Birmingham Public Library Blog

  Arthur , the popular animated children’s series about a lovable aardvark, is ending after its 25th season.   The longest-running children’s animated series in the history of American television, “Arthur” will end on PBS Kids, with its final season launching in winter 2022.   Original show developer Kathy Waugh broke the news in an interview on the Finding DW podcast with voice actor Jason Szwimmer. She told Szwimmer that Arthur is no longer in production, having wrapped up filming two years ago.  The Arthur character is hugely popular both in books and on television with young kids, with author Marc Brown having published dozens of  books about the adventures of the aardvark and his friends.  Several Arthur books are available at Jefferson County Library Cooperative member libraries, including the Birmingham Public Library .   To check out Arthur books at JCLC, click here. 

  Barry Crane Library Assistant III- Adult Services | Springville Road Regional Library   The Institute by Stephen King is reminiscent of some of his earlier works like Carrie , The Dead Zone and Firestarter which focused on characters with paranormal psychic abilities like precognition and telekinesis. It resembles Firestarter (the story of a young girl on the run from a clandestine government agency trying to create psychic soldiers) in so many ways that it could almost be a sequel.  The plot of The Institute revolves around a young boy with psychic abilities who is kidnapped from his home by a clandestine government agency and taken to a secluded facility where he and other children with similar abilities are subjected to brutal testing and dosed with experimental drugs that enhance their psychic powers for the purpose of weaponizing them for use as remote assassins.  I don’t always finish reading a book once I’ve started if I’m not entertained. But Stephen ...

  By Sequoria Lewis, Branch Manager| Smihfield Branch Library I feel we should celebrate Black History and Women's History throughout the year. There are those who have made an impact on history yet we should never forget those who have forever been affected by events recorded in history.  Meet Sarah, survivor of the 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing in Birmingham. The 5th Little Girl: Soul Survivor of the 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing (The Sarah Collins Rudolph story) chronicles the life of Sarah Collins at the height of the Civil Rights Era including the day that changed her life forever-September 15, 1963.   The book is written by Tracy Snipe in conversation with Sarah Collins Rudolph.   Many may weaken the tangible effects that the tragedy brought about because of their conceived notion that it was not as “drastic” as death, yet the challenges of losing sight or an older sister can produce a “what IF” syndrome that could potentially stick in the ...

What:  Bards & Brews Open Mic When:  6:00 p.m. on Friday, August 13, 2021 Details:  The Birmingham Public Library will present its popular spoken word/craft beer event. Join us as some of the nation's top spoken word artists share original poetry. For details, read below. Follow the  Bards & Brews Facebook page   and the BPL Facebook page.  Enjoy spoken word? Ever wanted to share original poetry before a live audience?  Then make plans now to join us as the Birmingham Public Library hosts its popular Bards & Brews Open Mic at the Central Library downtown beginning at 6:00 p.m., Friday, August 13.  No advanced registration is required. Poets wanting to participate can sign the roster upon arrival at the Central Library.   Attendees are required to wear masks to comply with the City of Birmingham's mask mandate inside city buildings.  If you can't be with us in person, watch on the Bards & Brews Facebook page.   ...

  By Jill Lollar | Central Library Circulation/Information Desk Have you ever wondered what your life would be been like if you had made different choices? In The Midnight Library , author Matt Haig poses this daunting question to his readers.  On the verge of a terrible decision, the central character, Nora, stumbles across the "Midnight Library."  This is a magical place existing between life and death that allows Nora to explore all the alternative paths her life could have taken.   Mrs. Elm, the Midnight Librarian, wisely directs Nora’s search for the best version of herself, and soon we begin to realize that Nora is exactly where she is supposed to be.  This book deals with difficult subjects, but is funny and uplifting. It shows us that life is filled with infinite possibilities. It also reminds us that even if we do not become Olympic swimmers or rock stars our lives still have value and affect those around us in positive ways.   You’l...

  By Bill Owens|  Springville Road Regional Library  Charles Dickens’ classic novel "Great Expectations" was published in serial format in his periodical All the Year Round from December 1860 to August 1861. It is a coming-of-age, first-person story set in Kent and London during the early to mid-19th century. Pip, the main character, receives a mysterious gift from an unknown donor, which catapults him into wealthy society. The theme revolves around a fortune he expects to come.  The book opens with one of the most famous scenes in literature. Pip, wandering about the moors close to home, is accosted by a convict who threatens to kill him unless Pip brings him food.  Pip dutifully obeys. True to his word, the convict allows him to live. Pip, upon returning to the village, relates his tale to the policemen and a group of villagers search for the convict. To their surprise, they find two convicts fighting. The police arrest both. This event foreshadows the rest of Pip...

   By  Tisha George| West End/ Titusville Branch Libraries Travel Literature : Any account of long or short term travel, or of visiting a certain place or places, which is based on first-hand experience.      What have you done to combat the stress of being largely isolated over the past year and a half? For me, the fiction section of my local library has provided a much-needed escape. I  am a very visual person, and when I find a great story, I can fully immerse myself in it. With some stories, it’s quite a jolt to come back to reality life. The nonfiction section, on the other hand, is my source for information, something I have always turned to for inspiration when learning new skills or gaining new perspectives.      But travel literature. What a magical melding of both worlds.  Travel literature is nonfiction. All are true accounts of actual journeys and very real places. But, if the author is good, their stories can read like...

  On April 10, 1963, Miles College students, including Shelly Millender  (pictured), staged a sit- in at  the Birmingham Public Library. The library  leadership agreed to end segregation in the institution, making it one of  the  few  public f acilities in Birmingham that was peacefully de- segregated.  Courtesy of the  Alabama Department of Archives and History Shelly Millender Jr., who as a Miles College student in 1963 participated in a sit-in of the downtown Birmingham Public Library that eventually led to the desegregation of BPL, has died. He was 86.  Millender passed away on July 17, 2021, according to his obituary on Legacy.com.  On April 10, 1963, Millender and former U.S. Federal Judge U.W. Clemon were among Miles College students who staged a sit-in at the downtown Birmingham Public Library protesting a policy that banned blacks. The library leadership agreed to end segregation in the institution, making it one of the f...