Birmingham Public Library Blog

  The Birmingham Public Library's  256 free 2024 Summer Reading programs for patrons  of all ages are entering the last two days, ending on July 31. The 2024 theme is "Adventure Begins at Your Library." There are still 13 free programs and activities happening at BPL locations across the city today, July 30, and Wednesday, July 31.  Among programs happening:  Bubbles, Sun & Fun: Springville Road Summer Reading Closeout - today, Tuesday, July 30 at  Springville Road Regional Library See the full list by location below:  Avondale Regional Library, 509 40th Street South Ph# (205) 226-4000  Grab & Go for Grown-Ups, Through July 31 The first player to reach the shade tree with beach reads wins! Available while supplies last. Club Create, 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 31  Join our crafting adventures! Each week we’ll complete a simple craft, with materials and instruction provided. We will build and decorate ladybug houses. Central Library, 2100 Park Place, Birmingham, A

  What: Bards & Brews Open Mic  When: Friday, August 2, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. Where : UpTown Jazz, 2250-B 9th Ave. North, Birmingham, AL  Details:   The Birmingham Public Library 's spoken word series, Bards & Brews , celebrates International Beer Day at UpTown Jazz with an Open Mic - with featured poet K. Lovell. Hosted by Thed Weller, Bards & Brews is sponsored by the Alabama State Council on the Arts. Free to the public; you must be 18 or older to enter. UpTown Jazz will have alcoholic beverages available for purchase on site for those 21 and older. Follow Bards & Brews on Facebook. Birmingham, Ala. - Bards & Brews returns this Friday, August 2, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Uptown Jazz with an Open Mic hosted by Thed Weller. Birmingham's K. Lovell will be the featured poet at this event, which is a celebration of International Beer Day . Bards & Brews, BPL's popular monthly spoken word poetry event, is free & open to the public. You must be 18+ to ent

  The Titusville Library Empowerment Series focused on on getting and keeping a roof over year head . An Information Empowerment Series is underway at Titusville Branch Library, #2 6th Avenue SW. The bi-weekly series kicked off on July 11. On Thursday, July 25, the topic was "Getting and Keeping a Roof Over Your head." The next sessions will be on, Thursday, August 8. Topic: Public Benefits and Healthcare. Stay tuned for details on the program. Reba Williams, Branch Manager of Titusville Library, shared information on the sessions below: Information Empowerment Thursday at Titusville Branch, 2nd and 4th Thursdays at 10:00 a.m.  We are delighted to announce that the library will host the MedsPLUS Diabetes Education Program! The previous sessions, which included individuals that overcame odds to achieve remarkable success, including weight loss, lowering blood pressure, and improving blood sugar levels.  Additionally, the Titusville Library has collaborated with the Jefferson C

Interested in creating your own online course? Learn how at the Birmingham Public Library's (BPL) virtual program on Tuesday, August 27. Founder and CEO of her own company, Brittaney Jenkins will present this program on how to turn your special interests and passions into a rewarding educational online series that may even make you some extra money. 

  The Birmingham Public Library's 256 free 2024 Summer Reading programs for patrons  of all ages are entering the last days, ending on July 31. The 2024 theme is "Adventure Begins at Your Library." There are still 23 free programs happening at BPL locations across the city during the last week of July.   Among the programs happening today:  * Alabama 4-H Animals,  today, Thursday, July 25, 10:00 a.m. at Springville Road Regional Library *  Game Table Adventures, Today, Thursday, July 25, 1:00 p.m., Pratt City Branch Library * End of Summer Reading Party Thursday, July 25, 2:00 p.m. (children), West End Branch Library, 1348 Tuscaloosa Ave. *  Grab and Go Crafts, Today, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Thursday, July 25 and  Anime-nia, 3:30 p.m today, Thursday, July 25,  at Smithfield Branch Library You can still find adventure at these programs happening at BPL over the next week (listed in the blog below by location, date and time)   Avondale Regional Library, 509 40th Street Sout

  Want to learn to crochet? Check out these crochet resources at North Birmingham Regional Library.   This month we thought it would be a wonderful idea to highlight some of our many crochet resources here at the North Birmingham Regional Branch Library . Come on down to our branch at 2501 31st Avenue North and have a look at our crochet display!  We also have a fun and engaging crochet program called Crochet Mafia that we know a lot of crochet fanatics would love.   Check out our instruction books on crochet. And while you're at it, come join our Crochet Mafia program.  Are you interested in crochet? Have any crochet creations you're dying to share with us? Take a picture of your creation and tag us on social media! We'd love to see what y'all have made.    To help on your crochet journey, here are some of our books available for checkout at JCLC  (Public Libraries in Jefferson County), including the Birmingham Public Library ( BPL ).  By Jana Brown, Library Assistant

Birmingham, Ala.— The Birmingham Public Library is thrilled to announce an exclusive event featuring local filmmaker Jessica Chriesman as she presents a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of her critically acclaimed short film, Philoxenia . This unique program will take place on Saturday, August 3, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. in the Arrington Auditorium of the Birmingham Public Library. It will include both a detailed discussion and a screening of the film.

