Birmingham Public Library Blog

Mommy's Lounge Inspires community. Photo from Lynn Hutchins. Shatoria Peavy, the founder of Mommy's Lounge Inspires, has partnered with the West End Branch Library to provide a mom support group twice a month. The mom support group provides a safe space for moms to meet while building relationships and sharing emotional support. Each session will focus on life skills and parenting skills.

  Today, Tuesday, August 9, is National Book Lovers Day, an unofficial holiday set aside each year to inspire bookworms to celebrate reading and literature.  To counter today's fascination of smartphones, many people use National Book Overs day to encourage others to set aside their cell phones and electrical devices for a day and pick up a book. We at the Birmingham Public Library invite the people of the Magic City to join us in celebrate the joy of reading. Many of our libraries across the City of Birmingham have book clubs. To see our book club meeting dates and times at BPL locations, click on our calendar.   Next time you are in one of our libraries, ask a librarian for information so you can enjoy reading with other like-minded book lovers. Happy Reading! To learn more about National Book Lovers Day, click here  

See what else you can find at the library. Photo by Caitlin Jackson. Libraries are well known for their collections of books, magazines, databases, and other things related to the printed word. However, what some people may not know is that the library has started adding many other items to its collections. Today, we're going to highlight some of the other upgraded items you can get at your library. 

Have you checked your health lately? Flyer from Five Points West Regional Branch Library.  Five Points West Library will be convening a public health expo to provide information about health issues, health and wellness, and free screenings offered by local health organizations.  The expo will take place on Wednesday, August 31, 2022, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

It's time for back to school, and what better way to get into the spirit than our free computer classes here at the Central Library ? This month, we're offering Advanced Excel 2010 classes for those who have mastered the basics. Here participants will learn about Microsoft Excel's more advanced features, such as simple formulas, charts, sorting, and more. 

Always seek the truth. I was thinking the other day that it will be awards season for the movies before I know it, so it is time to shine a spotlight on one of the most important films of the last 20 years: Spotlight .

Learn NARA tips with the BPL. Photo from the NARA website. It's no secret that the records held by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) are prized by genealogists. Due to their vast scope, the digitization of these materials is a task that NARA has declined to undertake. Luckily, sites like Ancestry.com , FamilySearch.org , and Fold3.com have stepped in to digitize and index many valuable records but keeping track of which titles have been digitized and by whom can be challenging for researchers.

  Jefferson County District 2 Commissioner Sheila Tyson Birmingham, Ala. - Jefferson County District 2 Commissioner Sheila Tyson announced today the commission is giving gra nt money totaling $55,700 to support the eight libraries in her district - East Ensley, Five Points West, Smithfield , West End, Titusville , Avondale , Powderly and Southside libraries. Tyson will make the check presentation at the Titusville Branch Library, #2 6th Avenue Southwest, at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 2 , during its Back-to-School Resource Day .   Tyson recommended funding of $55,700 from the Jefferson County Rapid Infrastructure Improvement Initiative for the Birmingham Public Library (BPL).  The money will allow BPL to replace outdated photocopy equipment with up-to-date machines allowing for color printing, copying, and scanning. The grant will also support the purchase of audio-visual equipment, early literacy learning stations and library books.  BPL Executive Directo...