Birmingham Public Library Blog

Its beginning came from an official proclamation issued by President Ronald Reagan, Proclamation 5219, National Ice Cream Month and National Ice Cream Day, July 9, 1984. He lauded the contribution of ice cream to the American dairy industry, and called it “the perfect dessert and snack food.” “I call upon the people of the United States to observe these events with appropriate ceremonies and activities,” he said. So it has remained traditionally, the month of July and the third Sunday of the month, in celebration of ice cream. According to the International Dairy Foods Association , 9% of the milk produced by American dairy farmers is used to make ice cream. Americans consumed an average of 20 quarts per capita in 2010. Flavored ice treats have been around for hundreds of years. Legend has it that Thomas Jefferson brought ice cream to America, but the early colonists ate it. He may have introduced vanilla (the most popular flavor) after serving as ambassador to France, where frozen...

Homeschool During the Summer Months Studies have shown that children experience learning losses during the summer when they do not participate in educational activities. The Social Sciences Department has put together a display of homeschooling books for the month of July. Stop by today on the third floor of the Central branch of the Birmingham Public Library or call us at 205-226-3640. Social Sciences Department Central Library Stay Cool this Summer with the Help of BPL As summer continues to heat up, more people are cooling down with refreshing summer treats and drinks. In the month of July, the Business, Science, & Technology department is featuring a display of books on how to prepare frozen desserts and thirst-quenching drinks. We also have fliers with quick and healthy summer recipes. Please visit the third floor of the Central branch to pick up your copy. Business, Science, & Technology Central Library

A photo from the Board of Equalization files in the BPL Digital Collections . Did a famous Birmingham leader once live in your “new” house? Is your home the oldest structure on your block? If you have ever wondered about researching this information, a workshop at the Central Library will help you get started. In conjunction with the Jefferson County Historical Commission and the Birmingham Historical Society , the Birmingham Public Library (BPL) is hosting a workshop on historic house research on Saturday, July 7, from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. in the Richard Arrington Auditorium. The workshop is free and open to the public. Registration is not required. Attendees will learn how to conduct research on historic dwellings in Birmingham and Jefferson County including the resources available at BPL and requirements for historical designations and markers. Linda Nelson, Jefferson County Historical Commission Executive Secretary, will discuss requirements of the Historical Marker Program...

The Birmingham Public Library’s (BPL) popular Bards & Brews poetry performance/beer tasting series is hitting the road in July. Held the first Friday of each month, the next edition of Bards & Brews will travel to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens located at 2612 Lane Park Road. The program, which will be an OPEN MIC, begins at 6:30 p.m. on July 6, 2012 in the Ireland Room with live music and poetry performances starting at 7:00. Emcee Brian “Voice Porter” Hawkins will deftly guide both novice and veteran poets through an evening of verse with topics that run the gamut from romantic relationships to the local political scene. Craft beer will be available for sampling, along with light refreshments. Attendees must be 18 years or older to be admitted, and 21 years or older to be served. IDs will be checked. Bards & Brews is usually held at various locations around town. Look for us on August 3, 2012 at the Avondale Regional Library located at 509 40th Street South. Check...

It’s summertime and everywhere you look there are lists of all the great books you should be reading this summer. NPR has a list, Time magazine has a list, Oprah has a list—everybody has a list. Do you? It’s easy to create and just one more thing you can do with your library card. After all, summer is not the only time for reading. The JCLC Catalog has a feature called My Lists, which allows you to create a list or multiple lists of books you are interested in. How many times have you come to the library to get something to read and couldn’t remember what you wanted? My Lists solves that dilemma by giving you a way to make a list that is always available to you. The next time you need a book to read you can select from your list or place holds from your list. To get started, find a title you want in the catalog and click on the shopping cart button. Then click on “Save to my lists.” It’s that simple. To view your list, log in to your account and click on My Lists. Check here for scr...

All for Me and None for All Helen Lester Every now and then I discover an author I really enjoy and want to share with fellow readers; such is the case with Helen Lester. I have always enjoyed her books and thoroughly enjoyed her latest edition, All for Me and None for All . The star protagonist, Gruntly, is a hog in more ways than one—a ball hog, a snack hog, a treasure hog. He never shares and, in fact, helps himself to whatever his friends have. When Gruntly finds out about a treasure hunt he can’t wait, literally. Gruntly has a plan to win all of the treasure for himself, but greed gets in the way and his plan backfires. Before the clues leading to the treasure can be completely revealed, Gruntly takes off. Gruntly soon finds himself with no treasure at all. Luckily for him he has some forgiving friends who believe in sharing. Gruntly learns several valuable lessons and discovers that sharing is its own reward. After reading All for Me and None for All , check out some more H...

Most patrons know that if you want criticism on the literature of Edgar Allan Poe or Mark Twain , you’ll find what you need to write your paper in the Arts, Literature, and Sports Department. If you have a question about any sport from baseball to tennis or just want to get a biography on Derek Jeter , then ALS has what you’re looking for. We can also help you with details about the works and lives of artists, from Renoir to Rembrandt . But, what if you need a pick-me up or just a good chuckle? Again, ALS is your destination. We have a wide variety of publications to make you smile. The humor literature in our department includes a wide variety of “guaranteed to make you chuckle” books from Dave Barry to Garfield . The following are a few new ones that you might like to try: I Hate Everyone Starting with Me by Joan Rivers - Her philosophy is “Do unto others before they do unto you—and for God’s sake, do it funny!” After all, she’s an international star who can sneer in eight langua...

Vincent Solfronk, head of Central Library's Youth Department, gets introduced to a library pet by North Birmingham Library employee June Lacanski . A construction crew will move into the North Birmingham Regional Library on Monday, July 2, to begin a 90-day renovation of the building’s roof and HVAC system. The project addresses roofing, heating, and AC concerns which have been lingering for several years. During the construction period, staff working at the region’s largest library will work at other locations throughout the system. If the project moves along as scheduled, the building will reopen in early October. North Birmingham library patrons interested in visiting Nibbles the rabbit and the other pets featured during “Grub Down” at the library can see their furry friends in the Central Library’s Youth Department. The animals will remain at Central throughout the renovation period. Summer Reading programs which had been planned for North Birmingham are now scheduled at o...