Birmingham Public Library Blog

by Alisha Johnson, Ensley Branch Library More and more seniors are finding themselves facing a life of never-ending work and they never thought of being employed well into their 70s; however, there are some who have worked a number of odds and ends jobs but never held a steady job that paid into Social Security or a pension fund. Consequently, many of them feel stuck. They have reached retirement age and do not have enough savings to cover their day-to-day expenses such as medical expenses, housing, and rising food costs. As a result, the options are few and include dramatically cutting down on spending or keep working. We are seeing our mothers, grandmothers; aunts and uncles become “poor” for the first time in their old age. This is hard to watch but there are some measures that we can take to decrease the occurrence of poverty in our families and our communities. One measure is to help people save for old age and another is to expand affordable housing options for older America...

What: Steps to Starting Your Business seminar When: Friday November 16, 2018 Time: 12:00-1:00 p.m. Where: Central Library , Linn-Henley Research Library, Arrington Auditorium, 4th floor The Birmingham Public Library, in conjunction with SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) and the City of Birmingham’s Department of Innovation and Economic Opportunity, will be hosting the monthly seminar Steps to Starting Your Business on Friday November 16, 2018. The seminar is scheduled to be held from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. in the Arrington Auditorium, which is located on the 4th floor of the Linn-Henley Research Library. Topics to be covered in the seminar will include crafting a vision statement, identifying sources of funding, determining the legal structure of your business, devising a business plan, and investigating sources of business and economic information. Please register for the seminars by contacting Valencia Fisher in the Department of Innovation and Economic Opportuni...

by Ellen Griffin Shade, Avondale Regional Branch Library If you watch the Veterans Day parade marching through the streets of Birmingham on November 12, you’ll be taking part in the oldest and largest Veterans Day celebration in the country. Expanding Armistice Day, founded in 1919 to honor the veterans of World War I, into a national holiday honoring all veterans was the brainchild of a World War II veteran from Birmingham named Raymond Weeks. Weeks established the first Veterans Day celebration in Birmingham in 1947, and led a delegation to Washington, D.C., to ask General Dwight Eisenhower , then Army chief of staff, to create a national holiday honoring all veterans. After years of lobbying, President Eisenhower signed the bill establishing November 11 as Veterans Day in 1954. Raymond Weeks led the first National Veterans Day Parade in 1947 here in Birmingham, and every year after that until his passing in 1985. He was honored for his efforts with the Presidential Citizens...

By Vincent Solfronk, Eastwood Branch Library A selection of circulating board games available at Eastwood Library On November 5 the Eastwood Branch Library began making available for checkout to the public the following board games (all geared for patrons middle school age and up): King of Tokyo, Carcassonne, Forbidden Island, Ticket to Ride, Farkel, Pandemic, Azul, Puerto Rico, Dice Town, Catan, and the Downfall of Pompeii. Board games can be checked out with a valid adult library card. Board games are checked out for one week, but must be returned to the Eastwood Library. If you have any questions, please contact the Eastwood Library at 205-591-4944. "Board games are entering a new renaissance in the United States," said Vincent Solfronk, branch manager of the Eastwood Library. "Board games are being designed with more interesting subjects and features. People of all ages are trying to move away from their "screens" and to a more interactive lifest...

by Mark Skinner, East Ensley Branch Library  Finding answers to medical questions can be overwhelming. Many books on medical issues that are a few years old can be outdated and provide inaccurate information. On the other hand, the amount of information when searching on the internet can seem far too vast and the sources of that information can be somewhat suspect. While online message boards or Google searches may be helpful for finding support in others diagnosed with similar conditions, these resources may provide inaccurate information to you. At the library, we have access to a wide array of information from trusted sources that can help point you in the right direction. Certainly, these databases are no substitute for your medical provider, but they may be able to help ease some of your worries or help you better understand a topic, diagnoses, or medication. Below are links to a few medical resources that oriented toward consumers rather than medical professionals. ...

by Kelly Laney, Springville Road Regional Branch Library The Coffee, Conversation & Crafts group at Springville Road Library With the colder weather and darker days, don’t huddle alone this winter. Come to the library to have fun and meet people! There are many opportunities to have fun, learn crafts, learn healthy tips, and stay fit. This is the time of the year when nimble (and maybe not-so-nimble) fingers turn to crafting to prepare for the holidays. There are several venues for participating in crafting handmade gifts from the heart for friends and loved ones. If you are a fan of visual learning, you can type in just about any craft on YouTube and view a how-to video to get ideas, learn a new technique, or practice an old one. If hands-on is more your learning style, you can check the events calendar on the Birmingham Public Library website to find a class near you. At the Springville Road Regional Branch Library, we offer several opportunities for...

Hugh Hardy Jr. What:  Book Launch and Signing with Hugh Hardy Jr. – Maysa Brown: Rise to Power When: Friday, November 9, 2018, 10:00 a.m. Where: Powderly Branch Library For two years Hugh Hardy Jr. has been spending much of his spare time writing his debut novel about a black character's unlikely rise from unknown college student to become president of the United States. And no, it's not his take on Barack Obama ’s journey to become the nation’s first black president from 2008 to 2016. Hardy will discuss his new book, Maysa Brown: Rise to Power , on Friday, November, 9, 10:00 a.m., during a book signing at the Powderly Branch Library where he works as a library assistant. Hardy self-published the book this fall. You can buy Maysa Brown online through Amazon.com . Maysa Brow n chronicles the trials and tribulations of the main character as she rises from being a brilliant college student in Alabama to becoming the first black female president. While...

by Gus Jones, Fiction Department , Central Library One of the creative library assistants in the Fiction Department saw an idea in the September 4, 2015, issue of Entertainment Weekly and thought it would be perfect to replicate as a department display. It is called The United States of Books. For each state, Entertainment Weekly picked “the one work of fiction that best defines each state in the union.” The associated article provides a short description of the novels and usually includes how it relates to the state. For example, the novel chosen to represent Alabama is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. It is described as follows: Forget the dubious sequel. Lee’s exceptional work is a perfectly contained miracle about the struggle for justice in a system built to deny it. From Birmingham to Tuskegee, Alabama was a burning center of racial conflict, and this novel takes place right on the outskirts of that crucible. It’s very interesting to discover which ...