Birmingham Public Library Blog

What: Steps to Starting Your Business When: 3rd Tuesday of each month, January–June 2019 Time: 12:00-1:00 p.m. Where: Central Library, Linn-Henley Research Library, Arrington Auditorium, 4th floor The Birmingham Public Library, in collaboration with SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) and the City of Birmingham’s Department of Innovation and Economic Opportunity, will be hosting the monthly seminar Steps to Starting Your Business from January to June 2019. The seminar is scheduled to be held on the following Tuesdays from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m., in the Arrington Auditorium, which is located on the 4th floor of the Linn-Henley Research Library:  April 16, May 21, June 18. Each seminar will cover the same topics, but those who are interested are welcome to attend more than one day. Topics covered will include crafting a vision statement, identifying sources of funding, determining the legal structure of your business, devising a business plan, and investigating source...

The Central Library downtown will host the inaugural Teens Engineer BHM Robotics Build and Battle Competition   this Saturday, April 6 in the Central Library East Grand Reading Room. This fun, friendly competition will kick off at 8:30 a.m. and conclude at 5:00 p.m. The Robotics Build & Battle will feature 50 tech-savvy teens from high schools across the metro area, including Huffman in Birmingham, Oak Mountain in Shelby County, Hueytown and Fairfield. Teams, comprised of five students each, will design and build a robot to play against other teams in a game-based engineering challenge. Participation is open to current middle or high school students in grades 7 through 12. Each member of the winning team will receive a $50 gift card.  The event will kick off the Birmingham Public Library (BPL)’s observance of 2019 National Library Week, which begins Sunday and concludes Saturday, April 13. Teens Engineer BHM is a partnership between BPL and the University of ...

Longtime Birmingham Public Library Archivist Jim Baggett received the 2019 Eminent Librarian Award Thursday, April 4, during the Alabama Library Association annual conference in Point Clear, Ala. The recognition is in honor of his many contributions to the library industry in Alabama as head of BPL's Department of Archives and Manuscripts, and as archivist for the City of Birmingham. Baggett holds a Masters of Library and Information Studies degree at the University of Alabama a Masters in Public History from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Baggett has served as president of the Society of Alabama Archivists, Chair of the Jefferson County Historical Commission , and as a trustee for several historical associations. Known for his knowledge of the civil rights movement in Birmingham and other historical events in Alabama, Baggett has presented lectures across the United States and Europe. He has been featured on Alabama Public Television, Alabama Public R...

National Library Week will be observed April 7-13, 2019, with the theme, "Libraries = Strong Communities." Celebrate this special week with a coupon good April 7-13, 2019, at any library in Jefferson County. This coupon is good for up to $5 off your overdue charges; not good for lost/damaged item charges. One coupon per library holder. First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association and libraries across the country each April. It is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation's libraries and librarians and to promote library use and support. All types of libraries—school, public, academic and special—participate. If you have ever researched a paper, checked out a bestseller, or attended a special program, you know what a great resource your library is!

The City of Birmingham is showing its appreciation for the valuable services employees of the Birmingham Public Library’s 19 locations provide next week. On Tuesday, April 9, during the City Council meeting, BPL Executive Director Floyd Council will speak about the valuable contributions of BPL’s 19 libraries in celebration of  2019 National Library Week , which begins Sunday and concludes on Saturday, April 13. After Council’s address, as part of National Library Workers Day, the City of Birmingham is honoring BPL’s 280 employees with a special appreciation program. Also on Tuesday evening, BPL is honoring four longtime past Board of Trustee members—Gwen Amamoo, Gwendolyn Guster Welch, Georgia Blair and Dora Sims. BPL is hosting more than 30 programs as part of the  2019 National Library Week  celebration. The 2019 theme is “Libraries = Strong Communities.” To encourage the importance of reading, BPL is also hosting the 2019 Diversity Reading Challenge...

Nonprofit organizations come in many different shapes and sizes, but they all have one thing in common: they want to develop, fund, and implement creative programs that serve to fulfill their mission. Most people who work in the nonprofit world have the desire and commitment to make this happen, but they often lack access to learning resources that will help them understand how best to get there. If you feel like this applies to you, whether you are an experienced nonprofit leader or someone brand new to the field, then you will want to attend the Birmingham Public Library’s Nonprofit Management Class Series. The one hour classes will be offered monthly from January to May 2019 at the library’s Central location. The classes are offered as part of a collaboration between BPL and the Harvard Club of Birmingham . The series instructor is John Whitman, PhD. A veteran of both the private and nonprofit sectors, Dr. Whitman has also taught leadership and management courses at American...

Do you have a passion for reading and love of wine? Then join the Birmingham Public Library downtown for “Reading Between the Wines,” an event that will feature Birmingham area authors, wine, live music and food. Reading Between the Wines will take place on Friday, April 12 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. in the Central Library East Grand Reading Room. The event is free to the public, but you must be 21 or older to attend. Advanced registration is required by clicking here:  This inaugural BPL event will feature community influencers discussing their recently released books. The discussion will be moderated by Audrey Atkins, director of community engagement for WBHM 90.3. Hosted by the Birmingham Public Library in partnership with the Friends Foundation of the Birmingham Public Library , Reading Between the Wines will highlight BPL’s annual observance of 2019 National Library Week, which is being observed April 8-13. National Library Week emphasizes the importance of librari...

Anna Weaver Are you unfamiliar with Bards & Brews and wonder what to expect when the Birmingham Public Library's spoken word poetry/craft beer event visits the Birmingham Museum of Art  on Friday, April 5? Anna Weaver, a Raleigh, N.C., poet who drove 10 hours to participate in the March 1 Bards &  Brews, shared her experience in a blog article written last month documenting her trek to visit open mic poetry events in all 50 states. Alabama was the 30th state in her journey that began in 2012. Click here to read her thoughts about Bards & Brews . In a Q & A interview, Weaver talked about Bards & Brews, which she says is the only open mic poetry event she knows of in the United States held in a public library. BPL: Sounds like you were impressed with Bards & Brews during your visit in March.  Weaver: Definitely impressed. What I loved the most was SOAP (Support Our Artists Please). Artists need support—emotional, creative, and financial...