Birmingham Public Library Blog

  North Birmingham Regional Library  staff selected their favorite books for the month of April. Today, Wednesday, April 10, is National Library Outreach Day,  a part of  National Library Week (April 7-13) We are celebrating by allowing staff members at North Birmingham Regional Library to select their favorite items from our collection. The April selections are as follows: Copper Sun by Sharon Draper   This 2006 YA novel features an enslaved girl to showcase the horrors of the African slave trade. The book shares the story of two 15-year-old girls, one a slave and the other an indentured servant, who escape their Carolina plantation and try to make their way to Fort Moses Florida, a sanctuary for escaped slaves.   The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck  Published in 1939, this award winning novel features the story of a family looking for work during the dust bowl.  Kafkaesque by Peter Kuper & Franz Kafka   This graphic novel is a collection of 14 Kafka short stories. Each story

  Click on the BPL Databases QR code for information on our online resources to help travelers. More National Library Week information showing how our Birmingham Public Library locations across the city are more than just a place to check out books, DVDs and CDs. Did you know you can start the process of getting a passport to travel this summer from the Birmingham Public Library downtown?  The Birmingham Public Library is pleased to announce that it has recently added the World Trade Press AtoZ Database Collection to BPL's online reference travel offerings . This database, free to our library cardholders, offers a variety of databases so patrons can gain deeper insight into possible destinations.  Click here to see BPL's full online virtual database, beyond just travel resources.   The World Trade Press AtoZ Database Collection includes the following resources:   Global Road Warrior  Contains country guides for each of 175 countries worldwide.  AtoZ Maps Online   The world’s

Library Lamp Light, a 12 x 12 inch painting valued at $750, will be available for purchase at BPL's 2024 A Novel Tasting Silent Auction this Thursday, April 11, at the Central Library downtown .   Overlooking 21st St N. View from Skywalk,  a 12 x 12 inch painting valued at $750 depicting scene from the Skywalk separating BPL's East Building from the BPL Research Building, is available for purchase at the 2024 A Novel Tasting Silent Auction this Thursday, April 11, at the Central Library. Artist Amy Peterson presents the Library Lamp Light painting to Chandler Champion, BPL's Director of Development, and BPL Library Assistant III Margaret Splane Artist Amy Peterson presents Overlooking 21st St N. View from SkyWalk  to Chandler Champion, left, BPL's Director of Development, and Margaret Splane, BPL Library Assistant II   Birmingham, Ala. -  Attendees to  A Novel Tasting , the Birm ingham Public Library (BPL) fundraiser taking place this Thursday, April 11, will get a ch

National Small Business Week is an annual event that celebrates and recognizes the contributions of small businesses to our local economy. In 2024, National Small Business Week takes place Sunday, April 28, through Saturday, May 4. This is the perfect time to highlight the Birmingham Public Library's online resources available through Gale Business that can help aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners succeed.

  Two recipients of the 2024 City of Birmingham Community Arts Grant will host programs this month, according to a press release from Create Birmingham . Friends Foundation of the Birmingham Public Library in partnership with artist Zena Barker has launched Magic City Art Mart, a dedicated space within the Birmingham Public Library ’s Central Library  that collects and distributes free art supplies to community members. You can receive free art supplies on Tuesdays and Saturdays (including today, Tuesday, April 9, from 5-7 p.m. in Create205 Lab on 2nd Floor of the Central Library as part of Magic City Art Mart.  Magic City Art Mart strives to create a supportive and inclusive artistic community, through organizing workshops and events, skill development, and the sharing of diverse perspectives. Magic City Art Mart is located at Create205 Lab and is open Tuesday 5 - 7 PM and Saturday 12 – 3 PM. You can also follow them on Instagram @magiccityartmart. Foundations for Arts and Cultur

  Grill Season is here. If you want to learn the art of barbecue, the  Birmingham Public Library  and some  JCLC locations  have  copies available for checkout of  From the Pit to the Plate: The Story of Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q. In 2022, BPL hosted book signings by Van Sykes , second generation owner of  Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q , at the  Central Library  and at  Five Points West Regional Library.   Sykes, whose parents Bob and Maxine Sykes founded Bessemer's iconic restaurant Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q in 1957,  tells the story of the family business and  their expertise in cooking barbecue in the book. On Saturday, April 20, in Bessemer's DeBardeleben Park, the  13th Annual Bob Sykes Bbq & Blues Festival  is presented by the City of Bessemer and Coca Cola. The event will combine the best of blues music and legendary Bob Sykes Bar B Q from  noon to 8:00 p.m. The 2024 musical performances by award-winning blues musicians include Chris "BadNews" Barnes, Chambers DesLauriers Band, Nikki

T itusville Library Branch Manager with U niversity of Alabama 2024 SLIS Alumni of the Year Award. Congratulations to Titusville Branch Manager Reba Williams on receiving the University of Alabama's 2024 SLIS Alumni of the Year Award, presented on April 4 during a special Honors day ceremony on campus in Tuscaloosa . The award recognizes the alumnus of the year in UA's College of Library & Information Sciences . Williams received her master's from UA's SLIS in 2020.     Reba Williams is a dedicated and compassionate individual and has emerged as a powerful voice for the oppressed in the Titusville Community, Alabama, combating information poverty through her role as the Manager of the Titusville Public Library, a branch of the Birmingham Public Library.  Williams' positionality as an African American public librarian who grew up in the American South has provided her with an understanding of the difficulties faced by diverse cultures.    Williams has presented