Birmingham Public Library Blog

By Mollie McFarland, Springville Road Regional Branch Library The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James Ashley Herring Blake Twelve-year-old Sunny is going through a lot of changes. While this is true for every tween in the world, it’s especially true for Sunny. She was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy at the age of ten and her heart is gradually giving out. Thanks to an organ donor, Sunny receives a new heart after two years of suffering with the disease. She emerges from the surgery with a new lease on life. It’s easier to breathe and she’s able to run and swim and live like a normal kid again. This inspires her to make a list of all the things she will do with her brand new life. “Step One: Do awesome amazing things I could never do before. Step Two: Find a new best friend. Step Three: Find a boy and kiss him.” Sunny makes a new best friend right away when she meets Quinn on the beach. Quinn’s mother’s job brought them to Sunny’s small island for the summer and maybe longer. Thing...

The Birmingham Public Library is featured in an American Libraries magazine story on this summer's 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. The article spotlights how libraries across the country are highlighting the historic space flight. Click  here to read the full feature. Thousands of libraries across the country are putting together programs to celebrate space exploration in their summer reading programs, with “A Universe of Stories” as the slogan. The initiative, Summer of Space , is a partnership among NASA , t he Collaborative Summer Learning Program consortium, and the Space Science Institute (SSI) , and was formed to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20 as well as encourage science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education. Below is the part that features BPL. The Birmingham (Ala.) Public Library (BPL) has 400 programs planned this summer across its 19 branches. Bessie Miller, head of the learning cente...

by Selina Johnson, Wylam Branch Library Wylam Branch Library is closed for construction but that has not hindered the implementation of the summer learning experiences and activities that our youth have become accustomed to throughout the months of June and July. Our summer programs will continue as usual because of the graciousness of  Faith Chapel Christian Center . They opened up their activity room for us to use so that all of the youth summer learning programs will carry on seamlessly. So each Tuesday morning at 10:00 a.m. in the months of June and July, we take our summer youth programs to Faith Chapel. It has been a wonderful experience and the children have been thoroughly entertained and enlightened thus far with interactive and creative storytelling along with engaging science activities. If you are interested in your youth participating in the summer learning experiences that Wylam Branch Library has to offer, there are three programs left in July th...

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 classes will be offered at the library’s Central Location from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of the following months: July–October, December 2019. 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 ...

Sonya Mitchell Birmingham native Sonya “Sam” Mitchell will share her knowledge and experience of making films in her presentation, The Documentary Filmmaking Process, at the Central Library on Thursday, July 18, 12:00–1:00 p.m. Two of Mitchell’s short films, Jesse “Speeks”   and The Truth Up and Coming ,  are profiles of interesting friends and both have been screened in recent years at the local Sidewalk Film Festival . Her latest film, The State Wins , takes a look at Alabama’s favorite pastime—college football. What: The Documentary Filmmaking Process with Sonya “Sam” Mitchell When: Thursday, July 18, 2019 Time: 12:00–1:00 p.m. Where: Birmingham Public Library – Central Library /Linn-Henley Research Library/Arrington Auditorium/4th floor

by Russell Lee, Arts, Literature and Sports Department , Central Library A drawing of a phonautographic recording session Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville created the phonautograph in 1857 to study sound waves by inscribing airborne noise onto paper for visual study. The phonautograph was mainly used in lab settings. Thomas Edison and his early phonograph, c. 1877 Afterwards, Thomas Edison furthered this development by inventing the phonograph in 1877, which could record and play sound. It inscribed audio to tinfoil wrapped along a cardboard cylinder for subsequent playback. A Columbia model AZ Graphophone, c. 1905-07 Alexander Graham Bell added wax to Edison’s phonograph design in order to record waves of sound. This was called a graphophone. Emile Berliner with the model of the first phonograph machine,  c. 1910–1929 Emile Berliner developed the gradophone concept further by creating the gramophone and secured a patent for the device in 1887. T...

Are you interested in food and cooking, but don’t have time to keep up with culinary trends? Well, the resources of the Birmingham Public Library are always available to help you “get your foodie on” and stay properly informed. Please join us for Get Your Foodie on at the Library, an hour-long program that will lead you on an entertaining tour of what’s happening in the world of cooking, nutrition, and food culture. The program is scheduled to be presented on three dates in July. For more information about the program, please contact Jim Murray of the Central Library’s Business, Science and Technology Department by email at jmurray@bham.lib.al.us or by calling 205-226-3690. Wednesday, July 10, 11:00 a.m. – Southside Branch Library Registration Appreciated Thursday, July 11, 12:00 p.m. – Central Library /Linn-Henley Research Library, Regional Library Computer Center, 4th floor Monday, July 29, 11:00 a.m. – North Birmingham Regional Branch Library

Hey teens, do you want to learn the ancient art of quilting? As part of its 2019 Summer Learning activities, the Birmingham Public Library has teamed up with the Bib & Tucker Sew-Op to offer four free quilting workshops during the month of July. Join participating BPL locations as Bib & Tucker Sew-Op teaches elementary-level math fundamentals through sewing and the principles of art such as pattern, shape, and color. Learn the basics of quilting by participating in the QUARK (Quilting Activity Resource Kit) quilting program. The free workshops kick off Monday, July 8, at Five Points West Regional Branch Library and run through Thursday, July 11, at East Lake Branch Library. See time and locations of each of the four workshops below: Monday, July 8, 1:00 p.m.,  Five Points West Library   No Registration Required Tuesday, July 9, 10:00 a.m., East Ensley Library   Register Wednesday, July 10, 10:00 a.m., Central Library   Register Thursday, ...