Birmingham Public Library Blog

  The Birmingham Public Library (BPL) is excited to partner with the  TRIO Educational Opportunity Center at UAB (TRIO EOC)  to present the Citywide Resource & Health Fair  on Thursday, October 5. This biannual event is scheduled to take place between 10:00 and 2:00 at downtown’s Central Library . It is free and open to the public! In observation of Health Literacy Month , the Citywide Resource & Health Fair will focus on health resources, health screenings and vaccines, and job opportunities in the healthcare field. A variety of other topics will also be addressed at the fair. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Literacy Month , is “a time to recognize the importance of making health information easy to understand and the health care system easier to navigate.” The Institute for Healthcare Advancement (IHA) encourages the public to “build bridges between our organizations and the people who need health care or services” during t...

  Sonya “Sam” Mitchell is sharing her passion to all in her recently self-published inspirational coffee table book, Picture the Picture .  Come by the Southside Branch Library at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 4, to meet Sonya. Sonya is the founder of SOOTSME (Seeking Outstanding Opportunities Toward Success), which assists individuals in career advancement. SOOTSME has now evolved into photography and filmmaking. Sonya has produced several documentary films, some of which have been accepted and premiered during the Sidewalk Film Festival in Birmingham.  During her author talk, Sonya will share how she has been able to weave her love of helping and inspiring others with her artistry in writing, photography, and filmmaking. Sonya kicked off her Picture the Picture book-speaking tour earlier this year (April 1, 2023 ) at the Central Library.   By Gelenda Norman| Southside Branch Library  

Join us for a special Bards & Brews Open Mic. It's our first time at Hi-Wire Brewing and our first time opening with a belly dancing performance! Two Bards & Brews are left this season, so you don't want to miss out on this night of spoken word poetry. Keep reading to learn more about our guest performer Nuriyah and Hi-Wire Brewing.

  The Birmingham Public Library 's Southern History Department is hosting 10 programs throughout the month of October in celebration of Family History Month 2023. Celebrated every October, Family History Month is a great time to learn more about genealogy, your family history, and take advantage of library resources such as BPL's Southern History Department.  Check out a listing of BPL's Family History programs that kick off next week below (Note: All are either at the Central Library, 2100 Park Place in downtown Birmingham, or online via Zoom): Behind the Scenes Tour of the Southern History Department, Tuesday, October 3, 12:00 p.m., Southern History Department, 1st Floor Join the staff of the Southern History Department for a look behind the scenes! Learn about the history of the Research Library, its collection of genealogy materials, maps, and microfilm. See treasures such as Miss Iwate , the Blaeu Atlas, the 1926 Zone map , and much more. Our map conservationist and l...

As of Thursday, September 14, Stop, Drop, and Breathe will be held permanently at the Pratt City Branch Library from 10:00 to 10:30 a.m. every 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month. This is a meditation and breathing program designed to give you time in the week to relax. No supplies or registration necessary—just bring yourself and an open mind! We will use guided meditation audio to sit and breathe together. 

  The Birmingham Public Library Presents Casual Consultations,   a free, educational business networking event. Taking place at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, September 15 at the Central Library, Casual Consultations  will provide an opportunity in which entrepreneurs and future entrepreneurs can gain knowledge and information from other business owners and resources right here in Birmingham!  The keynote speaker will be Theo Edwards-Butler; Joell Regal will serve as moderator. Doors are open to all who desire to gain knowledge from industry professionals and expand their interests. Food and drinks will be provided.  Come prepared with your questions, notebook and pen. We look forward to seeing you at this enriching experience!

  From Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service: "Men of Change" Birmingham, Ala. -  The Birmingham Public Library is proud to collaborate with the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute , a Smithsonian Institution affiliate, to host “Men of Change: Power. Triumph. Truth,” beginning this Saturday, September 16, through Saturday, December 2, 2023.   The exhibition from the Smithsonian presents the narrative of a nation through the profiles of significant African American men who are icons in the country’s historical and cultural landscape. Birmingham will be the final stop on a 10-city national tour. Created by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), “Men of Change” is made possible through the support of Ford Motor Company Fund , the philanthropic arm of Ford.  “Men of Change” highlights revolutionary men—including Muhammad Ali , James Baldwin, Ta-Nehisi Coates , W.E.B. Du Bois and Kendrick Lamar —whose journeys have alter...

