Birmingham Public Library Blog

Miriam Calleja - Choreography of Almost The Birmingham Public Library is excited to announce the opening of an exhibition featuring works by artist and poetess Miriam Calleja . Stuck; lingering invites viewers to contemplate a unique fusion of verse and visual art or, as Calleja describes it, “a meeting of poetry and imagery in connection and conflict.” Please join us for an opening reception on Friday, June 6 , from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the Lobby Gallery at the Central Library . Calleja will read some of the poems featured in her exhibition. The reception is free and open to the public. Using techniques such as collage, embroidery, and image transfer, Calleja works with acrylic paint, ink, watercolor, pencil, and found materials to incorporate her original verse into handmade books, assemblages, and mixed-media pieces. Each of Calleja’s pieces contains a line or an entire poem from her repertoire, including some new unpublished work. The exhibition name is inspired by lines from ...

  The  Birmingham Public Library  has 17 locations across the city, offering fun activities and fascinating programs every week for patrons of all ages—from kids to senior citizens. Throughout  June and July , BPL locations will host  more than 200 free Summer Reading programs  for children, teens, adults, and seniors. Visit any BPL location to sign up . 👉 To view the full list of Summer Reading programs by location, visit  BPL Summer Reading . 📅 Highlights This Week at BPL (Monday–Friday, June 6) McWane Science Center:  Partners in Science  – Smithfield Branch Library 📅 Tuesday, June 3 | 🕙 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. 📍 Address: Birmingham, AL 35204 📞 Phone: (205) 324-8428 🔗 Facebook:  Smithfield Branch Library Facebook Science is a team effort! Learn how collaboration helps scientists solve major challenges—from global pandemics to space station operations. Recipe Demo with Chef Murphree – Five Points West Library 📅 Wednesday, June ...

The June 6 Bards & Brews Open Mic at East Village Arts will include a tribute to late host Voice Porter 🎤 Bards & Brews Open Mic – June 6 at East Village Arts 📅 Date:  Friday, June 6 🕡 Time:  6:30 p.m. 📍 Location:   East Village Arts, 7611 First Ave. North, Birmingham, AL 35206 🎟 Admission:  Free and open to the public (ages 18+). Must be 21+ to drink alcoholic beverages. 📱 Follow us:   Bards & Brews on Facebook Have you ever wanted to share your original spoken word poetry in front of a live audience? Now’s your chance! Join the  Birmingham Public Library’s Bards & Brews Open Mic  at  East Village Arts  on  Friday, June 6 , beginning at  6:30 p.m.  This special edition of BPL’s popular monthly spoken word and craft beer series is  on the road —hosted for the first time at East Village Arts, a nonprofit artist collective located in Birmingham’s East Lake community. 🎤  Hosted by:  Emcee The...

File photo of East Lake Branch Library    East Lake Branch Library to Hold Reopening Ceremony June 2 The East Lake Branch of the Birmingham Public Library will host a reopening ceremony at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, June 2, 2025. 📍 Location:  East Lake Branch Library #5 Oporto Madrid Boulevard Birmingham, AL 35206 📞 Phone: 205-836-3341 "East Lake Library is reopening its doors - and I couldn't be prouder," Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said in a statement Wednesday. "Not just because it's another win for our neighborhoods, but because it reflects what we believe: access to knowledge should never be up for debate."   📚 History of East Lake Branch Library: The East Lake Branch began its life in 1914 in a 25-by-50-foot room on the second floor of the East Lake Fire Station. In 1926, the City of Birmingham purchased land at #5 Oporto Madrid Boulevard from Sidney P. King for $10,000 to construct a new library building. The Miller and Martin Architectural Firm ...

  " I'm Still Here is an urgent story that needs to be seen and discussed."-Movie Reviewer William Anthony, Librarian I at Citizen Services Department, Central Library  I’m Still Here packs a powerful punch about the atrocities, more specifically forced disappearances, committed by a military dictatorship and how it scarred an innocent family living in Brazil in the early 1970s. (Click here for a link to the movie trailer for  I’m Still Here  ) I'm Still Here does not revel too much in these crimes, for these heinous acts occur offscreen. Instead, it accurately breaks down the aftermath of dealing with trauma without just stepping onto a soapbox and using a bullhorn to preach about how awful war crimes and human rights abuses are.   Walter Salles’ latest film takes this critical, unsettling era in Brazilian history a step further by prioritizing how ordinary people suffer the brunt of unchecked power.  The Paivas appear to have it all. The elegant E...

Organization for Craters is among 29 Summer Reading Programs happening at Springville Road Regional Library during June and July. Throughout June and July,  17 BPL locations  across the city will host  more than 200 free Summer Reading programs  for children, teens, adults, and seniors. To see the full list of Summer Reading programs by location, visit  BPL Summer Reading . 📍 Spotlight: Springville Road Regional Library Address:  1224 Springville Road, Birmingham, AL 35215 Phone:  (205) 226-4081 Facebook:   Springville Road Library Facebook Springville Road Regional Library is offering  38 Summer Reading programs  this year— 2 Special Events, 3 All Ages, 18 youth activities  and  15 programs for teens and adults . Registration for Summer Reading is available at any BPL location. Below is a breakdown of the programs taking place at Springville Road: 🎉 Special Events • Children’s Health & Information Fair (Family Event) 📅...

The Birmingham Public Library (BPL) will launch its 2025 Grow with Google Small Business Workshop series on Tuesday, May 27, continuing a partnership that began in August 2018, when BPL became the first library system in Alabama selected by Google to host these free digital skills programs. Since then, BPL has offered numerous Grow with Google workshops aimed at helping library patrons, entrepreneurs, and small business owners build essential computer and marketing skills. A Track Record of Digital Empowerment  Past workshops have included:  September 2019 – A city-wide series led by BPL IT staff  October 2019 – Reach Customers Online with Google and Spruce Up Your Holiday Marketing Plan November 2019 – Grow with Google Livestream for veteran-owned businesses  December 2020 – Power Your Job Search with Google Tools  May 2021 – Make Your Website Work for You  June 2021 – Use YouTube to Grow Your Business In June 2019, BPL’s role in bridging the digital divid...

The Birmingham Public Library invites you a special opening reception for two new exhibitions: Electromagnetic Field Gothic   by Ryan Meyer and Portraits of Ghosts  by Thomas Rooney. Join us this Friday, May 9 , at the Central Library to meet the artists and explore their thought-provoking work. The reception will be held from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.  in the Fourth Floor Gallery and is free and open to the public. These exhibitions are part of BPL ’s Art for Everyone  series, which highlights the work of emerging and established artists who live and work in Alabama. They are made possible by a grant awarded to the Friends Foundation of BPL by the Alabama State Council on the Arts . About the Exhibitions Ryan Meyer, Negative Field Electromagnetic Field Gothic is a conceptual typeface project by artist and designer Ryan Meyer. What started as a mark-making style that visualizes the pervasive electromagnetic field, became a system of letterforms and symbols display...