Birmingham Public Library Blog

A recent Birmingham News article reminded us how important storytelling is as an art form. After all, until Unknown thought to write down the epic story of Beowulf in AD 1000, stories were passed down by oral tradition. Eve Parker—pictured above hamming it up with pre-fried-peanut-butter-sandwich Elvis —belongs to a group of eight storytellers who work for the Birmingham Public Library. Local storytellers are instrumental in luring folks out of their homes and into libraries and other venues, creating a stronger sense of community. Alabama native and master storyteller Kathryn Tucker Windham has been promoting the oral tradition of storytelling for decades, spooking generations of children with her southern ghost tales. She sees storytelling as a demonstration of affection—"I love you enough to tell you something that means a great deal to me." A gala will be held in honor of Windham on March 29, at 3:00 p.m. at The Virginia Samford Theatre . The gala will benefit The Sea...

Dr. John Hope Franklin 1915-2009 Historian Dr. John Hope Franklin, pioneer of African-American studies, author of the seminal work on the black experience in the U.S., and civil rights activist who worked on the landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education outlawing public school segregation, died yesterday. Professor Franklin's landmark book From Slavery to Freedom integrated black history into American history and is still in print 60 years later and is in its 7th edition. His numerous other publications include The Emancipation Proclamation , The Militant South , The Free Negro in North Carolina , Reconstruction After the Civil War , A Southern Odyssey: Travelers in the Ante-bellum North , Race and History: Selected Essays, 1938-1988 , The Color Line: Legacy for the Twenty-first Century, and his latest book My Life and an Era: The Autobiography of Buck Colbert Franklin . Dr. Franklin was also a part of the team of scholars who assisted Thurgood Marshall to win Brown...

Before jumping into Web 2.0 and books, let’s have a quick primer about 2.0. The best way to understand Web 2.0 may be through examples. While you might not be able to spit out a quick dictionary definition (btw Websters does define it as “the second generation of the World Wide Web in which content is user-generated and dynamic, and software is offered that mimics desktop programs”) you could probably recognize Web 2.0 if you saw it. Web 2.0 incorporates social aspects into Web sites by allowing users to create, in part, the Web site itself. Examples? Visit delicious to see a social network of shared bookmarks from the web. Visit listography to see people’s lists of all sorts shown and shared. You can also use the web to store and share digital images that show off your marvelous photography skills on flickr or snapfish . There’s YouTube for video and Instructables for “how to." But what about books? Well you’ll be happy to know there are many wonderful ways to explore, cata...

Birmingham author Tim Hollis will join us to discuss and sign his two latest books on travel and vacationing in the South: See Rock City: The History of Rock City Gardens and Selling the Sunshine State: A Celebration of Florida Tourism Advertising . Wednesday, April 1, noon. See Also: A 2008 BPL Blog review of Tim Hollis' book Vintage Birmingham Signs Feed your body and mind at BPL's Brown Bag Programs . You bring the lunch and we'll bring the drinks. Wednesdays at noon in the Arrington Auditorium located on the 3rd floor of the Linn-Henley Research Library, 2100 Park Place.

We’re not going to lie: We love seeing you. But occasionally, we have to close the building and lock our doors. (We need our sleep, too.) And maybe sometimes you can’t make it here while our doors are open. Good news! It’s not necessary that you come see us in order to take advantage of our Internet-accessible databases . The databases of Birmingham Public Library contain information on every imaginable topic. Our databases can provide full text articles from newspapers and magazines , wiring diagrams for automobile repair , encyclopedia articles, preparation for the GRE exam , critical analysis of Victorian literature , even legal forms . With a handful of exceptions, each database is available to you, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days per year, wherever you, your computer, and your Internet connection happen to be. If you haven’t yet, you should definitely give our – actually, your – databases a try. We have a feeling you won’t be disappointed.

Visit the Central Library for a special preview of the new smash hit arena show Walking with Dinosaurs: The Arena Spectacular , based on the award-winning BBC television series. The Arena Spectacular is now on tour in North America and will make its Birmingham premiere at BJCC Arena, Wednesday, April 1 through Sunday, April 4. The Baby T. Rex will be greeting local children to celebrate the show’s visit to Birmingham. This amazing show features a paleontologist/narrator who takes the audience on a 90-minute journey through the 200 million year reign of these giant prehistoric creatures. Event Details Who: A very realistic Baby T. Rex will make a single appearance along with a spokesperson from the show who will talk about the show and the creation of the dinosaurs. When: Tuesday, March 24 at 3:30 p.m Where: Central Library

Everyone is invited to join us as BPL@Night presents Get Rhythm! at the North Birmingham Regional Library. An exiting evening of West African drumming will be presented by the Get Rhythm Performing Ensemble of percussionists and drummers under the direction of John Scalici. Light refreshments will be served. BPL@Night has been made possible by grants from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts as well as by generous support by the Alabama Power Company Foundation and the Daniel Foundation of Alabama. Details What: Get Rhythm! When: Tuesday, March 24 Time: 6:30 p.m. Where: North Birmingham Regional Library Light refreshments will be served. BPL thanks Compass Bank for its generous support of BPL@Night. BPL@Night is also made possible by grants from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts .

The ethereal, mysterious kalimba, a.k.a. the African thumb piano, is often misunderstood, misinterpreted, and mistaken for being a museum piece or trinket. Consequently, Carl Winters has been inspired to develop an extensive songbook with the kalimba. His repertoire includes gospel, jazz, blues, rhythm and blues, pop, and original songs while delivering a complete solo performance. He also performs in duo, trio, quartet, and quintet configurations. Mr. Winters attended an Earth, Wind, and Fire concert in the 1970s and became inspired to master the kalimba. He has played all over the United States. The fusion of styles that inform and create Winters’ music will remind the listener of a dream. His songs create a mood and his performances leave a lasting impression on audience members. “The Kalimba King’s” educational and enriching programs include spoken word as well as music. Audience members will explore the kalimba’s beauty and its power in this special library performance. For more...