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Margaret Wrinkle, Author of Acclaimed Novel WASH, to Make Special Appearace at the Powderly Branch This Tuesday, March 26, 10:00am.
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We're thrilled to announce that Birmingham-born author Margaret Wrinkle will make a special appearance at our Powederly Branch Library on Tuesday March 26, 10:00 a.m. She will discuss her highly acclaimed novel Wash.
From the book's Facebook Page: "Wash reexamines American slavery in ways that confound our contemporary assumptions about race, history and power as it carries the reader from the burgeoning South to West Africa and deep into the ancestral stories that reside in the soul." Facebook page
The acclaimed novel Wash has been voted as one of Oprah’s 16 picks for March 2013.People Magazine recently chose Wash as a "People Pick of the Week."
This book explores slavery through the story of a slave named Washington, who travels with his owner in order to impregnate other slaves and create the next generation. Landowner Richardson, a troubled Revolutionary War veteran, has spent his life fighting not only for his country but also for wealth and status. When the pressures of westward expansion and debt threaten to destroy everything he’s built, he embarks on a new plan.
Born in 1963 in Birmingham, AL, author Margaret Wrinkle is a writer, filmmaker, educator, and visual artist. She has spent much of her life exploring issues of race.
Before she penned Wash, Wrinkle and Chris Lawson made the documentary broken\ground, examining contemporary race relations in Alabama. The film was featured on NPR’s Morning Edition and won a prize at Council on Foundations’ Film and Video Festival in 1968.
Please join us on, Tuesday, March 26th at 10:00a.m., as the Powderly Branch Library (located at 3301 Jefferson Avenue S.W.) will host Margaret Wrinkle during this special appearance. Book clubs and groups are welcomed. Please call 925-6178 for further details.
Submitted by Loretta Bitten Powderly Branch
We're thrilled to announce that Birmingham-born author Margaret Wrinkle will make a special appearance at our Powederly Branch Library on Tuesday March 26, 10:00 a.m. She will discuss her highly acclaimed novel Wash.
From the book's Facebook Page: "Wash reexamines American slavery in ways that confound our contemporary assumptions about race, history and power as it carries the reader from the burgeoning South to West Africa and deep into the ancestral stories that reside in the soul." Facebook page
The acclaimed novel Wash has been voted as one of Oprah’s 16 picks for March 2013.People Magazine recently chose Wash as a "People Pick of the Week."
This book explores slavery through the story of a slave named Washington, who travels with his owner in order to impregnate other slaves and create the next generation. Landowner Richardson, a troubled Revolutionary War veteran, has spent his life fighting not only for his country but also for wealth and status. When the pressures of westward expansion and debt threaten to destroy everything he’s built, he embarks on a new plan.
Born in 1963 in Birmingham, AL, author Margaret Wrinkle is a writer, filmmaker, educator, and visual artist. She has spent much of her life exploring issues of race.
Before she penned Wash, Wrinkle and Chris Lawson made the documentary broken\ground, examining contemporary race relations in Alabama. The film was featured on NPR’s Morning Edition and won a prize at Council on Foundations’ Film and Video Festival in 1968.
Please join us on, Tuesday, March 26th at 10:00a.m., as the Powderly Branch Library (located at 3301 Jefferson Avenue S.W.) will host Margaret Wrinkle during this special appearance. Book clubs and groups are welcomed. Please call 925-6178 for further details.
Submitted by Loretta Bitten Powderly Branch
Library Board Election and New Trustees
Amamoo Elected To Lead Library Board
City Council Appoints Two New Members
At its February 2013 meeting, the Birmingham Public Library (BPL) Trustee Board elected Gwendolyn Amamoo as its President and Georgia Morgan Blair as its Vice President. A member of the Board since 2008, Amamoo follows Gwendolyn B. Guster Welch in the position. Amamoo appointed Judge Scott Vowell to serve as the Board’s Parliamentarian and Welch now serves as the Immediate Past President. Additionally, the Birmingham City Council appointed Patty Pilkerton and Kimberly Richardson to serve on the Board during its meeting on March 12, 2013.
About the Board President
President Gwendolyn R. Amamoo Gwendolyn R. Amamoo is a Birmingham native, a product of the Birmingham Public School System, (Wilkerson and A. H. Parker High), a graduate of Miles College and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She has worked in the Birmingham School system for many years and currently leads the teacher mentoring program through the Professional Development Department. She is committed to giving back to her community and is a member of numerous professional and civic organizations, which includes the American Library Association, Life Member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the Birmingham Sister City Commission, and the Ghana Committee Chair. Amamoo is a deaconess at the Sardis Missionary Baptist Church. Her commitment to service is extended globally as she and her husband take yearly mission/medical trips to Ghana, West Africa, her husband's native land. She is married to Dr. Paul A. Amamoo and they are the proud parents and extended parents of, Naa- Ahinee, Kingsley, