Birmingham Public Library Blog

An essential business tool that has been available in print at the Central Library is now available electronically to all Birmingham residents! The Business Plans Handbook contains actual business plans compiled by, and aimed at, entrepreneurs seeking funding for small businesses. It presents sample plans taken from businesses in the manufacturing, retail and service industries which serve as examples of how to approach, structure and compose business plans. To access the Business Plans Handbook from home, simply go to www.bplonline.org, click "Databases," and select "Business" in the subject list for access to this and other resources. Business Plans Handbook is only one of many business tools that are available online from Birmingham Public Library.

Gifts of a Wordsmith January workshop will take place at Central Library, on the second floor in the Story Castle, Tuesday, January 8, 2013 .  These poetry workshops are held every first Tuesday of the month from 6 to 8 p.m. at the downtown Birmingham Public Library and is funded by the Friends of BPL . John Paul Taylor is one of the founders of Real Life Poets, a nonprofit creative writing program based in Birmingham. For more information on the adult poetry class, contact Taylor at johnpaul@reallifepoets.org or 205-585-8271. The Real Life Poets website is www.reallifepoets.org . The BPL contact is Haruyo Miyagawa, 205-226-3670. Her email address is hm@bham.lib.al.us. What: Gifts of a Wordsmith Workshop Place: Central Library Date: Tuesday, January 8, 2013 Time: 6:00-8:00 p.m. Cost: Free and open to the public Registration: Not required

If you've already cheated on your New Year's resolution to get fit, don't give up. The Birmingham Public Library has something to keep you motivated. On Tuesday, January 8 , a free exercise class will be held at 6:15 p.m. in the Arrington Auditorium of the Linn-Henley Research Library, 2100 Park Place. (It's the building that faces Linn Park.) Russell Lee, a certified group exercise instructor, a skilled YMCA instructor, and a BPL Library Assistant 3, will lead the class. Be sure to bring bottled water and a towel. Also, check with your doctor before starting any fitness program. Throughout January, we'll be posting fitness and exercise tips from Russell and other sources. So, don't lose hope with your battle of the bulge in 2013. There's always tomorrow to start anew. The class is part of the city's Let's Move Birmingham health initiative. Here are some of Russell's tips on how to embrace healthy snacks: Go for crunchy snacks such...

A sampling of health and fitness materials available at BPL How did you do today in sticking to your New Year's resolution? Still finding it hard to get going? Well, all it takes is to put one foot in front of the other. Before you know it, you will be making progress. If weight loss is your goal, consider checking out a book or two from the Birmingham Public Library. Library locations such as Central, Springville Road, Avondale, and Five Points West libraries have displays full of fitness and health books and DVDs ready for check out. Russell Lee, a certified group exercise instructor with the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America, skilled YMCA instructor and a BPL library assistant, offers tips on how to get moving. Beginners should try to engage in physical activity at least two to three times per week. For those trying to lose weight, work out at least five times a week. (NOTE: Before starting any exercise program, consult a physician.) For those just st...

The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food Jennifer 8. Lee “There are some forty thousand Chinese restaurants in the United States—more than the number of MacDonald’s, Burger Kings, and KFCs combined.” So begins The Fortune Cookie Chronicles , with an eye opener, a mind opener. And the cookies keep open sesamie-ing throughout the book, as Lee’s gliding prose challenges and expands our notions of Chinese cuisine. In Fortune you’ll find, as you might expect, the origins of the cookie (no, it’s not Chinese, or American, or Chinese American). Expanding outward, you’ll discover the endless varieties of Chinese food from around the world, from Cajun Chinese (Szechuan alligator, anyone?) to Mauritian (sweet-sour lobster) to Philly (cheesesteak eggrolls). But what, you may wonder, is real Chinese food? Somewhat hard to say exactly as even the authentic thing has an age-old propensity for innovation. Suffice it to say that it typically has these hallmarks: it ...

Beginning in January the Birmingham Public Library’s Department of Archives and Manuscripts will open to the public one weekend each month. The weekend hours will be Saturday, 9:00-6:00 and Sunday, 2:00-6:00. The Archives will open the following weekends in 2013: January 19-20; February 16-17; March 16-17; April 13-14; May 11-12; June 8-9; July 6-7; August 3-4; August 31 (BPL will be closed September 1); September 28-29; October 26-27; November 23-24; and December 28-29. Beginning in January 2014 the Archives will be open to the public on the second weekend of each month. Established in 1976, the Department of Archives and Manuscripts collects government records, business records, maps, photographs, letters, diaries, scrapbooks, and other primary material documenting the history and development of Birmingham, Jefferson County and the surrounding area of Alabama known as the Birmingham District. The Archives collects material statewide relating to the Episcopal Church in Alabama, th...

Bards & Brews performer at Central Library, September 2012 The year 2013 will usher in a new and improved Bards & Brews. The Birmingham Public Library’s (BPL) popular poetry performance/beer tasting series kicks off the New Year on January 4 with a slam featuring BIG CASH PRIZES: first place winner gets $200, second place $100, and third place $50. Contestants pay $5 to get in on the action. The program begins at 6:30 p.m. with live music, and poetry performances start 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. The program is free of charge and open to the public. Craft beer will be available for sampling and light refreshments will be served. 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 on the first Fri...

If you've already cheated on your New Year's resolution to get fit, don't give up. The Birmingham Public Library has something to keep you motivated. On Tuesday, January 8 , a free exercise class will be held at 6:15 p.m. in the Arrington Auditorium of the Linn-Henley Research Library, 2100 Park Place. (It's the building that faces Linn Park.) Russell Lee, a certified group exercise instructor, a skilled YMCA instructor, and a BPL Library Assistant 3, will lead the class. Be sure to bring bottled water and a towel. Also, check with your doctor before starting any fitness program. Throughout January, we'll be posting fitness and exercise tips from Russell and other sources. So, don't lose hope with your battle of the bulge in 2013. There's always tomorrow to start anew. The class is part of the city's Let's Move Birmingham health initiative. Here are some of Russell's tips on how to embrace healthy snacks: Go for crunchy snacks such as...