Birmingham Public Library Blog

Chapter Chatters Book Club after December meeting at the North Avondale Library Gwendolyn Welch has read over 100 books in 2016 alone. Thanks to monthly meetings of the Chapter Chatters Book Club at the North Avondale Branch Library, Welch has been able to build friendships with over a dozen other women who share her love of reading. Among them is Lucretia Quinn, a loyal patron of the North Avondale Library since as a teenager she attended the former Hayes High School, now Hayes K-8 School, adjacent to the library. During the group’s December 28 meeting, Quinn and Welch, a Birmingham Public Library board member, got into a fascinating debate about Chapter Chatters December book of the month Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson. For Quinn, who lives in Roebuck, attending Chapter Chatters meetings over the past year has been a joy that extends beyond their book discussions because it allows her to reconnect with her favorite city library that was a positive gathering plac...

Kirsten Bryant, outreach director of Gasp, BPL Interim Director Sandi Lee, and Michael Hansen, executive director of Gasp Gasp, a Birmingham-based health advocacy nonprofit, has given the Birmingham Public Library (BPL) 19 DVD copies of Toxic City: Birmingham’s Dirty Secret , an award-winning documentary about the impact industrial pollution has on area citizens. Gasp produced Toxic City in 2014 to shine a light on how individuals in Collegeville, North Birmingham, other communities in the northern part of the city, and Tarrant are impacted by hazardous industrial pollution. The 26-minute documentary explores how the issue arose as well as possible solutions to the problem. See a preview of the DVD at the organization’s website, www.gaspgroup.org . Founded in 2009 as Alabama First, the organization changed its name to Gasp in 2010 to honor the Greater Birmingham Alliance to Stop Pollution, a group formed in 1970 by young activists, students, public health professionals, ele...

It’s never too late to start building a better understanding of your personal finances and begin developing a plan for the future. To assist you in this endeavor, the Birmingham Public Library (BPL) is partnering with the staff of the Regions Institute for Financial Education at UAB to offer a series of Money Matters workshops at the Central Library on the first Wednesday of each month from July 2016 to May 2017. Please join us on the dates below to take part in discussions about a variety of money management issues and learn ways to help you achieve your economic goals. When:  First Wednesday of the month Time: 12:00-1:00 p.m. Place:  Central Library/Linn-Henley Research Library/Regional Library Computer Center/4th floor Dates/Workshops 1/4/2017 – Dealing With Debt 2/1/2017 – Where to Invest Your College Money 3/1/2017 – Your Credit Report 4/5/2017 – Saving Through Tax Refunds 5/3/2017 – Five Keys to Investing Success For more information about the workshop...

by David Blake, Central Library, Fiction Department Flaubert’s Parrot Julian Barnes Julian Barnes is a Flaubert fan-boy. Were he a Tolkien fan, he’d be the King of the Ringers, but nineteenth century French literature needs its knights, and few knights are as ready for battle as Barnes on behalf of Flaubert. Critics and academicians are the villains to be vanquished. Flaubert’s Parro t is organized around the mystery of a stuffed parrot that resided on Flaubert’s desk, and became divine in his story " A Simple Heart ." As he has researched Flaubert’s life, Barnes encounters two stuffed parrots, both credentialed as authentically Flaubert’s. Before we learn the truth of the parrots, though, Barnes takes us on discursive journeys back to the nineteenth century in long essays about the man himself: his mistresses, his train journeys, his friends, and his petty flaws. The star of the show, however, is Barnes himself. One imagines an epic battle of epigrams between Bar...

With Christmas over, all 19 Birmingham Public Library (BPL) locations are now open. There is still time for students on their New Year’s holiday break to read some cool library books and earn a circus ticket at the same time. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey and BPL are partnering to host the Out of This World @ Birmingham Public Library! Through the program, which began December 12, kids can earn virtual badges and prizes including a Ringling Bros. circus ticket by simply reading. Children of all ages through 12th grade can register online or at one of BPL's 19 locations. The BPL Reading Challenge ends on Jan. 22, 2017. See details on how to sign up online below: http://www.bplonline.org/Programs/Reading.aspx

Marco Morosini of Silvertron Café  Since Marco Morosini bought Silvertron Café nine years ago, he has seen first-hand the many contributions the Avondale Regional Branch Library has made in the community. Morosini said he has been impressed with the phenomenal job the Avondale Library has done in providing family-friendly programs and educational services for the surrounding neighborhoods. That has encouraged him to be involved in their programs. From giving free meals to volunteering at some of its programs, Morosini has been available anytime he is needed, said Carla Perkins, manager of the Children’s Department at the Avondale Library. In a show of appreciation, Perkins said, Avondale Library named Morosini its 2016 Library Champion at the Jefferson County Public Library Association's (JCPLA) annual holiday luncheon, recently held at the Florentine Building in downtown Birmingham. The awards are presented annually by the JCPLA to recognize individuals or organizations ...

Registration is now open for staff and the public for the January 2017 Class Schedule . During this month, we include classes on a variety of topics including computer skills, career guidance, and genealogy. 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 January 2017 Class Schedule  to bring to a Computer Commons staff member on your next library visit. Please note that the January 2017 Class Schedule  can be sent to us as an email attachment.

Happy Holidays!  My favorite blog posts to write are my librarian's guides.  I especially enjoyed writing the guides to the holidays (gift-giving, decorating, travel).  I like to make people laugh through my blog posts whenever possible.  The holidays can be stressful, so taking time to relax and have a good laugh puts you ahead of the game.  I decided this month to provide a "greatest hits" from my previous blog posts.  I still laugh when I read through the old ones, so I hope this highlight reel brings a smile to your face. Holiday Travel  (Nov. 2014) Tip 2:   Put some gas in the car – If you only have a quarter tank of gas in the car and no money, please stay at home.   You may make it to the corner store and back, but that’s about it.   Your V8 does not get 100 miles per gallon.    Tip 4:  Pack for the time you will be away – Don't give your relatives a heart attack by showing up with a U-Haul truck full...