Birmingham Public Library Blog

  C.J. Wade, instructor for the Self-Care MasterMind series. What: Self Care Mastermind Community Edition 2025 – Meditate on What?  Date: Tuesday May 6, 2025  Time: 5:30-6:30pm  Location: 1st Floor , Central Library, 2100 Park Place, Birmingham, Ala.    Details: The instructor for the Self-Care Mastermind: Community Edition 2025 series is Christina (C. J.) Wade. Ms. Wade is a licensed massage therapist and certified health coach.  Birmingham, Ala.  - Whether you have been meditating for a while or are completely new to it, there is always more to learn about this ancient and varied practice that directs our minds towards deep and sustained contemplation and reflection. Maybe you are looking for a more disciplined approach to reducing stress and anxiety, or maybe you are hoping to cultivate a deeper spiritual experience, or maybe you just want to relax better.  Whatever your meditation goals are, plan to attend "Meditate on What?, ...

The Birmingham Public Library has some exciting electronic resource options for our patrons. Today's spotlight is on Libby from OverDrive.  Libby is the OverDrive app that provides a variety of downloadable resources to patrons, including eBooks, audiobooks, and magazines. Titles are automatically returned at the end of the loan period, and there are no late fees. Check out this 2023 BPL blog, 5 Reasons You Should Use Libby. OverDrive also provides access to movies, crafts, & performing arts lessons through other apps(Libby Extras). Some, specifically the Libby Extras resources, provide video content that enhances the learning experience. Here are some interesting notes about Libby Extras.   Libby Extras are electronic resources available to the library patrons via the OverDrive Libby app . Although primarily free to library patrons, some products are from a third parties who oftentimes provides users the opportunity to purchase content or greater access. In som...

  The Birmingham Public Library has some exciting electronic resource options for our patrons. One such resource is the A to Z Database Portal.  The AtoZ Databases Portal includes: AtoZ Food America, AtoZ World Food, Global Road Warrior, AtoZ World Travel, AtoZ World Business, AtoZ World Culture, AtoZ Maps Online, AtoZ the World, AtoZ the USA, & Lingo LITE. As with all our offerings, we are confident that you will find these products appealing. Please contact the Collection Management department for more information. Feel free to provide any feedback or suggestions for other resources you would like the Birmingham Public Library to investigate.  The A to Z Database Portal can be accessed from the Birmingham Public Library website databases page at https://www.atozdatabaseaccess.com/?c=P4nFyk6Nsw or by using the QR code below:  Here is a listing of AtoZ Databases available online at BPL   AtoZ Food America  Providing 7,000 recipes, 650 ingredient articl...

What: Start My Business  Program Dates: Thursdays; May 22, 29; June 5, 12, 26, 2025  Time: 10:00am – 12:00pm  Where: Virtual on Zoom. A link will be provided once you register. Details: Start My Business i s a free five-session program presented virtually on Zoom. Hosted by the Birmingham Public Library , the program covers all the essentials to help you structure your new business for long term success. Program presenters are representatives from Centro Community Partners , a non-profit organization dedicated to facilitating access to entrepreneurship training and business advisory services.  Registration : Registration is required. The registration link is: https://centrocommunity.tfaforms.net/188  If you have been thinking about starting your own business, then you won’t want to miss this online learning opportunity from the Birmingham Public Library (BPL) that kicks off in May. “Start My Business” is a five-session program created and presented by Centro ...

  Are you a parent looking for fun, free activities for your kids to do during the summer? Are you an adult who likes to make crafts? Seeking to make new friends via bonding activities such as line dance classes,  chair aerobics and free ballet classes at various Birmingham Public Library locations? Then come gain information at Avondale Park, 4101 5th Avenue South on Saturday, May 10, from 10:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. as the Birmingham Public Library (BPL) Presents "Color Our World: The 2025 Summer Reading Kickoff." The Summer Reading Kick-Off is a fun-filled, free event for families across metro Birmingham. There will be crafts, games, music, face painting, a book walk, snow cones, prizes, and more. Registration for Summer Reading is open now at any BPL locations. BPL will host over 200 programs for patrons of all ages - from toddlers to seniors - at 16 libraries across Birmingham .  Among the Summer Reading Programs happening at BPL this summer: * McWane Science Cent...

  What:   "Creek Walking in Birmingham – Shades Creek and Its Major Urban Tributaries" When: Saturday May 3, 2025, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  Where:  Central Library's BPL Research Library, 4th Floor, Arrington Auditorium, 2100 Park Place  On May 3 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Central Library downtown, Birmingham environmental educator James Lowery will share his findings on the environmental state of metro Birmingham's Shades Creek . His talk, "Creek Walking in Birmingham – Shades Creek and Its Major Urban Tributaries," is being presented by the Birmingham Public Library' s Department of Archives & Manuscripts. Lowery is a retiree from an administrative position at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and considers himself an amateur scientist. He is involved in environmental education and is a member of several Boards of Directors , Advisory Councils and Commissions, including ones related to environmental education, water quality monitor...

Stress image courtesy of FreePik   April is National Stress Awareness Month! Read on to learn more about stress and some resources available through the Jefferson County Library Cooperative JCLC catalog (which includes the Birmingham Public Library) that might be able to help. The National Institute of Mental Health discusses the difference between stress and anxiety, defining stress as “the physical or mental response to an external cause, such as having a lot of homework or having an illness”, and encourages individuals to find ways to cope with stress. Managing stress is so important that John Hopkins University even created a “Stress Management Bingo” activity to help you develop and practice coping strategies. Suggestions include spending time on a hobby; read, watch, or listen to something that inspires you; or do a brainteaser or a puzzle.  This is where BPL might be able to help!  Check out the JCLC catalog for books, movies, and other media that might help ent...

