Birmingham Public Library Blog

Playing with your baby is not only important for bonding, but is also an educational experience for your child. We are providing a special time and place for you to come to the public library and spend one-on-one time playing with your child. This five-week program involves children birth through age 3 and their parents or caregivers. The library will have age appropriate toys, books, and art activities just for you and your child. Also, we have invited special guests from the community to join us each week to answer your questions about parenting. 1-2-3 Play with Me emphasizes the role of parents as the first teachers of their children, facilitates early intervention and teaches strategies for healthy child development and early literacy. 1-2-3 Play with Me is the signature event for Family Place Libraries and is a community project grant recipient of the Junior League of Birmingham. Central Library – February 14-March 14, 2017 – every Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. Avondale Libra...

What: Bards & Brews Performance Poetry/Beer Tasting Fundraising Campaign For More Information: Call Brandon C. Smith at 205-591-4944 How to Donate: Donations are being accepted online at www.bplonline.org/about/contributions/ or by mail at Birmingham Public Library, Development Department, 2100 Park Place, Birmingham, AL, 35203 One by one, 10 poets participating in an all-star spoken poetry event talked of the positive impact Bards & Brews has had on their lives. Tomika Glenn, a multiple poetry slam winner known on stage as Blaque Diamond, said the Birmingham Public Library’s popular spoken word poetry/beer tasting event helped build her confidence. Lee Green said Bards & Brews, founded six years ago, provided the first opportunity in Birmingham for local poets to share their craft before a large audience. They were among an all-star list of past winners who participated in Bards & Brews All Star Show held February 3 at the Central Library. Longtime host...

If you're interested in independent, foreign language, classic, or documentary films, you're in luck. Get out your library card and sign up for Kanopy, Birmingham Public Library's newest online service. Kanopy is an on-demand streaming video service available only to educational institutions and public libraries. You can stream titles from the Criterion Collection, Music Box Films, Kino Lorber, First Run Features, and hundreds of other film distribution partners along with thousands of carefully selected independently distributed films that are unavailable elsewhere. Some examples of categories are race and class studies, LGBT, psychology, mental health, career development, business skills, environmental sciences, history, and astronomy. Classic fictional films are also available. Categories include silent films, cult classics, and Japanese, German, French, Russian, and American collections. Some examples of films include The Lord of the Flies , Watership Down , Th...

Children riding amusement park airplanes at East Lake Park Birmingham, Alabama, 1954 Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections The Southern History Department, housed in the Linn-Henley Research Library of the Central Library, is taking its popular genealogy workshops on the road during the month of February. Upcoming programs on how to research your ancestry will take place this month at the Bessemer Public Library, Homewood Public Library, Leeds Public Library, and two Birmingham Public Library locations, North Avondale and Wylam. If you desire to learn more about how to research your family tree, mark your calendar for the following programs below: Saturday, February, 11, 11:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Central Library, Arrington Auditorium 18th Annual Black Heritage and Genealogy Fair – This event encourages African Americans to research their family history and features presentations, displays, music, art, and dance. Jackie Smith of the Jefferson County Board of Educatio...

Tutors are now available at the Powderly Branch Library to assist students in the City of Birmingham in learning basic cursive writing and penmanship. The classes began in December after the Powderly Library received an Innovative and Cool Award from the Birmingham Public Library Board to fund the new program. The After School Writing Lab, called “Assistance with Cursive Writing and Basic Penmanship,” is taught by tutors from Birmingham’s Social Security Administration. The class focuses on teaching second- through fifth-grade students in the Birmingham City School System cursive writing and basic penmanship, said Loretta Bitten, branch manager of the Powderly Library. “We were informed by one of our parents that the school system had implemented cursive writing in the school’s curriculum and many of the children are having difficulty,” Bitten said. “Because of this, we offer a writing lab weekly to help strengthen the children with cursive writing and penmanship.” The grant ...

Making valentines for patients at Children's Hospital at Avondale Library Patrons at the Birmingham Public Library (BPL) are showing love for patients at Children’s Hospital and Veterans Hospital in Birmingham by making Valentine’s Day cards. Members of Coffee, Conversation & Crafts, an adult program at the Springville Road Regional Branch Library, on January 30 decorated cards being distributed to patients at Veterans Hospital on Valentine’s Day, Tuesday, Feb. 14. Patrons at several BPL libraries have been making cards for patients at Children’s Hospital over the past few weeks. If you want to get involved, there are more opportunities in the coming days to decorate Valentine’s Day cards for patients at Children’s Hospital. Here is a listing of dates and other Valentine’s Day-related activities taking place at BPL locations: Let's Make Valentine Cards for Children's Hospital, Powderly Branch Library, February 3, 4:00 p.m. Valentine Card Creations, Smithfie...

What: Steps to Starting Your Business When: Monday, February 6, 2017 Time: 12:00-1:00 p.m. Where: Central Library, Linn-Henley Research Library, Arrington Auditorium, 4th floor Upcoming Dates: Monday March 6, 2017 Monday April 3, 2017 Monday May 1, 2017 Monday June 5, 2017 Time: 12:00-1:00 p.m. Place: Central Library, Arrington Auditorium The Birmingham Public Library, in conjunction with the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) and the City of Birmingham’s Office of Economic Development, will once again be hosting the popular seminar Steps to Starting Your Business in 2017. The seminar is scheduled to be held on the first Monday of each month from February to June, 12:00 to 1:00 p.m., in the Arrington Auditorium, which is located on the 4th floor of the Linn-Henley Research Library. Each seminar will cover the same topics, but those who are interested are welcome to attend more than one day. Topics covered will include crafting a vision statem...

The Birmingham Public Library is hosting several free Black History Month programs across the city in February highlighting the contributions of African Americans. Below is a listing, by library alphabetically, of programs by date and title. You can find other free library events not on this list at www.bplonline.org/calendar . Central Library Saturday, February 11, 11:00 a.m., Linn-Henley Research Library, Arrington Auditorium, 4th floor Birmingham African American Genealogy Group Black Heritage Fair. Topic: "The Crisis in Black Education" featuring speaker Jackie Smith, Jefferson County Board of Education member. Activities include speakers on African American genealogy and African American dance and music. Sunday, February 19, 2017, 3:00 p.m.,  Linn-Henley Research Library, Arrington Auditorium,  Music of African American Diaspora, a join recital featuring Jillian Rogers, soprano, and Jeremey McMillian, piano, both of the Alabama School of Fine Arts. Wednesday...