Birmingham Public Library Blog

This is the current class schedule offered at the Regional Library Computer Center. Registration is open to the public and staff beginning the 15th of the month (for the following month’s classes). If the 15th falls on a weekend, the class schedule will be made available the next business day. Please continue to check our blog or Birmingham 365 for upcoming classes and workshops. For a PDF copy, please click on this link: May 2015 Classes . Please note that the "Job Searching Tips with Jack Norris" class, scheduled previously for Tuesday, May 26, has been cancelled. *ONLINE REGISTRATION SUBMISSIONS DO NOT GUARANTEE YOU SPACE IN THE CLASS . For immediate assistance or to learn of spaces still available in classes, please contact the Public Computer Services Department during regular library hours at 205-226-3681. Please allow two to four business days for registration confirmation.

Cory Casella, Melissa Shultz-Jones, and Paul Cordes Wilm are Birmingham artists with very unique perspectives, and their work will be showcased in the exhibit The Amazing Art of Local Curiosities  at the Central Library's Fourth Floor Gallery from May 7 to June 26, 2015. The opening reception will be held on Saturday, May 16, 2015, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., in the Boardroom on the fourth floor. On Saturday, June 6, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Casella will share his technique of drawing in pen with one continuous line. The event will be held in the Story Castle, 2nd Floor at the Central Library. Registration requested; call 226-3670. On Tuesday, June 16, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m., Shultz-Jones will lead a “Hero Art” session for children and accompanying adult family members in the Story Castle. Registration requested; call 226-3655. ABOUT THE ARTISTS AND ARTWORK One Liner Artwork : Cory Casella Octopus by Cory Casella Birmingham resident and software-develo...

Libraries across the United States and around the globe are attracting young professionals with a commitment to make the world a better place. The Birmingham Public Library Young Professionals (BPLYP) share this outlook. Group members understand that libraries change lives and that through our public libraries in Birmingham, citizens have access to quality information, technology, training and a wealth of other resources. Join the BPLYP for a Special Collections Tour of the Linn-Henley Research Library/ Central Library on Tuesday, May 19, 2015 . Refreshments will be served, along with a brief overview on the organization, from 5:30 until 6:00 p.m., in the Richard Arrington, Jr. Auditorium . The guided tour gets underway from 6:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Attendees must register by e-mail to bcsmith@bham.lib.al.us or by calling (205) 591-4944. Guests can use the Linn-Henley Park entrance to access the building—parking is available on the street at no cost. The Young Professional...

Getting children to eat healthy can seem impossible. Once you’ve accomplished this mission at home, what happens when they’re away from home, especially at school? If daily lunch menus consisted of pizza, fries, and hamburgers, most children would be pleased. Parents should be encouraged because lunch menus have changed drastically. While children may be served the occasional hamburger and cookie as a treat for the week, the goal of school lunches is to encourage kids to make better food choices. Currently, over 90 percent of schools are successfully meeting the new meal nutrition standards. Schools are serving meals with more whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean protein, low fat dairy, and are using less sodium and fat. Listed are healthy eating resources to assist parents and children with making better eating choices: Books Home for Dinner: Mixing Food, Fun, and Conversation for a Happier Family and Healthier Kids Get Your Family Eating Right!: A 30-Day Plan fo...

Once again, I’m going to billboard some of the tried-and-true movies that hold up, decade in, decade out. As usual, an estimate of how many times I've seen each title is at the end of each entry. Prizzi’s Honor (1985). Director John Huston’s last great film, up there in the pantheon with The African Queen and Treasure of the Sierra Madre . The story of two Mafia killers, a man and a woman, who end up in a romantic relationship and who sacrifice all for their careers. Contemporary critics saw this as a yuppie satire, and that’s valid, but the film has long since transcended the Eighties milieu. The killers, played by Jack Nicholson and Kathleen Turner, handle the black humor admirably and keep you guessing about their real intent, partly because even they don’t know what choices they’re going to make. Angelica Huston, in one of her many brilliant turns, plays the third party in this love triangle, if love triangle it is. And William Hickey, as the old Don Prizzi, is viciousl...

When you do a search of chronic illnesses on the Internet, one illness that is commonly left out is Lupus. Lupus is, as defined by Lupus.org: “A chronic, autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body (skin, joints, and/or organs inside the body). Chronic means that the signs and symptoms tend to last longer than six weeks and often for many years.” In simple terms, Lupus is a chronic illness where your immune system, which is typically in place to fight off bad things that invade the body, such as viruses and germs, goes haywire and begins to attack your own body. Your immune system can no longer distinguish between good and healthy tissue and antibodies and bad foreign invaders. As a result, it can cause the sick individual to have multiple symptoms and health complications as their body wages war on itself. Some of the most common symptoms of lupus of Lupus are: Extreme fatigue (tiredness) Headaches Painful or swollen joints Fever Anemia (low numbers of r...

BPL's March of Dimes team captain, Diana Prince For the past three years, Diana Prince has made certain Birmingham Public Library (BPL) staff know a thing or two about the March of Dimes . With more than 60,000 new births in Alabama each year, at least 1,800 babies are born with a birth defect and premature births are high. Diana knows this and she puts every bit of effort into raising awareness and raising funds to help. Her willingness to coordinate staff giving is no easy task, yet she puts her heart into it and helps to cultivate funds for a worthy cause. As a City of Birmingham department, the library continues to rank among the top three departments when it comes to giving. In February, Diana and her library “valentine elves” put together 19 gift baskets for the annual March of Dimes auction. The library’s baskets brought in a total of $1,650, the third highest total among all City of Birmingham departments. The library raised a grand total of $3, 707 this year, $2,4...

A few weeks ago one of my cousins got married. So, I started thinking about the popularity of spring and summer weddings and how much work goes into the planning and execution of a successful wedding ceremony. This in turn, made me think about wedding planners and the job they do. Did you know that there is a certification for wedding planners? Here is a list of resources to help you become a wedding planner or to help you plan your own wedding. Books Essential Guide to Wedding Etiquette The Everything Mother of the Bride Book: A survival Guide for Mom How to Start a Home-Based Wedding Planning Business The Knot Little Books of Big Wedding Ideas Plan the Perfect Wedding on a Small Budget A Practical Wedding: Creative Ideas for Planning a Beautiful, Affordable, and Meaningful Celebration The Wedding A to Z: Everything You Need to Know—*and Stuff You Never Thought to Ask Wedding Planning for Dummies Wedding Planning: The Complete Guide to Wedding Planning Weddings: Fr...