Birmingham Public Library Blog

By Lynn Hutchins, Central Library What are your favorite dog books? Many classics probably come to mind such as Lassie Come-Home , The Call of the Wild , and Marley & Me . The list doesn’t have to stop there. Here are some recent releases recommended for dog lovers. Bark of Night by David Rosenfelt (fiction) – A legal mystery with humor and dogs about Paterson lawyer Andy Carpenter who discovers that someone left a perfectly healthy French bulldog at the vet’s with instructions to put the dog down. Biloxi: A Novel by Mary Miller (fiction) - A funny story about a down-on-his-luck guy, Louis, who can’t catch a break until he meets a very good dog named Layla. Dog is Love by Clive D. L. Wynne (nonfiction) – A great read for anyone who has ever loved a dog and experienced the wonder of being loved back. A Dog’s Way Home by W. Bruce Cameron (fiction) – The story of one endearing dog's journey home after she is separated from her beloved human....

Happy Holidays from all of us at the Birmingham Public Library. Seventeen of BPL’s 19 library locations are hosting over 60 free programs to get patrons in a festive holiday mood. Activities include: • Three Christmas concerts -Friday, December 6 at 2:30 p.m . at Pratt City Branch Library (featuring Abraham Diltz), Friday, December 6 at 6:00 p.m . at Powderly Branch Library (featuring Regi Yarbrough & Co.) Tuesday, December 10 at 6:30 p.m. at West End Branch Library (Deirdre Gaddis, Crystal Leonard & Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority). • Christmas pictures with library elves at Santa’s Workshop December 19 at 12:00 p.m. at Five Points West Regional Library.  • Gingerbread house building, December 4 at 4:00 p.m. at North Birmingham Regional Library and December 16 , 3:30 p.m. at East Ensley Branch Library. • Holiday Fun: Ukulele 101! Saturday, December 21 , 9:30 a.m. at Avondale Regional Library  • All day Christmas movie marathons at Pratt Cit...

What: Let’s Talk about Medicare: Questions and Answers When: First Thursday of each month Time: 12:00–1:00 p.m. Where: Birmingham Public Library – Central Library /Linn-Henley Research Library/4th floor/Regional Library Computer Center (RLCC) If you have questions about Medicare, you are not alone. As a health insurance program administered by the federal government, Medicare is laden with many policies, procedures, and guidelines that can be very confusing for the average American consumer. Who is eligible for Medicare? What kind of coverage does it provide? Is there more than one plan available? How much does it cost? When should I enroll? These are just some of the important questions that everyone needs answered in order to help them make good, informed decisions about their healthcare coverage. Not getting accurate and up-to-date answers to these questions can mean missing out on valuable benefits that you and your loved ones are entitled to claim. If you would...

The National Book Foundation announced the winners of the 2019 National Book Awards on November 20.  The descriptions of each book are the judges citation from the National Book Foundation website . Fiction Winner : Trust Exercise by Susan Choi Trust Exercise by Susan Choi blends the intellectual rigor of post-modern technique with a story that is timely, mesmerizing, and, in the end, unsettling. The exploration of different character perspectives lays bare the myth-making of the self and the damage that storytelling can do to others. Choi’s virtuoso accomplishment on the sentence level is often extraordinary—and pivots in astonishing and non-traditional directions while conforming to traditional ideas of excellence. Nonfiction Winner : The Yellow House by Sarah M. Broom If Sarah M. Broom’s  The Yellow House  was simply an indictment of state sanctioned terror on the Gulf Coast, it would be a stunning literary achievement. Broom however shows us that...

One of my most favorite blog posts that I have written over the years is A Librarian's Guide to Thanksgiving.  I didn't remember how long it had been, but it turns out it was only a couple of years ago.  I was talking to a friend of mine who remembered the original post and he encouraged me to post it again because he enjoyed reading it so much.  He compared it to rereading a book you like or watching a movie again.  Therefore, with only a few minor changes, I offer again my recommendations for having a happy and less stressful Thanksgiving.  I hope you enjoy it. Tip 1.  Stop hosting every year - Some of you are sitting out there right now dreading the idea of Thanksgiving.  It's not because you have to fly or drive a long distance to visit family.  It's because you are already picturing the throng of family and friends who will be descending on your home for Thanksgiving.  I'm taking it back to Nancy Reagan in the 1980s, JUST SAY N...

What: Christmas musical When: Tuesday, December 10, 6:30–8:30 p.m. Where: West End Branch Library Details: FREE and open to the public The public is invited to usher in the holiday season at the West End Branch Library's Christmas musical. Master of ceremony Reverend Tremaine Davis, First United CPC; performances by Deirdre Gaddis, Crystal Leonard, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, and Upsilon Eta Omega Chapter. Special thanks to Commissioner Shelia Tyson and Alabama State Representative John W. Rogers Jr.

What:  " A Gathering of Continents: Revisiting a Birmingham Treasure, Rare Deluxe Edition of Joan Blaeu's Atlas Major "  lecture by Dr. Kenneth Knoespel When: Sunday, December 15, 2019, 3:00–5:00 p.m. Where: Central Library /Linn-Henley Research Library/Arrington Auditorium/4th floor Details: Free and open to the public On December 1, 1964, the Birmingham Public Library received one of the rarest and most beautiful atlases ever created. The 11-volume atlas, known as the Atlas Major , was published in 1662 in Amsterdam by noted cartographer Joan Blaeu. Sold at Sotheby’s for an undisclosed amount, the Atlas Major was purchased for the library by businessman and map collector Rucker Agee . The library is celebrating the 55th anniversary of our acquiring this unique piece of cartographic history by offering a free lecture on the history and significance of this treasure. Dr. Kenneth Knoespel, a faculty member at the Georgia Institute of Technology, will present...

Contractor Taylor & Miree has removed escalators from all four floors of the Central Library. Pardon our Progress: The Central Library Monumental Stairs Project, in which a four-story staircase will replace broken down escalators in the East Building , has entered its third month. Mountain Brook-based contractor Taylor & Miree , which began the project on September 16, hit another milestone last week, removing escalators from all four floors. The stair project, designed by Birmingham architect Creig Hoskins , is expected to be completed by early March 2020. T he escalators in the Central Library stopped working in December 2014.  Contractor Taylor & Miree has removed escalators from all four floors of the Central Library. Throughout the construction process, the BPL Friends Bookstore remains open to the public Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.