Birmingham Public Library Blog

Count Jan Roper of Birmingham among the many patrons thankful that the Central Library has reopened. A few weeks after the Central Library began offering in-person services on October 1 , Roper visited to use one of the public computers.  Roper acknowledges she is not computer savvy and called BPL’s Education Training Coordinator Maurice Harley “my life saver.” Harley was among employees featured when The Atlantic magazine did a national spotlight on BPL's  free computer workshops.  “Maurice was my knight in shining armor,” Roper said. “He helped me download a form I needed and sent it to a government agency for me. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without him, and am forever grateful.” Roper, 71, says she is a longtime user of BPL. While living in Roebuck several years ago, Roper used to take her children regularly to the East Lake Branch Library . In recent years, she has been a regular patron of the Avondale Regional Branch Library . “In the middle of a pande...

  Central Library Youth Librarian Caitlyn Jackson dressed up during Halloween 2019. Caitlin Jackson has been a professional librarian for two years at the Central Library in downtown Birmingham.  She obtained her Master’s in Library & Information Studies from the University of Alabama  in 2017. In a short Q & A with BPL Public Relations Director Roy L. Williams, Jackson described what a typical day is like serving as a librarian in the Central Library’s youth department.  BPL: What inspired you to become a librarian?  Jackson: I have worked in a library on and off as a volunteer since high school. I also enjoy sharing knowledge, which fits perfectly in providing youth and teen programming. Being a librarian allows me to provide programs on a diversity of topics!  BPL: What do you do on a typical day?  Jackson: On a typical day: I pull the holds list in the morning, so that we can send out books to any branches. I also shelve incoming books. I...

  Historic mural on 1st floor of the BPL Research Library's Southern History Department.  Good news for researchers, genealogists and archivists in metro Birmingham: The Birmingham Public Library's Southern History Department and Archives Department are now both open by appointment only.  Call Mary Beth Newbill at 205-226-3665 to schedule an appointment to the Southern History Department.  During appointments, a librarian is available to assist with genealogy and local history research. City directories, local newspapers on microfilm, and state and local histories are the Southern History Department’s most used items. Patrons can also take advantage of BPL database subscriptions like Ancestry.com, Fold3.com, and Newspapers.com.  For more information about the Southern History Department, click here  http://www.bplonline.org/locations/central/southern/ Call Jim Baggett at 205-226-3630 to schedule an appointment in the Archives Department.  Students, sc...

The Birmingham Public Library will be closed for the presidential Election Day on Tuesday, November 3, 2020.  The Birmingham City Council this week unanimously approved making the first Tuesday of November during a presidential election year, Election Day, a city holiday to make it easier for citizens to vote.  Although the Central Library will not be open and no curbside pickup will be available at  Central and BPL’s Avondale, Five Points West and Springville Road regional libraries , patrons can still check out items online on BPL’s website and via its mobile app 24/7.  The aim of Election Day becoming a holiday is to allow city workers a day off work to vote, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said in a release.   "Instead of a day worrying about trying to carve out time to go vote, we’re turning Election Day into a celebration of our democracy," he said. The newly declared holiday means Birmingham City Hall will also be closed on November 3, cancelling t...

Mary Beth Newbill, head of BPL's Southern History Department. Mary Beth Newbill has been an employee at the Birmingham Public Library for 24 years, including 21 years as a professional librarian. In a Q & A with BPL Public Relations Director Roy L. Williams, she described what a typical day is like heading BPL’s Southern History Department in this post Covid-19 environment. BPL: What inspired you to become a librarian and what year/where did you get your librarian degree? Newbill: I loved the idea of helping people with their research. I got my MLIS ( Masters in Library Information Studies ) from the University of Alabama in 1999. BPL: What do you do on a typical day? Newbill: Most days, I start by answering emails. Patrons can email us with reference questions and requests for lookups in books and city directories. This is especially important now, since our hours are limited, and many people are still not traveling. I also respond to requests for obituaries in the local ne...

BPL is helping answer questions from patrons during the 2021 ACA Open Enrollment period.       By Lynn Hutchins | Central Library  Looking for the right health care plan as 2021 Affordable Care Act (ACA) enrollment begins in November? The Birmingham Public Library can help patrons visiting its  Central Library  downtown by providing information and assisting with enrollment.  If you don’t have health insurance coverage, we can help you enroll in the Health Insurance Marketplace during the open enrollment period. The ACA Open Enrollment period is November 1 through December 15, 2020, for plans that go into effect starting January 1, 2021.  This fall, BPL received a $2,000 “Libraries Connecting you to Coverage” award from the Public Library Association.  As a participant in this 2020-21 initiative, BPL will use the funds to support health insurance enrollment activities.  Here are four insider tips for choosing the right ACA health...

The Birmingham Public Library is hosting a fall girls computer coding camp in partnership with Holy Family Cristo Rey Catholic High School ,  thanks to a grant funded by NCWIT (National Center for Women & Information Technology) . Code 205: Intro to Game Design will be led by a team consisting of Katelyn Miller, Caitlin Jackson, and Mohsine Taarji. Caitlin Jackson, a BPL teen librarian, has worked closely with Taarji on past projects, such as Teen Engineers BHM, which included STEM education such as coding, soldering, and 3D printing. Taarji has worked with the library for about five years as an UAB Engineering student mentor and is currently working on his PhD. Teens Engineer BHM is a program BPL began that partners teens interested in engineering careers with mentors from the UAB School of Engineering.  The Birmingham Public Library hopes that Code 205 will serve as a novel program that inspires future sessions in the spring and beyond. When discussing the switch from...

  The Birmingham Public Library Local Authors Committee is hosting author Kimberla Lawson Roby on Tuesday, October 27, 2020, at 6:00 p.m. on the Birmingham Public Library’s Facebook page.    Roy L. Williams, BPL’s public relations director, recently conducted a Q & A with the New York Times best-selling author of 28 books.  In the interview, Roby gave insight into what viewers can expect during next week’s virtual talk, entitled “The Woman God Created You to Be.” Click here for more information on the event https://bplolinenews.blogspot.com/2020/10/bpl-local-author-spotlight-meet-author.html  BPL: Tell me about “The Woman God Created You to Be,” your virtual discussion taking place on the BPL Facebook Page at 6 p.m. next Tuesday, October 27? Roby: On the night of the event, I’ll be speaking about my overall writing and publishing journey, along with personal experiences, reading a short excerpt, and then answering any questions the audience might hav...