Birmingham Public Library Blog

As part of Black History Month, the Central Library is hosting a program for youth designed to build self-esteem and encourage black children to take pride in their hair. Called I Am Not My Hair, the free program will take place on Wednesday, February 13, 3:30 to 5:00 p.m., in the Central Library Youth Department, 2nd Floor . The program is the brainchild of Youth Department head Bessie Miller, after noticing that the kids, particularly young girls who come in after school, would gather in the bathroom "fixing their hair." "We observed there would be occasional teasing about the style, the texture, etc., of their hair," said Gelenda Norman, a library assistant in the Youth Department. "Hair has an effect on the self esteem of children, tweens, and teens, even adults." T.J. Dudley, owner of King's Grooming Lounge , will share his knowledge and expertise in hair care and grooming, along with teen mentor Aaliyah Taylor, to empower and uplift self...

Nonprofit organizations come in many different shapes and sizes, but they all have one thing in common: they want to develop, fund, and implement creative programs that serve to fulfill their mission. Most people who work in the nonprofit world have the desire and commitment to make this happen, but they often lack access to learning resources that will help them understand how best to get there. If you feel like this applies to you, whether you are an experienced nonprofit leader or someone brand new to the field, then you will want to attend the Birmingham Public Library’s Nonprofit Management Class Series. The one hour classes will be offered monthly from January to May 2019 at the library’s Central location. The classes are offered as part of a collaboration between BPL and the Harvard Club of Birmingham . The series instructor is John Whitman, PhD. A veteran of both the private and nonprofit sectors, Dr. Whitman has also taught leadership and management courses at American...

What: Money Matters Retirement Planning Workshop: " Managing Savings and Investments " When:  February 13, 2019 Time: 12:00–1:00 p.m. Where:  Central Library, Linn-Henley Research Library, 4th floor Retirement is something that most of us look forward to. It is indeed an appealing notion to think that one day you will not have to get up every day and go to work. But retirement can also be a troubling notion as well, especially if you are worried about your financial situation. Concerns about money and finances are the primary reason that people do not enjoy their retirement years to the fullest. Perhaps these concerns can never be totally alleviated, but thoughtful financial planning can certainly help to lessen the stress that we feel when we contemplate our post-work years. Planning for retirement is the focus of the Birmingham Public Library’s 2018/2019 edition of Money Matters. Once again, this series of workshops is made possible through a partnership b...

by Mary Beth Newbill, Central Library, Southern History Department If there was one source that could be used as a census substitute, proof of employment, evidence of marital history, or as a neighborhood analysis you would be crazy not to use it, right? Good news! City directories can do all this and more. If you’re not already consulting them regularly for your genealogy or local history research, run to the Central Library’s Southern History Department and check out our nearly comprehensive collection of Birmingham directories. I often tell patrons that city directories are like telephone books, only with much more information. While both city directories and phone books list residents alphabetically by last name and give their addresses and phone numbers, that’s pretty much where the similarities end. Phone books don’t offer any additional information and, by definition, were not published until the widespread adoption of the telephone. City directories, on the other hand, wer...

by Selina Johnson, Wylam Branch Library Teens Engineer BHM Arduino class at East Lake Branch Library Robots are being manufactured to solve problems that are big and small. There are delivery robots, robots in medicine, and robots in space, to name a few, that enrich our lives. Therefore, it is clear how important computer science is in our lives and the future. Learning how to code through robotics is a great way to engage students and develop STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) skills that will prepare them for the demands of the 21st century. These experiences will hopefully spark their interest in STEM, strengthen skills for the future, and be great fun. Learning how to design, build, and solder at West End Branch Library The Birmingham Public Library will have programs geared toward engineering and coding at several locations this year. Teens Engineer BHM is a partnership between the Birmingham Public Library and The University of Alabama at Birm...

by Alisha Johnson, Ensley Branch Library If you are experiencing first-of-the-year blues with bills and all, but you want to make some improvements to your home, there are tons of DIY resources out there to assist you. You don’t need a fat budget to give your home or yourself a New Year’s boost. Financially, you can invest a little and get major, impressive returns on your investment. You can decorate your home for less with savvy ideas that create affordable updates and learn a new skill in the process. Here are just a few ideas to help you get started: Use what you have to get what you want (repurpose household items Change out your fixtures Add a coat of paint to the walls- add a pop of color Use cheaper materials that look like the real thing And check out these resources at your local library: 300 Home Improvement Tips for Working Smarter, Safer, Greener by Fran J. Donegan 100 Weekend Projects Anyone Can Do: Easy, Practical Projects Using Basic Tools and Standard M...

     African-American History Month has started and students will soon be searching for information to write papers, do presentations, and complete other school assignments.   In addition to the many print sources the library has available to meet this need, we also have a group of African-American databases students can use to find information.   Moreover, these databases may be accessed outside the library with your library card. The database descriptions come from the Birmingham Public Library website . African-American History Online African-American History Online covers topics such as affirmative action, Africa, black nationalism, civil rights, emancipation, free blacks, the Harlem Renaissance, migrations, racial violence and hate crimes, religion, slave living conditions, slave liberation strategies, social work and philanthropy, sports, and visual arts. Contemporary Black Biography Informative biographical profiles of the important...

The 20th Annual Black Heritage Fair Flyer The national theme for this year's Black History Month is Black Migration . This refers to the trend in which many African Americans migrated from racism in southern states in search of a better life and higher paying jobs elsewhere. Five Points West Regional Library  is hosting several free programs during February beginning next week based on black migration. Springville Road Regional Library is also hosting  a screening of Goin to Chicago in February.  On Saturday, February 2, the Central Library  is hosting the Birmingham African-American Genealogy Group (BAAGG)'s  20th Annual Black Heritage Fair, with The Great Migration theme.  BAAGG holds its monthly meetings at the Central Library. The topic is personal to 78-year-old Dianne Moore, a Birmingham native whose parents migrated up north to Ohio when she was a child to escape racist Jim Crow laws. "We as African Americans need to learn more about our p...