Birmingham Public Library Blog

Have you ever been walking along and suddenly looked down to find money on the ground in front of you? Remember that feeling of elation and happy surprise? Isn’t it wonderful to find something valuable that costs you nothing? Want that feeling right now? Here’s just how to do that: Go to www.bplonline.org . Look at the black bar across the top, find Databases , and left-click on the word one time. The second line under Databases reads Database Quick Links . It has a drop-down menu. Left-click once on the down arrow. This will open an entire world of free, accurate, and current information to you. You’ll see an alphabetical listing of almost 200 destinations. Some of these are digital collections of photos. Some are subscription databases that the Birmingham Public Library (BPL) pays for so you get them free. Some are websites that librarians have vetted for authentic, accurate, and current information. Most of them can be accessed from any Internet with your...

Join us at the Central Library on Sunday, November 15, at 3:00 p.m. for an author talk and book signing by Birmingham historian Edward LaMonte. LaMonte will speak and sign copies of his new book, Change and Continuity: The Administrations of David Vann and Richard Arrington, Jr . In Change and Continuity LaMonte explores this critical time in Birmingham’s history and shares his personal insight as a friend and colleague of both Vann and Arrington. The mayoral administrations of David Vann and Richard Arrington Jr. spanned six terms, from 1975 to 1999. During those years Birmingham, Alabama, transitioned from a city dependent on heavy manufacturing, especially iron and to steel, to a city with a more varied economic base focused on finance and healthcare. The city grew physically and changed demographically as many whites left the city and Birmingham became a majority black community. Copies of the book will be available for purchase for $15. Refreshments will be provided. ...

As we approach Veterans Day this year (November 11, 2015), I’d like to offer a little bit of history about the very important role Birmingham and one man, in particular, played in the holiday’s establishment. First observed in 1919 to honor the soldiers and sailors of World War I, the “War to end all wars,” the day was originally called Armistice Day. It was named after the cessation of hostilities with Germany which went into effect on November 11, 1918, at 11:00 am. Armistice Day soon became a very important day for the City of Birmingham. The annual parade was a source of great pride for Birmingham and came to be known as the largest Armistice Day parade in the nation. The following decades saw Birmingham putting on parades that were seen by as many as 250,000 spectators (1949), included 20,000 participants (1926), and lasted up to two hours and covered 40 city blocks (1950). In the years after World War II, the director of Birmingham’s Armistice Day celebrations was a man name...

 前略 Here I am undergoing treatment at the Iwamura Doll Hospital under the care of Shokensai III. His father, Shokensai I, created me in 1927. This makeover is the main reason for my trip! He even reshaped my eyebrows and fixed my knee! 草々 Suzuko Iwate

Registration is now open for staff and the public for the December 2015 Classes .  During this month, we include our popular computer classes, as well as job search and employment assistance classes.  All classes are held in the Regional Library Computer Center (RLCC) of the Central (downtown) Library . PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED FOR ALL CLASSES. Please note that registration does not necessarily guarantee you a spot in the class. You will receive an email confirming your registration for classes.  You may also call to confirm your registration. To register for any class, please email us at cenrtc@bham.lib.al.us or call 205-226-3681.   You may also download and print a pdf copy of the December 2015 Class Schedule to bring to a Computer Commons staff member on your next library visit. Please note that the December 2015 Class Schedule pdf can be sent to us as an email attachment.

Birmingham Public Library (BPL) has been named a 2015 Star Library by Library Journal . Each year, the national publication compiles statistical information, based on population and spending, and rates libraries in a variety of categories. Out of the 7,663 public libraries in the United States scored by the Library Journal ( LJ ) Index of Public Library Service, only 261 received the designation of being named a Star Library. For 2015, the Birmingham Public Library is one of just seven Alabama libraries to make the list. BPL received a three-Star rating. Homewood Public Library, a sister library in Jefferson County, walked away with a four-Star rating. BPL was also named a three-Star Library in 2010 and 2012 as well. Here is a link to the Library Journal Star Library list: http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2015/11/managing-libraries/lj-index/class-of-2015/the-star-libraries-2015/ . Birmingham Public Library Director Angela Fisher Hall said the Star Library designation from Library...

November has been designated as American Diabetes Awareness Month . According to the American Diabetes Association : Nearly 30 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes. Another 86 million Americans have pre-diabetes and are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes. The American Diabetes Association estimates that the total national cost of diagnosed diabetes in the United States is $245 billion. Type 1 diabetes is overwhelmingly attributed to children and young adults. For this reason, this type of diabetes is often referred to as juvenile diabetes. With this type of diabetes, the body produces no insulin and sufferers have to inject insulin into their bodies to regulate their blood sugar. Almost everyone that develops Type 2 diabetes develops signs of pre-diabetes beforehand. Pre-diabetes often occurs in the body with no outward showing symptoms. Type 2 diabetes is the most prevalent form of diabetes. Under this type, the body does not use th...

10-year-old Pinchbeck in the 1997 FamilyPC article " Web Wizards " Has your child come home with a math problem you don’t remember how to solve? If so, you need to find B.J. Pinchbeck’s Homework Helper page . Homework Helper was started in 1996 by 9-year-old B.J. and his father, back during the early days of the Internet before Google and Wikipedia came along and made finding information much easier. Since then, B.J. has appeared on Good Morning America and The Oprah Winfrey Show , and has been featured on numerous other shows including Martha Stewart's talk show,  Martha . Additionally, the Pinchbecks have been featured in USA Today , the New York Times , the Boston Globe , and in the magazines Newsweek , People,  Family PC,  and Pittsburgh Magazine . I don’t know about you, but I have a difficult time working some of my high school algebra. I can go to Pinchbeck's site and find all of the help I could ever need. Pinchbeck started this site when h...