Birmingham Public Library Blog

Grill Season is here. If you want to learn the art of barbecue, the Birmingham Public Library and some JCLC locations have copies available for checkout of From the Pit to the Plate: The Story of Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q. Last year, BPL hosted book signings by Van Sykes , second generation owner of Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q , at the Central Library and at Five Points West Regional Library.   Sykes, whose parents Bob and Maxine Sykes founded Bessemer's iconic restaurant Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q in 1957, tells the story of the family business and  their expertise in cooking barbecue in the book. This Saturday, April 29, in Bessemer's DeBardeleben Park, the 12th Annual Bob Sykes Bbq & Blues Festival is presented by the City of Bessemer, Chevrolet Bessemer, BLOX and Hibbett City Gear. The event will combine the best of blues music and legendary Bob Sykes Bar B Q from  noon to 8:00 p.m.  Learn more about the Bob Sykes BBQ Blues Festival by clicking on www.bobsykesblues.com In From the...

Bards & Brews only hosts three slams a year! Our second slam of 2023 is happening at the Central Library on Friday, May 5, starting at 6:30 p.m. 10 poets will take the stage to compete in rounds for cash prizes. Select audience members will serve as judges, and the audience can use their voices to sway the judges' opinions. This is a special Bards & Brews you don't want to miss!

Every chapter of this movie is worth checking out! Wonder Boys revolves around creative writing professor, Grady Tripp, and the conflicts in both his personal and professional life. Michael Douglas shines in an underrated performance as this college professor who just cannot finish his second novel over seven years after his first book’s success. Grady keeps writing without a clear idea for an ending. Robert Downey Jr. portrays his peculiar editor, Terry Crabtree, and he cannot wait any longer for this next great novel. Grady’s affair with Frances McDormand ’s Sara Gaskell, who is the university chancellor, continues after his wife leaves him. He quickly learns that Sara is pregnant with their child. On top of these circumstances, a reserved but gifted student, James Leer, becomes a part of Grady’s personal problems when he kills Sara’s dog, which attacked Grady. Tobey Maguire utilizes his timidity well as this unpredictable, hard-to-figure-out wunderkind. I also am sure that this ...

Debra Blackmon, who was branch manager at Pratt City when the tornado struck on April 27, 2011, poses with current Pratt City Branch Manager Saundra Ross. Pratt City Library sustained tornado damage when struck o April 27, 2011. A new Pratt City Library with storm shelter strong enough to sustain high winds re-opened at 509 Dugan Ave. in February 2014.   Pratt City Branch Library damage after tornado in April 2011 Birmingham, Ala. - Thursday, April 27, 2023, marks the 12th anniversary of the day a massive tornado struck Birmingham’s Pratt City community, including the Pratt City Branch Library and surrounding neighborhoods. That storm was part of a Super Tornado outbreak that claimed over 240 lives and injured 1,500 across Alabama on April 27, 2011.   The tornado caused such massive damage that Pratt City Library, located at 509 Dugan Ave., was forced to close until reopening nearly three years later in February 2014. Thankfully, most of Pratt City’s library collection w...

What : Panel Discussion  Spider Martin: Selma to Montgomery March  When:  Saturday, April 29, 2023, 1:00 p.m. Where:  The  Central Library , 2100 Park Place, Birmingham, AL 35203 Details:  BPL will host a panel discussion about Bloody Sunday and the Selma to Montgomery voting rights march. Panelists will be University of Alabama Historian Stacy Morgan in conversation with  Brown Chapel AME Church Historian Joyce O'Neal , who witnessed Bloody Sunday up close as a teen, and Thelma Dianne Harris, who as a 15-year-old witnessed Bloody Sunday and later participated in the Selma to Montgomery March led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The event will be free and open to the public as well as live-streamed and professionally recorded. The exhibition,  Spider Martin—Selma to Montgomery , is on display free for the public during operating hours of the Central Library downtown through April 30, 2023. The exhibit is on loan from  ArtsRevive  of Selma, ...

Titusville Branch Library, at #2 6th Avenue SW , is reframing the conversation and providing new valuable free services for the community. In addition to being a place for patrons to check out books, DVDs and CDs, Titusville Branch offers faxing and notary services (call ahead to confirm notaries). Next week, Titusville Library is kicking off May by hosting its monthly Titusville Senior Resource Day on Wednesday, May 3, celebrating senior citizens in the community aged 55 and older. A day later, Titusville Library will host its monthly Titusville Community Resource Day.  With Mother's Day taking place on Sunday, May 14, Titusville Community Resource Day is adding another component from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. next Thursday, May 11: a Titusville Branch Mother's Day Brunch.  Drop by Titusville Library at #2 Sixth Avenue SW or call (205) 322-1140 for more details. See a synopsis of our upcoming events taking place next week below:  * Titusville Branch Diaper Giveaway, 10:0...

Ever since its original publication in 1897, Bram Stoker's Dracula has irrevocably shaped the cultural landscape, becoming a staple in Gothic Horror and defining the vampire mythology. Told in letters, diary entries, and newspaper clippings, the epistolary novel follows a close-knit cast of characters as they struggle to find and defeat the undead Count, ending the threat he poses to England and the world at large.

