Birmingham Public Library Blog

  Loud at the Library's Parker High School Choir Concert December 11 at Central Library is among 80 free holiday events happening at Birmingham Public Library locations across the city in December.  Birmingham, Ala. - Happy holidays from the Birmingham Public Library (BPL) !  If you’re looking for fun, free things to help you get in a festive, holiday mood, 14 of our libraries across the city are hosting 80 programs throughout December. We have programs, events and crafts for patrons of all ages, from holiday concerts to story time for kids, line dance classes at North Birmingham Library and Titusville Library and crafting for adults.  Our holiday events include four free concerts: * Caroling by the Trinity Singers of Trinity United Methodist Church, 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, December 10  at Avondale Regional Library  * West End Christmas Spectacular, 6:00-8:00 p.m., Tuesday, December 10, West End Branch Library *  Loud at the Library Presents A.H. Parke...

  Ready to celebrate Thanksgiving meals with friends and family this Thursday? Get in a turkey-festive mood at the Birmingham Public Library.    Before we take a holiday break ( all of our libraries will be closed for the Thanksgiving weekend beginning this Thursday, reopening on Monday, December 2) , here are some of the Thanksgiving holiday crafts and programs happening at BPL:   Inglenook Branch Library , 4100 40th Terrace North Tuesday, November 26, 4-5 p.m.   Storytime: Corn is Maize  Learn about how Native Americans helped the Pilgrims plant & harvest corn.  Woodlawn Branch Library, 5709 1st Ave. North  Wednesday, November 27, 9:00 a.m. - - 6:00 p.m. Noteworthy November Postcards  Join us at Woodlawn Library to see our Noteworthy November display of books and historical events. Then create your own postcard of a November event significant to you to display at the library or take home!  West End Branch Library, 1348 Tuscalo...

  On December 3, 2024, take part in  Giving Tuesday  by making a contribution to the  Friends Foundation of the Birmingham Public Library . By donating $25 or more, you will receive a stylish, custom-designed BPL tote bag! To be eligible for the BPL tote bag, you must be among the first 50 people to  make a $25+ donation  on Giving Tuesday, December 3. The BPL tote bag is perfect for books, groceries, picnics, sewing and knitting projects, travel, and more. It also makes a great holiday gift (especially when filled with books!) Featured on the BPL tote bag is a decorative, nature-inspired motif found on the ceiling of the  Linn-Henley Research Library , as interpreted in a block print by artist and BPL employee Parker Evans. The sturdy tote is 100% cotton canvas and has 24-inch webbed handles with reinforced stress-point stitching, as well as a square bottom gusset. It measures 14.75” x 14.75” x 4.5”. Why Support the Birmingham Public Library? For over...

  Celebrate the holidays through free concerts happening in December at four Birmingham Public Library locations. Among the 80-plus holiday library programs happening across Birmingham are four free concerts taking place at the Central Library, Avondale Regional Library, Five Points West Regional Library and West End Branch Library.   Stay tuned for a full The Holiday Happenings 2024 booklet and a blog to be posted on the BPL website soon.  In the meantime, learn more about our four free concerts below:   Avondale Regional Branch Library | 509 40th Street S, Birmingham, AL 35222  Tuesday, December 10, 2024 – 11:00 a.m.   A Caroling We Will Go with the Trinity Singers of the Trinity United Methodist Church  Join us at Avondale Regional Library for holiday singing with the Trinity Singers of the Trinity United Methodist Church.   West End Branch Library, 1348 Tuscaloosa Ave. SW, Birmingham, AL 35211   Tuesday, December 10 |...

  Five Points West Regional Library is hosting the Smokey the Bear Reading Challenge. What: Smokey the Bear Reading Challenge Where: Five Points West Regional Library , 4812 Avenue W, Birmingham, AL 35208 When : Began October 1, concludes on November 28. Goal: To celebrate the 80th birthday of Smokey the Bear, encourage reading among kids aged 5-12 and  to help spread the word to young people that "Only You Can Prevent Wildfires!" Details:   For more information about the challenge, contact the Five Points West Branch Library Youth Department at 205-226-4017.   In celebration of Smokey the Bear’s 80th birthday , Five Points West Regional Library has been hosting the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Forestry Service’s Smokey the Bear Reading Challenge . The competition ends on November 28.  Since October 1, kids in ages ranging from Pre-K to 6th grade have been reading books to earn badges and receive prizes. The goal is to challenge students to le...

What: BPL’s Loud at the Library Presents the A. H. Parker High School Choir Holiday Concert When: Wednesday, December 11, 2024, 6:30 p.m. Where: The Central Library, 2100 Park Place, Birmingham, AL 35201  Birmingham, Ala. - The A.H. Parker High School Concert Choir will perform a holiday concert at the Central Library downtown  at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 11, 2024. This free event will be a part of the Birmingham Public Library ’s “Loud at the Library Series,” sponsored by a grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts to the Friends Foundation of the Birmingham Public Library. It is the latest in a series of Loud at the Library concerts including a free blues concert headlined by Earl “Guitar” Williams in September and an International Jazz Day concert in April featuring saxophonist Fred Jones Jr.  “Instead of doing a traditional gospel competition for groups or individuals, we wanted our latest Loud at the Library concert to showcase the local talen...

Come see Woodlawn Branch Library's  interactive display “Noteworthy November.” The Woodlawn Branch Library is currently hosting an interactive display called “Noteworthy November.” Taking inspiration from items available in the Woodlawn Branch , the Birmingham Public Library  and wider JCLC catalog , I researched November history and curated a selection of juvenile books related to historic events from Novembers past and present.  Using images from the Library of Congress , I created postcards featuring facts and information related to national and local Alabama history. Historic occasions from national history such as the Gettysburg Address by President Abraham Lincoln, the addition of six states to the U.S., and Election Day are covered.  Topics of local state events include the ratification of the Alabama Constitution in 1901 , the Sylacauga Meteorite, and the birth of W.C. Handy , an African-American from Florence, Ala. known as the Father of the Blues. The Sy...

November is Native American Heritage Month, a time set aside to celebrate the culture and history of Native Americans in the United States. The Birmingham Public Library Southern History Department' s celebration of Native American Heritage Month kicked off with a Native American Genealogy program today , Wednesday, November 13, in the Central Library. Map Conservator Paul Boncella shared tips on how people of Native American heritage can do to research on genealogy and how to maneuver the ancestral link to the Five Civilized Tribes. From noon to 1:00 p.m. next Wednesday, November 20, the Southern History Department will host a program called "DNA Testing for Native Americans." The class  includes both an in person and online Zoom option. This free workshop will take place in the BPL Research Library 4th Floor Computer Lab. DNA ethnicity testing may seem a simple and efficient way to identify your ancestral connection to the native peoples of the Americas, but do yo...