Birmingham Public Library Blog

Birmingham, Ala.  - Looking for a job? The  Birmingham Career Center  is hosting  a mobile job registration event next Tuesday, January 11, 2022, at the  Springville Road Regional Library , 1224 Old Springville Road.  Job seekers will be able to register for employment in a data base that lists job openings across the state during the mobile job registration event between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. January 11 at the Springville Road Library.  This will be the third in a series of mobile job registration events as part of a partnership between BPL and the Birmingham Career Center to make it easier for residents across the city to sign up for the state's free jobs database. The Birmingham Career Center held its first mobile registration event on December 2 at the Central Library  in downtown Birmingham and another job registration event took place December 14 at Five Points West Regional Library.   "The goal of this type of event is to bring ...

  Bards & Brews poet Tomeka Glenn aka Blacque Diamond performing at the Central Library .  The Birmingham Public Library is canceling its Bards & Brews Open Mic program originally scheduled for 6:30 p.m. this Friday, January 7, 2022, at the Central Library downtown.  Stay tuned for details soon on the next Bards & Brews which will take place on Friday, February 4, 2022. Happy New Year from all of us at BPL! Bards & Brews is sponsored by a grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts.  Bards & Brews veteran poet Jahman Hill performing at Ferus Artisan Ales event.  

  The Birmingham Public Library (BPL) today announced its New Year's Day holiday closing schedule.  All BPL locations will close on Friday, December 31, 2021, at 12:00 p.m., and will remain closed from Saturday, January 1 through Monday, January 3, 2022, in observance of New Year's Day.  Our library locations will reopen to the public on Tuesday, January 4, at 9:00 a.m.  Remember, even though our library buildings will not be open physically, BPL remains open virtually 24/7 every day and patrons can still check out books and DVDs online at  www.cobpl.org .  Have a Happy New Year's Day!!

  What: Computer Basics Class  When: January 19, February 16, or March 16 at 10:00 AM  Where: West End Branch Library , 1348 Tuscaloosa Avenue Birmingham, Ala. -  Do you desire to boost your computer skills during 2022? Then take advantage of  free computer skills development classes being offered every third Wednesday of the month between January and March 2022 at the West End Branch Library. The classes will take place at 10:00 a.m. on January 19, February 16, and March 16 at West End Library, 1348 Tuscaloosa Ave. SW. In each class, participants will get hands-on practice with the very basics of computer use: computer parts, the mouse, and keyboard. We will also cover topics such as opening a program, using icons and the task bar, and working with windows (minimize, maximize, and scroll).  This class is best for those who are brand new to computers. If you know a little about computers but want to boost your knowledge, you are welcome too. Choose which...

  Want to learn more about astrology? Read this blog by Jo Bridges of the Central Library and check out books from the Birmingham Public Library and other Jefferson County Library Cooperative members. Hey y’all, it is Jo Bridges again from the  C entral Library  downtown. As we begin this new year, let's be grateful that we made it through this past one. Just  as the last two years (and honestly, every single one before that), many of us have experienced a lot of hardships in our lives. And if we are lucky, we overcame most of them.  For me, I was a pre-anxiety-filled wreck during my final semester of college at the beginning of the COVID pandemic in 2020. I caught COVID, I did not grieve family deaths that year, and it was upsetting that graduation commencement was postponed. After college, I was unsure about my future career-wise. To be truthful, I had no idea what my next steps in life would be. I had lost my vision and hope. But here I am now: an indisputabl...

  The Birmingham Public Library (BPL) would like to wish you and your family a magnificent New Year!    Please remember BPL for year-end giving.  All monetary gifts to the Friends Foundation of the Birmingham Public Library help library branches across the city, providing needed services and programs for our patrons.  Happy New Year in advance from all of us at the Birmingham Public Library. Please click here or visit www.cobpl.org to donate. By Margaret Splane|BPL Development Office

Mayor Richard Arrington at the opening of the Research Library. Photo via the BPL Digital Archives. Reparations Now Even as Birmingham began to come to terms with its racist heritage, new methods of maintaining segregation were explored.  Separate Use statues were passed, ostensibly to boost businesses, but practically created to keep black and white citizens apart. Suburban areas consistently voted against joining the city for fear of further integration of their schools and business districts. 

A historic newspaper clipping. Photo from the BPL Digital Archives . The Battle for Birmingham's Soul ( In the interest of brevity, this section provides only an overview. Additional online BPL resources are listed at the end of this article ) The story of the Civil Rights movement is a difficult one to tell.  It is filled with gratuitous violence and painful truths. It is uncomfortable for me to discuss as a white man whose family comes from Birmingham. I am under no illusion as to which side my grandparents and great-grandparents stood on as it was happening.