Birmingham Public Library Blog

  The Central Library downtown has a St. Patrick's Day display on the 2nd floor in the youth department. Today, Wednesday, March 17, 2021, is St. Patrick's Day. Caitlin Jackson, a teen librarian in the Central Library, designed a display in the youth department on the second floor that includes Irish-themed books available at the Birmingham Public Library. For a link to St. Patrick's Day items available for checkout at BPL, click here.   Jackson, using background found on National Geographic , shared her thoughts on the "Irish" holiday.  "There is a belief that you are supposed to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day. There are many different reasons why this tradition came about. Due to folklore, some people believe that if you don’t wear green, you will be pinched by leprechauns! Green makes you invisible to them. However, other traditions are that green represent good luck and Irish ancestry. So, if you can’t wear green this year, be pinch proof and carry green...

  By Jim Murray | Central Library Business, Science, & Technology Department    What: Information Session for Health Insurance Marketplace Special Enrollment Period When: Thursday March 25, 2021 Time: 12:00–1:00 p.m. Where: Birmingham Public Library's Facebook page  Details : Due to disruptions created by COVID-19, the enrollment period for the federal Health Insurance Marketplace has been extended to May 15, 2021. If you would like to learn more about how to navigate the enrollment process, please join us on Facebook Live for an informative virtual event hosted by the Birmingham Public Library. The information session presenters will be Birmingham Public Library staff members and local licensed insurance advisor, Albert McWilliams, Sr. McWilliams has been working as an insurance advisor in Birmingham since 2001. He has been a licensed Health Insurance Marketplace Advisor since 2013.   Are you in need of health insurance? Tune into BPL’s Facebook Live Info...

Kanopy , the movie-streaming database, is featuring two categories in recognition of Women’s History Month.  The first category is entitled Notable Figures in Women’s History .  They also have a category of films entitled Directed by Women .  The links provided will take you directly to the categories, or if you scroll down the homepage, you will see both of these categories listed. You will need to log in on Kanopy in order to follow the links.  You may view up to 6 movies per month.  The following are a sample of the movies available and the descriptions are from Kanopy.  Notable Figures in Women's History RBG (2018) At the age of 85, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has developed a lengthy legal legacy while becoming an unexpected pop culture icon. Explore her unique and unknown personal journey of her rise to the nation's highest court. Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise (2017) Distinctly referred to as "a redwood tree, with deep roots in Am...

Author John Archibald  tackles the issue of race in his memoir "Shaking the Gates of Hell."   By Roy L. Williams |Public Relations Director, Birmingham Public Library  As a Black man, I am still angry when I see broadcasted images of a Minneapolis cop’s knee on George Floyd’s neck, the killing last May that led to riots and civil unrest around this country. There is still a segment of Americans who are silent surrounding his death.  In his new family memoir, “Shaking the Gates of Hell: A Search for Family and Truth in the Wake of the Civil Rights Movement,” Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist John Archibald tackles the controversial topic of white silence during the historical time of racial protests 50 years ago in the Deep South. What sets Archibald’s book apart and makes his perspective unique is the main character: his father, Rev. Robert Archibald, a white Methodist pastor. Archibald questions his Christian and loving father’s choice of not using his pulpit to spea...

  Join us for a youth-centered virtual paint party on Sunday, March 28, 2021, from 12 moon to 2:00 p.m. Soulful Sundays Virtual Paint Party is a kid-friendly event, a perfect way to enjoy your Sunday afternoon.  Admission is $40. Each participant receives a paint kit that will include the following:  * Canvas * Apron * Paint * Brushes. Participants will be expected to log-in via zoom to enjoy the fun! The artist will be Ms. Bethany Henry of Z17 Creations   DJ Babyface will provide musical entertainment.  For more information, please contact Candice Hardy, BPL Outreach Librarian, at (205) 226-3741 or (205) 568-4359.  Register by clicking below:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-birmingham-public-library-soulful-sundays-presents-virtual-paint-party-tickets-145079541815?utm-medium=discovery&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&aff=escb&utm-source=cp&utm-term=listing

Proceeds benefit the 2021 BPL Bookmobile Initiative. The Birmingham Public Library's Food Truck Friday continues today, March 12. Every Friday throughout the month of March, look out for food trucks at four BPL locations across the city, buy a meal and help support the  2021 BPL Bookmobile initiative.   Thanks to a donation of a vehicle from the  Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority  (BJCTA), the Birmingham Public Library is preparing to convert it into a bookmobile that will take library services of books and other items beyond its buildings and deliver them to the community.  Food Truck Friday will take place every Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at four BPL locations:  Central Library ,  Avondale Library ,  Five Points West Library , and  Springville Road Library .   The schedule is as follows (all from 11:00 am. to 2:00 p.m.):    Central Library , 2100 Park Place  Friday, March 12 –  Kamali Creol...

Women's History Month author spotlight: Brenda Jackson By Mary Merchant | Ensley Library   Keeping in mind that March is Women's History Month , I decided to offer a little background information on one of my favorite romance authors, Brenda Jackson. I will also review one of her latest books, The Wife He Needs . Brenda Jackson is an African American native of Jacksonville, Florida. She is a graduate of William M. Raines High School. Brenda earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Jacksonville University.  In addition to being an author, Brenda worked 37 years in management for a major insurance company before retiring a few years ago. She married her school sweetheart, Gerald, on July 8, 1972, and they have two sons, Gerald Jr. and Brandon. Although Brenda began writing in eighth grade, her professional writing career did not began until adulthood in 1994 when she signed on with publisher Kensington Arabesque . Over the years, she has received nume...

  By Ellen Shade |  Avondale Regional Library National Craft Month is the perfect time to learn a new craft or revisit an old one. Crafting is relaxing, mindful and creative, and getting started can be as simple as needle and thread. Embroidery is both easy to begin and endlessly adaptable.  Happy stitching!   We’d love to see what you’re working on – Sign up for our next Avondale Regional Library Club Create Craft & Chat via Zoom video on March 17th!  Register by clicking here  http://www.bplonline.org/calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D150649180 If you are looking for a new challenge, here are some resources to explore and inspire:  First Time Embroidery and Cross-Stitch  The Absolute Beginner's Guide  by Linda Wyszynski Simply Sashiko : Classic Japanese Embroidery Made Easy by Nihon Vogue  Simple Stiches Embroidery: 39 Fast and Fabulous Designs For Today's Stitcher by Caroline Waryn  Artful Embroidery ...