Birmingham Public Library Blog

Detail of fairy tale mural by Ezra Winter , Birmingham Public Library, Southern History Department Graham Boettcher, Curator of American Art at the Birmingham Museum of Art , discusses the men and women behind Birmingham's murals. Wednesday, November 3, noon. Feed your body and mind at BPL's Brown Bag Lunch programs . You bring the lunch and we'll bring the drinks. Wednesdays at noon in the Arrington Auditorium located on the 4th floor of the Linn-Henley Research Library, 2100 Park Place.

Depression-era murals survive and thrive in both book and exhibit form thanks to the Birmingham Historical Society ’s newest endeavor: identifying, assembling, presenting, and chronicling artworks which were created and appeared in the Birmingham area. “We just kept looking,” explains Marjorie White, BHS. “We found the murals still intact in some structures, never having been moved in all these years. We found collections tucked in attics, archives, and online. It has been a fascinating scavenger hunt to find this incredible art, created by artists between 1929 and 1939.” The exhibition Murals, Murals on the Wall 1929-1939 will be on view November 7 through December 31, 2010, at the Central Library in the 4th Floor Gallery. The book, Digging Out of the Great Depression: Federal Programs at Work In and Around Birmingham , is the ultimate picture book—144 pages with 250 seldom-seen images of our region’s programs in the arts, agriculture, beautification, archaeology, school and infra...

It is only a week away until the elections! Take this time to research the candidiates, formulate your opinion, and decide on your choice. The Birmingham Public Library has the 2010 Alabama Elections subject guide to help you in your research. Still need more help locating resources? Contact the Social Sciences Department at 205-226-3640 or stop by today.

The 10th annual City of Birmingham Recycles Day will be held Wednesday, October 27 to give all citizens of metro Birmingham the opportunity to recycle their electronic waste and yellow pages. To make it even more convenient to participate, a drive-thru service will be offered. Accepted Items for Recycles Day: Yellow Pages, Personal Computers, Televisions , Monitors, LCD TVs, Flat Screen Monitors, VCRs , Radios, Stereos, DVD players, Microwaves, Power Supplies, Rechargeable Batteries, Vacuums, Banking Equipment, Telephones, Pagers, Networking Equipment, Laptops, Keyboards, Mice, Power Cables, Non-Hazardous Medical Equipment, Printers , Copy Machines, Servers, Hubs, Ink Cartridges, Toner Cartridges, Remotes, Modems, Projectors, Cameras Unaccepted Items for Recycles Day: Refrigerators, Washers, Clothes Dryers, Dish Washers, Mercury Containing Devices (Thermometers, Fire Alarms), Hazardous Chemicals/Materials, Light Bulbs, Florescent Bulbs, Bio Waste Please come out and support this event...

We're getting closer! Thanks to our generous patrons we have raised $16,443.21 toward our goal of $20,000. This money will be used to purchase the latest books, audio books, DVDs, and e-books. Help us spread the word so we can get the red line on the thermometer all the way to the top. Please give today. Thank you!

We all have been bullied. It could have been on the school playground, on the Internet, or at your office. No one likes being picked on by a bully. The news lately has been filled with stories of several people, in particular LGBT teens and young adults, committing suicide as a result of bullying. These suicides are tragedies that should have never happened. Several celebrities are raising awareness on bullying through the It Gets Better Project , and President Obama added his voice last week to give hope and encouragement to anyone who has been a victim of a bully. Here are his words: The Birmingham Public Library also has resources to help educate people and raise awareness on bullying. Check out our new subject guide on Bullying ! Many of the resources are located in the Social Sciences Department. Stop by today or call 205-226-3640.

I can't tell you how stoked I am about Dennis Lehane 's new book, Moonlight Mile . Not only is it the first Kenzie/Gennaro book in 12 loooong years, but it's a continuation of Gone, Baby, Gone , one of the best books of the series. All these years I've wondered what became of little neglected Amanda McCready, and that's after she was returned to her mother. Gone, Baby, Gone is about a 4-year-old girl who disappears from a working-class Boston neighborhood. Here it is 12 years later, and Amanda again disappears without a trace. The same concerned aunt who hired Patrick and Angie to find her niece the first time is knocking on their door again. The moral debate on whether Patrick did the right thing for Amanda in Gone, Baby, Gone rages on; it will be interesting to see how he's lived with his decision in the years since he and Angie married and had a daughter of their own. Gone, Baby, Gone was made into a movie in 2007 and stars Casey Affleck as Patrick Kenzi...

The Birmingham Public Library is hosting Sonya Sanchez on November 6, 2010, for a discussion on two new books of her work: Morning Haiku and I’m Black When I’m Singing, I’m Blue When I Ain’t and Other Plays . Morning Haiku , her first publication in over a decade, is a collection of haiku that celebrates the gifts of life and mourns the deaths of revered African American figures in the worlds of music, literature, art, and activism. I’m Black When I’m Singing, I’m Blue When I Ain’t and Other Plays brings together Sanchez’s collection of plays, five previously published and two unpublished until now. Dr. Jacqueline Wood, Associate Professor of English at UAB, is the editor of the book and will join in on the discussion. Details Sonia Sanchez to Speak at the Birmingham Public Library Central Library , Arrington Auditorium Saturday, November 6 2:00 p.m. Free and open to the public