  The Birmingham Public Library (BPL)  is thrilled to announce Petway, French & Ford, LLP, as the Title Sponsor of the upcoming fundraiser, Classic Cocktails, a kickoff party leading up to this year's Magic City Classic football game . Classic Cocktails will take place on Tuesday, October 24, from 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at downtown's Central Library.   The Birmingham-based law firm of Petway, French & Ford represents clients throughout Alabama. Partners Michael D. Petway, G. Courtney French, and Samuel K. Ford make up the distinguished law firm, along with Associate Christin R. French. Petway, French & Ford's objective is to put the pieces back together for its clients by fighting for compensation in class actions, mass torts, wrongful death, defective products, car accidents, truck accidents, business litigation, and nursing home matters. Petway, French & Ford's experienced personal injury attorneys accomplish this objective with compassion, ...

  Postcard image: “Breathe” by Eileen Fot, lithography & chine collé on handmade paper, 2021 This Saturday. September 16, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., the Birmingham Public Library ( BPL) will host the opening reception for INK ONLY IV, a national biennial juried exhibition of contemporary printmaking. The reception will take place in the Central Library ’s Fourth Floor Gallery.  This special exhibition is sponsored by PaperWorkers Local (PWL)  in partnership with BPL, with generous grant support from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the Alabama Visual Arts Network (ALVAN) .  Work for INK ONLY IV was submitted by 45 artists from across the country. Fifty-five works were chosen from the 215 entered by this year’s juror, Daniel White . White is museum director of the Paul R. Jones Museum and gallery director of the University of Alabama Gallery in Tuscaloosa. Prize winners will be announced during the opening reception at 2:00 p.m.  INK ONLY IV wil...

Fred Shuttlesworth tapestry by Leanna Leithauser-Lesley on display at the Central Library.  A new art exhibition has just opened at the Birmingham Public Library (BPL). Featuring needlepoint works by artist Leanna Leithauser-Lesley,   Fibers That Bind Us  is a series of spellbinding portraits of individuals with connections to the Civil Rights Movement.  Among the featured subjects are Langston Hughes , Nina Simone ,  Lorraine Hansberry , Medgar Evers ,  and the Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth , among others. Fibers That Bind Us will be on display in the glass cases on the first floor of the Central Library  through Friday, October 27. The exhibition is free and open to the public. Nina Simone portrait by Leanna Leithauser-Lesley on display at the Central Library. Inspired by the virtuosity of jazz music and the resolve of the Civil Rights Movement, Leanna Leithauser-Lesley endeavors to elevate the perception of needlepoint  as an art form throu...

What: Computer Basics Class When: Thursdays, September 14, October 26, and November 9 | 10:30 a.m.  Where: West End Branch Library | 1348 Tuscaloosa Avenue, Birmingham, AL 35211 Basic computer skills classes are being offered this fall at the West End Branch Library. In each class, participants will get hands-on practice with the basics of computer use: computer parts, the mouse, and keyboard. We will also cover topics such as opening a program and working with windows.

  BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - On Saturday, September 9, 2023,  the Birmingham Public Library presents "Way Down in Alabam: Old Time Fiddlers and Their Tunes." This talk, followed by a Q&A session and  free concert featuring Joyce and Jim Cauthen and the Whistlebees, will take place from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the Central Library's Arrington Auditorium downtown, 2100 Park Place.  In the early 1980s,  Joyce Cauthen began seeking old-time fiddlers in Alabama. She wanted to find fiddlers who had learned to play by ear from their kinfolks and neighbors, those who knew archaic tunes and had not had the opportunity or felt the need to become polished and improvisational as many did after World War II.  But this was the 1980s and such fiddlers were rare. Osey Kersey, an old-time fiddler in Andalusia, described how it had been in the 1930s: “There was music every two or three miles. You could start off on Sunday morning and go, and you’d see folks out on the porch playing...