Dannon Project to provide free face-to-face social worker consultat...