Birmingham Public Library Blog

Horror fans and even those who occasionally dabble all have a list of their favorite movies.  On the big screen, my favorite movie of all time was the original A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). It is #72 on this list. I remember sitting in a dark, packed theater watching people jump and hearing them scream as Freddy Krueger sliced his way through the cast. At the end of the movie, everyone in the theater stood up and rushed out of the exit.  Rotten Tomatoes has compiled a list of the 200 Best Horror Movies of All Time.  These are the top 5.  Do you agree or disagree?  Which horror movie is your favorite?  The movie synopses are provided by Rotten Tomatoes . #1. Psycho (1960) Phoenix secretary Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), on the lam after stealing $40,000 from her employer in order to run away with her boyfriend, Sam Loomis (John Gavin), is overcome by exhaustion during a heavy rainstorm. Traveling on the back roads to avoid the police, she stops for the ...

Get free tutoring help from HomeworkAlabama.org through the BPL website.  By Lynn Hutchins|Branch Manager, West End Library  Greetings, library patrons! Did you know the Birmingham Public Library provides FREE online tutoring through HomeworkAlabama.org to support your academic success?  Tutors are available from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. for most subjects—so you can study on your own schedule.  When you connect to HomeworkAlabama.org , you'll be able to:  • Connect with a friendly, highly qualified expert tutor in an online classroom   • Drop off an essay for review and receive detailed feedback   • View replays and transcripts of your previous sessions  • Save your favorite tutors and schedule future sessions   • Access services from your PC, mobile phone, or tablet Tutors are available to assist you in hundreds of subjects, including:  • English   • Writing  • Social Sciences  For free access toTuto...

By Reba Williams| Titusville Library Branch Manager  There is a great need in the community for food and financial help for families who have lost jobs due to the pandemic. Programs providing assistance for those in need could play a pivotal role in helping families turn their lives around. The Community Care Development Network (Food Hub #5) and Titusville Branch Library are working together to make that happen. Every first Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., beginning October 7, 2021, the Community Care Development Network will come to the Titusville Library, #2 6th Avenue SW, to distribute food and other essentials to help families, the elderly and others in need.  If you know someone struggling financially or a family that could use a little help with food, please spread the word and tell them about Titusville Library's new partnership to give back to our community. If additional information is needed, call Reba Williams, Branch Manager of Titusville Library, at (205...

By Cheyenne Trujillo|Birmingham Public Library PR department ¡ F eliz  M es de la  H ispanidad ! Hispanic Heritage month  is here until October 15 . This month is dedicated to appreciating the various  Latine   (La-teen-ae)  countries, culture, and people  that shaped the United States of America. One of my favorite ways to  connect with my heritage is through food.

By Sequoria Lewis| Smithfield Library Branch Manager What: Meet & Greet the New Staff at Smithfield Branch Library When: Monday, October 4, 2021, 2:00-4:00 p.m. Where: #1 8th Avenue West Birmingham, Ala. - Smithfield Branch Library has a new branch manager. Sequoria Lewis began overseeing the library, located at #1 8th Avenue W, in July 2021. Lewis, who has been employed for 16 years at the Birmingham Public Library, has a Master of Library and Information Studies from Wayne State University. She wrote a book review for BPL in August  about  Sara Collins Rudolph ,  The Fifth Little Girl   injured  in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing.  Lewis has been busy meeting patrons, creating programs and forming a friendly and efficient culture for her new staff over the past couple of weeks and is excited to join the Smithfield community. "I am excited to put to use a more secure foundation of knowledge in pursuit of gaining more purposeful experiences with...

  By Reba Williams| Titusville Library Branch Manager  What: Titusville Branch Library Art & Creative Writing Club When: Weekly on Thursdays from 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. beginning October 21 Where: Titusville Branch Library, #2 6th Avenue SW Details: Desert Island Supply Co. is partnering with Titusville Library to offer creative writing ideas and tips every month for middle and high school students who have a passion for artistic expression. Advanced registration is required. To register, email your contact info to titusvillelibrary@gmail.com or call Branch Manager Reba Williams at (205) 322-1140. Birmingham, Ala. - Looking for ways to organize your thoughts on paper? Are you between the ages 14-18? Titusville Branch Library has the perfect solution!  Join Titusville Library’s Art & Creative Writing Club every Thursday from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., starting October 21, 2021, for creative writing ideas and tips. The Desert Island Supply Co. (DISCO) is providing the...

