Birmingham Public Library Blog

What: Birmingham Public Library 2020 Winter Reading Challenge When: January 2–February 3, 2020 Details: BPL is among libraries across the country participating in Beanstack’s 3rd Annual Winter Reading Challenge. All participants who read and log 310 minutes (10 min a day) through February 3, 2020, will be entered into a drawing for a Samsung Galaxy Tablet. Cold weather months are a good time to curl up to a good book. The Birmingham Public Library wants to encourage patrons of all ages to take time out this winter and experience the joy of reading. Hundreds of libraries and schools across the nation are encouraging their communities to read a target number of minutes and books. To enter the 2020 Winter Reading Challenge: Visit the Beanstack website to log in or register for a new account and follow the instructions for how to participate. You may also use your mobile device to download the Beanstack Tracker app from the App Store or Google Play Store . Log the minut...

What: Citizen Services – "Social Workers at the Birmingham Public Library" Where: At the following library locations : Avondale, Central, East Ensley, East Lake, Eastwood, Five Points West, Pratt City, Smithfield, Southside, Titusville, West End, Wylam When:  Wednesdays and Thursdays, January 8–March 25, 2020 Details: Free and open to the public. There will be a health fair scheduled at the Central Library on Wednesday, March 25, 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. The Birmingham Public Library is partnering with The Dannon Project to provide face-to-face social worker consultations at select BPL locations. The social worker will be available Wednesdays and Thursdays from January through March 2020 to assist the public with issues such as drug abuse, mental health, legal referrals, healthcare, homelessness, domestic violence, and more. Check the BPL events calendar for dates and times. Wednesdays January 8–March 25 at Central Library (East Building/3rd floor), 10:00 a.m.–4:...

Registration is now open for the January 2020 computer classes at the Central Library. Topics include computer skills, career guidance, GED prep, and genealogy. All classes are held in the Regional Library Computer Center . See the complete list of January classes . Pre-registration is required for all classes. Register online through the BPL events calendar . You will receive an automated confirmation confirming your registration.

The Birmingham Public Library (BPL), in partnership with the Birmingham Children’s Theatre (BCT) and Junior League of Birmingham (JLB), invites you to attend From Page to Stage: Bunnicula  – A Readers’ Theater Workshop for Children. In anticipation of the upcoming BCT performance of Bunnicula , BPL will host free workshops at several area libraries. Children, ages 7 to 12, will learn how stories come alive through the magic of theater. JLB members will coach the children and introduce them to similar literature located in their local library. Each child will receive two free tickets (one child and one adult ticket) to the BCT performance of Bunnicula in February 2020. On a dark and stormy night, the Monroe family brings home a new pet...but Bunnicula is no ordinary rabbit. When the family’s produce starts losing its juice, it’s up to Chester (the family cat) and Harold (the family dog) to find the cause of this fantastic phenomenon. With a dancing cat, a howling dog, and a ...

All Birmingham Public Library locations will close at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 31, and close Wednesday, January 1, for the New Year's holiday. As always, our virtual library is open 24/7 for your convenience.

What: Brothers and Bow Ties: A Vision Cast When: Saturday January 18, 2020, 12:00–4:00 p.m. Where: Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, 520 16th Street North Details:  Brothers and Bow Ties is a pilot initiative targeting at-risk young males aged 11 to 18 sponsored by the Birmingham Public Library and the City of Birmingham Mayor's Office Division of Youth Services. The event, open to 50 young males who each will receive bow ties with a personalized message of hope, is a partnership between two male mentoring organizations, Growing Kings and BPL Real MENtors Talk. Author and motivational speaker Timothy Alexander will serve as keynote speaker. Brothers and Bow Ties is free and lunch will be provided, but advanced registration is required through Eventbrite . ( Registration is filled .) For more information or to donate bow ties, call BPL Outreach Librarian Candice Hardy at 205-226-3625. As part of a citywide celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend, the Birmingham Pu...

The Wives Tarryn Fisher The wives in Tarryn Fisher’s domestic thriller know that each other exist, but in this polygamous relationship, they have decided to never meet...or, Seth decided that they should never meet. Our main character, the second wife, gets to spend Thursdays with Seth and tries to convince herself that it is enough. When it was just her and wife number one, it was easier; but now that wife number three has come along, she struggles with jealousy and trying to one-up the others by being the best wife. She’ll be the most low-maintenance, the most caring, the best at homemaking, the most generous lover—all without letting on that she knows it’s a competition. It was enough until she accidentally uncovers the name of the third wife and then goes searching for Hannah. What she learns makes her question her relationship with Seth, the kind of man he is, and the relationship she is in. Writing a good summary and review of this book without divulging secrets is a com...

What: Birmingham Public Library 2020 Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Lecture: Emory O. Jackson, Crusading Editor for Civil Rights When : Sunday, January 19, 2020, 3:00 p.m. Where: Central Library’s Arrington Auditorium, 4th floor, 2100 Park Place, Birmingham, AL Details: The Birmingham Public Library Archives Department is hosting its 17th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Lecture. This year’s speaker is University of Utah professor Kimberley Mangun, author of Editor Emory O. Jackson, the Birmingham World, and the Fight for Civil Rights in Alabama, 1940-1975 . Free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. The Birmingham Association of Black Journalists is a sponsor of this event. For more information, contact BPL Archives Department Head Jim Baggett at jim.baggett@cobpl.org or by calling 205-226-3631. The Birmingham Public Library Archives Department's 17th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Lecture is focusing on legendary civil rights editor ...