Birmingham Public Library Blog

Group portrait of an Austrian-Jewish family. Photo courtesy of The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Dr. Robert Adler, from the University of North Alabama , will speak about the Austrian Holocaust, focusing on his father’s personal experiences. He will also speak briefly about the Holocaust in Spain. Wednesday, March 5, noon. Of interest: Nonfiction Holocaust, Austria, Vienna Holocaust, Austria, Vienna, Personal Narratives Fiction Holocaust, Austria, Fiction Holocaust, Austria, Juvenile Fiction Media The Holocaust on DVD , video , books on CD and cassette Feed your body and mind at BPL's Brown Bag Programs . You bring the lunch and we'll bring the drinks. Wednesdays at noon in the Arrington Auditorium located on the 3rd floor of the Linn-Hinley Research Library, 2100 Park Place.

Join us as we celebrate “Leap Year” at The Birmingham Public Library. Happy Leap Year! Jump, jump over to your library!

Today, February 29, is leap day. This is the one extra day inserted, or intercalated, at the end of February during leap years. These leap days are needed to keep our calendar in alignment with the earth's movement around the sun. An astronomical year, the time taken for the Earth to completely orbit the Sun, is about 365.242 days. Always using a calendar with 365 days would result in a loss of about six hours every year. This is not as inconsequential as it seems. After 200 years, a 365 day calendar would be more than 48 days ahead of the seasons, which could get confusing. Eventually the coldest day of winter could be the fourth of July. By adding a leap year roughly every fourth year, our "Gregorian" style calendar aligns with the seasons much more accurately. So all in all, leap days are helpful, but February 29 can still an issue for some. For example, when do people, born on February 29 celebrate their birthdays? Imagine you get a birthday cake once every 4 years. B...

Either I'm getting older or the stars popping up in the news these days are getting younger. Take, for example, the recent Birmingham News article and video clip about babies as young as five-months-old being introduced to the joys of reading at the Avondale Public Library . Librarians and educators are working to get books into the hands of babies and children, some even before they leave the maternity ward, with programs such as Born to Read , Imagination Library , and Reach Out and Read . Birmingham Public Library is doing its part by making libraries more inviting to parents and children. Avondale and Springville Road Libraries have been designated as Family Place Libraries , and there are plans to expand this national reading initiative to the North Birmingham and Five Points West Libraries in the fall. BPL's Literacy and Outreach Coordinator Janine Langston speaks about the importance of introducing young children to the library

Photo by John Woods Nathifa Dance Company & Outreach, Inc. is a non-profit organization with a diverse group of young artists with multiple skills in African, Caribbean, and African-American dance and drumming. Under the direction of Sistah LaVondia Bryant-Square, Nathifa strives to nurture a vibrant multi-cultural community and teach young people pride, self-esteem, and a positive self-image through dance. All ages are welcome to join us at this BPL@Night that promises to be a colorful and energetic evening of dance and drumming. Event Details Where: North Birmingham Public Library When: Monday, March 3 Time: 6:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. BPL@Night is made possible, in part, by the Jefferson County Commission through the Jefferson County Community Arts Fund administered by the Cultural Alliance of Greater Birmingham , and by grants from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts . BPL thanks Compass Bank for its generous suppo...

Don't let reading quizzes get you down, study up with our new database, BookTest Online. With BookTest Online you can test your knowledge and develop memory recall for your favorite books. Come to any Birmingham Public Library to get free access to this great resource. Database Screenshots:

Photo courtesy of the BPL Digital Collections Carole Boston Weatherford ’s Birmingham, 1963 tells the story of the darkest day in Birmingham’s history: the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. Because the church was centrally located and had a large basement perfect for meetings, it became a rallying place for the movement and many protests were staged there. This act of terror would become known as the “blast heard around the world,” and was one of several bombings that earned Birmingham the nickname “Bombingham.” Birmingham, 1963 is told through the eyes of a ten-year-old girl, who along with her family is not just an observer but a participant in the Civil Rights Movement. She is witness to Martin Luther King’s stirring speech at the March on Washington, sits in protest at whites-only lunch counters, and is arrested along with hundreds of other young participants in the Children’s Crusade. The year I turned ten I missed school to march with other children For a seat at...

On this day 115 years ago, the greatest college football rivalry began: The Iron Bowl. Auburn defeated Alabama 32-22. There is a historic marker on the site of the first Iron Bowl at the corner of Clairmont Avenue South and 32 Street South. To see more pictures of the first Iron Bowl, come to the Tutwiler Collection of Southern History and Literature at the Central Library and look at the book The first Iron Bowl : Alabama versus Auburn, February 22, 1893 / compiled by Alvin W. Hudson. Whether you say War Eagle, as I do, or Roll Tide, it was a great day for us.