  BPL Executive Director Janine Langston, Board of Trustees members and BPL staff pose with National Library Workers Day Proclamation presented during today's Birmingham City Council Meeting.   On behalf of Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, Chief of Staff Cedric Sparks today presented a proclamation celebrating  National Library Workers Day   and honoring the contributions of the Birmingham Public Library during the Birmingham City Council meeting today, Tuesday, April 25, 2023. April 23 through Saturday, April 29 is  National Library Week  , paying tribute to the contributions libraries make in communities large and small across the country.  Today, April 25, is National Library Workers Day , recognizing the hard work library employees provide to patrons throughout the year.  Please join the Birmingham Public Library Board of Trustees in the Central Library downtown at 6-7 p.m. today, Tuesday, April 25, for a Meet and Greet honoring the follo...

  The Birmingham Public Library is joining fellow libraries across the country in celebrating 2023 National Library Week , which began Sunday, April 23 and concludes this Saturday, April 29.  BPL is encouraging supporters to visit our libraries across the City of Birmingham to explore all the valuable services we offer. The American Library Association has celebrated National Library Week since 1958 every April to focus on the important role libraries play in communities both large and small. The 2023 theme is "There's More to the Story."  In celebration of National Library Week and National Library Workers Day (April 25th), Mayor Randall Woodfin will present a proclamation to the Birmingham Public Library at Tuesday's City Council Meeting. Most people know about the wealth of stories available at the library, from picture books and large print to audiobooks and ebooks. But there's so much more to the story of libraries. Libraries are welcoming spaces that ...

What : Panel Discussion Spider Martin: Selma to Montgomery March  When: Saturday, April 29, 2023, 1:00 p.m. Where: The Central Library , 2100 Park Place, Birmingham, AL 35203 Details: BPL will host a panel discussion about Bloody Sunday and the Selma to Montgomery voting rights march. Panelists will be University of Alabama Historian Stacy Morgan in conversation with Brown Chapel AME Church Historian Joyce O'Neal , who witnessed Bloody Sunday up close as a teen, and Thelma Dianne Harris, who as a 15-year-old witnessed Bloody Sunday and later participated in the Selma to Montgomery March led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The event will be free and open to the public as well as live-streamed and professionally recorded. The exhibition, Spider Martin—Selma to Montgomery , is on display free for the public during operating hours of the Central Library downtown through April 30, 2023. The exhibit is on loan from ArtsRevive of Selma, Ala., and features historic photographs by James ...

  Image courtesy of Nafsika Constantinou from Pexels Earth Day is this Saturday, April 22, 2023.  For the past 50 years, this special day has been celebrated annually on April 22 by billions of people around the globe. Earth Day is a chance for everyone to join together in promoting awareness for the health of our environment.  With Earth Day on the horizon, you may be wondering what you can do help the environment. But sustainability often seems to come with expensive lifestyle changes and sustainable swaps tend to have high price tags, so you may think green living is out of your reach.  Worry not! I’m going to give you three easy tips to help Mother Earth and be more sustainable. And best of all, they’re free!  So, let’s get started.  1. Sign up for Your Library Card  A library worker suggesting that you get a library card? Groundbreaking. But a library card comes with access to all types of stories and experiences available throughout the entire Je...

  Join the UAB TRIO Educational Opportunity Center for a Cosmetology Explosion (Fair) on Thursday, April 20, at the Five Points West Regional Library . The event will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the library, 4812 Avenue West in Birmingham. UAB Trio Educational Opportunity Center will show live demos via Facebook Live during the event. The Cosmetology Explosion is free and open to the public. The cosmetology fair will feature professionals sharing information about barbering, waxing, hairstylists, nail techs, aestheticians, and more. "This Cosmetology Explosion will give adults and young adults an opportunity to enroll in a cosmetology program of their choice, learn about scholarships or obtain info on employment openings," said Rico Drakes, director of the UAB TRIO Educational Opportunity Center. "We will also have a great list of food trucks in attendance."  Birmingham area cosmetology schools/programs will be in attendance ready to sign individuals...

  The Birmingham Public Library Archives Department and the Jefferson County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority will host “Preserving Your Family Papers and Photographs” in Central Library downtown this Saturday, April 22. The free workshop will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in the BPL Research Library's Arrington Auditorium, 4th Floor.  Archivist Jim Baggett will discuss simple techniques that you can use to preserve your family papers, photos, scrapbooks, and other items. Topics covered will include where and how to store your family papers and photos, where to purchase archivally safe supplies, how to safely handle papers and photos, and the eternal question—to scan or not to scan.   You are encouraged to bring an item from your family collection to share and discuss. The program is free and open to the public. By Jim Baggett|BPL Archives Department Head

The Birmingham Public Library is celebrating International Jazz Day on Thursday, April 27, at the Central Library, starting at 1:00 p.m. Jazz musicians Rory Stuart and Glenn Wilson will be performing live at the library! Keep reading to learn more about our performers.