What: BPL's 2nd Bards & Brews Poetry Slam of 2025 When:  Friday, May 2, 2025, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Where:   Central Library , 2100 Park Place, Birmingham, AL, 35203 Details:  Join BPL and Host Thed Weller as 10 talented spoken word artists compete for $350 in cash prizes ($200 1st place, $100 2nd, $50 3rd) in the Birmingham Public Library's 2nd Bards & Brews poetry slam of 2025. Great Jane will provide entertainment as the featured musical artist. On-site registration begins at 6:00 p.m. and poetry begins to flow at 6:30 p.m.  A $5 registration fee is required for participating poets. Free admission. Must be 18 to enter and 21 or older to drink alcoholic beverages. Bards & Brews is sponsored by the  Alabama State Council of the Arts , w hich provided a grant  to the  Friends Foundation of the Birmingham Public Library .   Birmingham, Ala. -  Want to hear some of metro Birmingham's best spoken word poets?  Then make you...

  Join us as the Birmingham Public Library celebrates 2025 International Jazz Day by hosting a free concert downtown on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. Local jazz legend Daniel “Jose” Carr and his Quartet will present a free concert from noon to 2:00 p.m. in the courtyard outside the BPL Research Library, 2100 Park Place.  See a 2025 al.com spotlight on a new documentary that tells the story of Daniel "Jose" Carr and Birmingham's jazz history.   Legendary jazz pianist and composer Herbie Hancock (along with the UN) helped create International Jazz Day in 2011 . Every year on April 30, people around the world join together to promote jazz’s roots and intercultural influence. New Orleans is often called the "birthplace of jazz," a musical art form that has been popular in that city for over a century.   So Birmingham jazz lovers, make your way downtown next Wednesday, April 30, as BPL hosts its annual International Jazz Day concert.  In case of inclement w...

  On Tuesday, April 29, the Birmingham Public Library will host A Year in Verse: A Celebration of Salaam Green’s Inaugural Year as Birmingham’s Poet Laureate.   This free event will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 2100 Park Place in downtown Birmingham.  The evening will consist of a conversation with Salaam about her latest book, The Other Revival , remarks by the City of Birmingham and Poet Laureate of the State of Alabama Ashley Jones. "A Year in Verse" will also include Q&A with the 2024 Birmingham Poet Fellows, and a special birthday celebration for Salaam—complete with cake!   This event is made possible by Create Birmingham, the Birmingham Public Library, and Magic City Poetry Festival. Salaam Green was announced by the city in December 2024 as the inaugural 2024-25 Birmingham Poet Laureate. She began her two-year term in January 2024. Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin recently wrote an article highlighting Salaam Gre...

  Tuesday, April 22, is Earth Day 2025, and the Birmingham Public Library is holding several free programs for those who want to join together to shine the spotlight on the importance of protecting Earth's natural resources. Events include a free Earth Day Family Fun Night Concert featuring Shaheed & DJ Supreme, happening at Springville Road Regional Library at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, April 22.    The 2025 Earth Day theme is "Our Power, Our Planet," calling on everyone globally to united behind renewable energy. Here is a listing by location of BPL locations hosting Earth Day activities this week:  Central Library, BPL Department of Archives & Manuscripts , (205) 226-3630 Interview Ayurella Horn-Muller, author of  Devoured: The Extraordinary Story of Kudzu, the Vine that Ate the South, online at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 22. The BPL Department of Archives & Manuscripts is hosting a virtual Earth Day interview with Ayurella Horn-Muller, author of D...

  Do you need a free health check up? BPL's Woodlawn Branch Library is hosting the UAB Wellness Van on Tuesday, April 22 . Drop by the Woodlawn Branch, 5709 First Ave. North, between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Tuesday and receive a free wellness check and consultation with a healthcare professional. Here's how it works:  UAB healthcare professionals meet with attendees who register and perform various health checks, from blood pressure checks, blood sugar and cholesterol checkups, body fat analysis, and other health risks. The health experts then meet with patients, explaining what the numbers mean and go over items they need to be made aware of.   Advanced registration is required. Please visit pickatime.com to schedule an appointment. The program is free and no insurance is required. Attendees must register at the following link: https://pickatime.com/lhsamobilewellness .  This is the second visit by the UAB Wellness Van this year. The quarterly program began ...

If you haven’t attended the Birmingham Public Library’s A Novel Tasting before, then you haven’t experienced the fantastic tasting that is the highlight of this annual spring event. Set to take place in the Central Library’s beautiful atrium, the tasting will showcase wine, beer, and spirits from local and Alabama-owned wine distributors, breweries, and distilleries. BPL’s fourth annual  A Novel Tasting  is scheduled for this Thursday, April 17, from 6:00 until 8:30 p.m. at downtown’s Central Library . It will be preceded by a VIP reception from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. To purchase tickets to this not-to-be-missed event, please visit Eventbrite .  Upon arrival at the event  guests will be given a custom-designed wine glass for use during the tasting.  Among the many crafters and purveyors of beverages that will offer samples of their products at  A Novel Tasting   are AlaBev, Avondale Brewing, Druid City Brewing, Good People Brewing, Mersey Craft Spirits, ...