Birmingham Public Library Blog

Legal Services Alabama , a nonprofit law firm in Birmingham, will offer will preparation services at the East Lake Library. They were on hand at Central and North Birmingham Libraries in August and September to offer assistance. To qualify for a free will, a person must be a Birmingham resident and must fall into one of the required income areas: under $34,200 for a single person; $39,050 or less for a family of two; $43,950 or less for a family of three; or $48,800 or less for a family of four. For those unable to meet the income requirements but are over 60 years old, the law firm may still be able to help. Location East Lake Library Thursday, October 23, 2014 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. "Basically, we think everybody should have a will. If you have parents or kids, you should have a will,'' said Dru Clark, an attorney with Legal Services Alabama. Those also in need of a will should be anyone: owning a home, with a bank account, with elderly parents, with depende...

One of the entries in the Red Ribbon Day contest.  Pratt City Library staff members Lenairria Creer, Fannie Jolly, Alexandria Mitchell, and Deborah Blackmon will serve on a panel of judges to decide the winners of the Red Ribbon Day poster contest. Students from South Hampton Elementary and Jackson Olin High School designed posters using the theme "Love Yourself. Be Drug Free." Red Ribbon Day is an annual event observed in the Pratt City community and across the country that focuses on drug, alcohol, and violence prevention. The National Family Partnership organized the first Nationwide Red Ribbon Campaign to recognize two DEA agents murdered in Guadalajara, Mexico. Since its beginning in 1985, the Red Ribbon has touched the lives of millions of people around the world. Angene Coleman, representative from Olivia's House , and residents will be on hand to help promote the program and enjoy the festivities. Red Ribbon Day will be held  Saturday, October 18, 2014,  ...

The New Yorker ’s   The Borowitz Report headline from October 7, 2014, trumpets the alarming news: “Man Infected with Ebola Misinformation Through Casual Contact with Cable News!” Funny yes, but with a serious dig at the news media’s repeated attempts to make the disease even more alarming to the U.S. public than it naturally should be. This situation of course points to a basic truth long recognized by 21st century librarians: we are all awash in information, not all of it is reliable, and critical evaluation skills are vital in separating the wheat from the chaff. What about those “critical evaluation skills?” In “crisis” news situations like Ebola especially, they involve staying calm and taking a minute to ask yourself some basic questions about the source of information: Who/what organization is it that’s producing the information? Are they a known and generally reliable source? What expertise in the subject can they claim or reference to back up statements in their n...

Orange and Blue Oyster Poppers from Dixie Fish & Co. Photograph by Arden Ward Upton Food Network Star finalist Martie Duncan and other local food experts joined forces this summer to create Birmingham’s Best Bites: Favorite Recipes from Restaurants, Bars, & Food Trucks Around the Magic City . The book will be revealed at a launch party on Friday, Oct. 10 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the downtown Birmingham Public Library, 2100 Park Place. The book will cost $20. Proceeds will benefit the library. The book launch party is part of the library's Eat Drink Read Write Festival , Oct. 3 - 10. During the Oct. 10 party, 17 area restaurants will provide some of their "best bites.'' Advance tickets to the launch party are $10. “We’ve got a really good book. It’s a beautiful book,’’ says Duncan. Nearly 90 recipes from Birmingham-area restaurants and bars will be featured in the new cookbook that highlights the area’s culinary community. There are recipes from well-...

A sound understanding of banks and banking plays an important part in assuring one’s personal financial health. Acquiring such an understanding, however, takes some time and effort. In the world of banking, there exist different kinds of institutions offering a variety of accounts, products, and investment opportunities. But it is not a matter of one size fits all; which banking services are suitable for you depends upon your particular circumstances, needs, and goals. Therefore, in order to make good decisions about banks, you should try to get good, solid information about what is available so that you can compare their offerings with your priorities. Bank on Birmingham (BoB) is a local non-profit organization that was created to provide information to the public about banking products and services. The membership of Bank on Birmingham, which consists of both local financial institutions and community organizations, is particularly interested in reaching low and moderate i...

Food Network Star finalist Marti Duncan. Photo by Food Network . The Central Library will close to the public at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, October 10, in order to prepare for the final Eat Drink Read Write Festival event, Birmingham's Best Bites and the Instagrammys. There's still time to purchase tickets for the event and to enter the InstagramBham contest. Birmingham's Best Bites and the Instagrammys Buy Tickets /$10.00 Friday, October 10 Time: 6:00-8:00 p.m. Central Library , 2100 Park Place End EDRW on a savory note with Food Network Star finalist Martie Duncan and some of her food expert friends during Birmingham’s Best Bites finale party. Enjoy delicious bites and watch for the unveiling of the new Birmingham’s Best Bites cookbook, which is full of recipes and history from some of your favorite local restaurants and bars. The local culinary community continues to climb, and this book celebrates that trend. The book is a library fundraiser. Also, some of the ...

Poster by Debra Riffe  The Birmingham Public Library kicked off its Eat Drink Read Write Festival on October 3 with a soul food-themed poetry slam and beer tasting at the Central Library. Friday night's Bards & Brews event was the first of several set around a theme of food, drink, and literature. This is the third year for the festival, which will end on October 10. Other events during the week will include: A panel discussion on living off the land A cocktail competition at The Collins Bar A latte art and story event at The Red Cat Coffeehouse A finale party at BPL's Central Library with Food Network Star Martie Duncan and some of her local restaurant friends. The October 10 party with Duncan will be $10. All other events are free. The Central Library will also host two art displays with food themes. Debra Riffe 's poster exhibit, Everybody's Gotta Eat , highlights Southern culture and its food. The posters feature Riffe's linoleum block re...

Carsick John Waters America’s leading chronicler of bad taste, and former Artist-In-Residence at UAB, John Waters has had a varied career. Best known as a filmmaker, he hasn’t been able to get his movies funded for many years. So he’s expanded his options. One of the most promising ventures is his return to writing books. Role Models (2010) was both killingly funny and deftly written. The land of bad taste can be treacherous, and Waters is a very discriminating guide. In his newest, Carsick , John Waters hitchhikes across America three times, twice fictionally and once non-fictionally. When he told his friends, they were mortified and warned him getting killed wasn’t a suave career move. But Waters, who’s hitchhiked since the Fifties, wouldn’t be disabused. He wasn’t a fool, though. He took a Blackberry, a GPS tracking device, and a packet of IDs proving he was writing a book on hitching and that he was a celebrity (at least to some). These would hopefully prove he wasn’t a nutte...