Birmingham Public Library Blog

  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 | 6:00–8:00 p.m.   West End Christmas Spectacular  Join us for an

  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 learn about wildfires

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 talent of the A.H.

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 Sylacauga meteori

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

  Roy, left, and Troy Williams, identical twins from Jacksonville, Alabama On Wednesday, November 13, my identical twin brother Troy and I turn 60. This  milestone birthday  is sentimental to me because of the tragic loss of my oldest brother on 9/11 at age 40 and led me to put on my former newspaper reporting genes and to do research on identical twins.    If you want to learn more about identical twins, here are 10 books available for checkout at the  Birmingham Public Library  and other  Public Libraries in Jefferson County. By Roy L. Williams, PR Director|Birmingham Public Library How to Be Multiple: The Philosophy of Twin s  by Helena de Bres Twin Tales: The Magic and Mystery of Multiple Births  by Donna Jackson  What to Do When You're Having Two: The Twin Survival Guide from Pregnancy to the First Year  by Natalie Diaz What to Do If You're Expecting Twins, Triplets or Quads: Proven Guidelines for a Multiple Pregnancy    by Barbara Luke   The Epigenetics Revolution: How M

  As many of you are already aware, November is Hospice & Palliative Care Month.  This annual observance is designed to educate the public on the important role that caregivers, hospital staff, and volunteers play in helping our aging seniors dealing with health challenges. This topic is important to many communities across the globe and deserves to be highlighted and discussed.  That’s why the North Birmingham Regional Branch Library is offering up a list of our best resources on hospice care and palliative care.  Best Non-Fiction Books  The Complete Legal Guide to Senior Car e   by Brette McWhorter Sember - One of the great things about this book is that it was written by an attorney. The book goes in depth on the legal, residential, financial, and medical aspects involved with senior care. Graceful Exit: How to Advocate Effectively, Take Care of Yourself, and Be Present for the Death of a Loved One   by Gustavo Ferrer - This is for anyone who finds him or herself thrust into

  Mary Allen Murray, volunteer coordinator of Black Warrior Riverkeeper and JCLC Board of Directors 2023 DVD cover of "Southern Exposure" Homewood, Ala. —Alabama Rivers Alliance and Black Warrior Riverkeeper have partnered to donate to the Jefferson County Library Cooperative (JCLC) 22 copies of the latest editions of Southern Exposure, an award-winning film series dedicated to educating the public about Alabama’s natural resources.  Thanks to a donation of 18 copies of the DVDs to the Birmingham Public Library in September, now each of JCLC’s 40 locations will now have a DVD copy of the 2023 edition of Southern Exposure , a series of documentaries on various Alabama environmental topics by independent filmmakers. Copies of previous Southern Exposure editions are available at all JCLC locations due to Alabama Rivers Alliance and Black Warrior Riverkeeper’s donations in past years.   “On behalf of Jefferson County Library Cooperative, I would like to thank Alabama Rivers All