  The Birmingham Public Library is hosting its annual Family History Month celebration. Seven programs, all virtual, will be held, kicking off Saturday, October 2, 2021, and concluding on Thursday, October 28.  To register for these Zoom programs, go to the BPL website and register on the event calendar .  Since being passed by Congress in 2001, Family History Month as been observed annually during the month of October.   Family History Month encourages people to do research into their past to learn more about their ancestors. It is a great time to look into your genealogy to gain knowledge of your family tree.  Here is a description of BPL’s seven programs. If you want to learn more about genealogy and how to research your family tree, check out the many genealogy programs held throughout the year by BPL’s Southern History Department.  Hidden No More: Locating Enslaved Persons in Local Legal Records, Saturday, October 2, 2:00 p.m. Virtual. This i...

  Voice Porter, longtime host of Bards & Brews & community activist from Ensley What: Reading from Brian “Voice Porter” Hawkins book The Devil Came to Alabama   When: Saturday, September 25, 2021, 3:00-5:00 p.m.  Where: Tres Fine Dressing at Cotton's 400 19th Street Ensley, Birmingham, AL 35218  Birmingham, Ala. -  Join a celebration of the life and legacy of Brian “Voice Porter” Hawkins, community activist in Ensley and longtime host and creative director of Bards & Brews , the Birmingham Public Library’s spoken word poetry event.  Poets will be reading from his new book, “The Devil Came to Alabama,” from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. this Saturday, September 25, in an event hosted by Tres Fine Dressing at Cotton’s, located at 400 19th Street Ensley in Birmingham. Tres Fine Dressing and Heritage Coffee, located inside the Cotton’s building, will be open for business.  Steve Miller of Red Hydra Press in Birmingham published Voice Porter...

By Caitlin Jackson and Heather McWilliams| Central Library Teen/Youth Department The Birmingham Public Library is kicking off its newly expanded youth engineering program, beginning September 30 at Titusville Branch Library. BPL's Engineer BHM STEM program will also be offered October 21 at Five Points West Regional Library and October 28 at the Central Library . These STEM programs are sponsored by Infosys Foundation USA’s 2021 Infy Maker Award . BPL received a $10,000 Infy Maker grant on June 23, 2021 . The award will allow BPL to focus on teaching electrical engineering, making and coding to students in Birmingham area school systems who are interest in science, technology, engineering and math-related fields.   BPL's Engineer BHM will cover basic skills related to engineering and 3D printing through creating 3D objects/puzzles with cardstock, said Caitlin Jackson, teen librarian at the Central Library. Participants will  learn basic concepts found in geometry and d...

By  William Anthony|Birmingham Public Library Citizen Services Department On January 20 , 2021,  Joe Biden  was sworn in as the 46 th  president of the United States of America. When the current president moves into the  White House , people think about the previous administration while others anticipate what the current administration brings.

  By Heather McWi lliams|Teens/Youth Department Head, Central Library To celebrate Star Wars Reads, Birmingham Public Library will be hosting a Fall Reading initiative systemwide during the month of October.  The reading challenge will begin Friday, October 1 and end on Saturday, October 30. All of of BPL's library locations will have sci-fi inspired takeaways for all participants who want to take part.  Participants will be able to set their own goals to win prizes!  Please register with your local library. Remember, the BPL Star Wards Reading Challenge will begin on October 1 and concludes on Saturday, October 30. Prizes will be drawn Monday, November 1. Click here to see the Star Wars collection at the Public Libraries in Jefferson County (JCLC) which includes BPL.   Click here to check out the Star Wars Reads ebook collection on Hoopla. Click here to check out the Star Wars ebook collection on Overdrive.

By Cheyenne Trujillo| Central Branch Library W ith instant   access to  information  and communication,  The First Amendment , or the Freedom to Speech,  and censorship  pops up a lot in conversations these days. This is a topic that libraries are well  acquainted  with. In fact, it was a  librarian  who founded Banned Books Week. Back in 1967, T he American Library Association (ALA) formed its chapter of the  Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF)   after the OIF expressed that libraries need to protect books from censorship at the  1965 Midwinter Meeting preconference in Washington, DC.   With Judith F. Krug (a librarian, freedom of speech advocate, and critic of censorship)   as the Director  of ALA’s OIF ,  she co-created the Banned Books Week in 1982. This divisive week responded to the surge of books challenged in schools, bookstores, and libraries since the ALA formed its chapter of OIF. Krug ...