The Birmingham Public Library (BPL) is proud to announce the inclusion of American Sign Language (ASL) in our database collection!  Mango Languages is proud to partner with ASL Inside so users can learn to sign on their favorite language learning app.

On June 1, the Birmingham Public Library began hosting 256 free programs for patrons of all ages at 16 of our locations as part of 2024 Summer Reading, "Adventure Begins at Your Library." There are only two weeks of Summer Reading programs left beginning today, July 17. Among them: * Paint and Sip Party at Inglenook Library at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 18   *  Free senior fitness classes at 10:45 a.m. on Fridays at Titusville Branch Library * Fashion Show at East Ensley Branch Library at 3:00 p.m. on Monday, July 22 * Make Bird Feeders, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., Monday, July 22,  Springville Road Regional Library * P.M.A. (Power Monday Aerobics) At 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. on Mondays, July 22,  29 at Smithfield Library     * 3D Hot Air Balloon Craft at North Birmingham Regional Library at 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, July 23 * PreSchool STEM, 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 23, Springville Road Regional Library - this story time event that encourages children that encourages children to discove

  Birmingham, Ala. - Hey seniors, do you want to get fit this summer? Free senior workout classes led by Ms. Tracy Williams are available every Friday at Titusville Branch Library. The classes began on June 14 and happen every Friday at 10:45 a.m. at Titusville Branch, #2 6th Avenue Southwest.   The next class is this Friday, July 19.  The classes are sponsored by Birmingham's Navigate Housing . All levels are welcome; no experience necessary. Though geared towards seniors, the classes are open to all adults who desire to get in shape, said Reba Williams, Titusville Branch Manager. For more information, call Titusville Branch at 205-322-1140.  See you this Friday, July 19, at 10:45 a.m. If you cannot make it then, join Titusville Library on any other Friday while these free classes are available. No advanced reservations are necessary. By Roy L. Williams|PR Director, Birmingham Public Library

The Birmingham Public Library (BPL) offers Mango Languages products to its patrons, but did you know their language databases include movies too? Mango Movies offers a small but engaging collection of movie with some including public performance rights !

The Birmingham Public Library (BPL) is proud to announce the inclusion of award-winning language learning solution for children, Little Pim, to the database collection through our Mango Language.

Enjoy Courtesy Access Compliments of the Birmingham Public Library System ArtistWorks for Libraries provides musicians world-class instruction from Grammy Award-winning music professionals for free through your Birmingham Public Library .  This new digital resource offers users a guided path of video lessons containing everything they need to reach their musical goals. All levels of player are welcome!

  City of Birmingham Poet Laureate Salaam Green and the Birmingham Public Library announce the 2024 Summer Poet Fellowship. Selected fellows will work with BPL to facilitate poetry programming in support of literacy and summer reading initiatives.  Birmingham, AL- City of Birmingham Poet Laureate Salaam Green and the Birmingham Public Library are thrilled to announce the 2024 Summer Poet Fellowship. This initiative is a partnership between City of Birmingham Poet Laureate, BPL, and Create Birmingham . Selected fellows will work with two BPL locations to facilitate poetry programming in support of literacy and summer reading initiatives .  Program Overview: Salaam Green has nominated Karima Moore to serve as the inaugural Youth Poet Fellow and Maati Sanovia to serve as the inaugural Adult Poet Fellow. Both will work with the Birmingham Public Library to facilitate poetry programming this summer.  Fellows will receive a $500.00 honorarium that will be administered by Create Birmingham

Download Our New and Improved Mobile App and make your use of the library seamless and convenient. The Birmingham Public Library (BPL) is excited to announce the launch of our new and improved library mobile app! Featuring a more engaging home screen and better functionality, the app can easily connect you with the library using your mobile device.  With the new app you can: 

In its beginning, one half of Birmingham-Southern College (BSC) , then known as Southern University, opened in the Bush Hills neighborhood. 20 years later, the institutions merged as Birmingham-Southern College. For over 100 years, the liberal arts college occupied 45 buildings on almost 200 acres just a few miles west of downtown Birmingham.

Winfred Hawkins, Pietà (in memory of George Stinney, Jr.) , mixed media on wood panel, 32 ’ x 48 ” Birmingham, Ala. - An exhibition of works by award-winning artist Winfred Hawkins will open at the Birmingham Public Library  on Friday, July 5. The show is titled Comedian and will be on display in the Fourth Floor Gallery at the Central Library  through Friday, August 30.  Comedian features Hawkins’ brilliantly colored, mixed-media pieces. Curated by Paul Barrett, Comedian was originally presented at the International Arts Center at Troy University  earlier this year. A reception for Hawkins will take place in the Fourth Floor Gallery on Saturday, July 6, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. The reception will also honor Dale Lewis, the sculptor behind the show Cabinet of Curiosities currently on display in the Central Library’s Lobby Gallery.  Please come meet and converse with these two artists about the works featured in their respective exhibitions, as well as about their careers as artists.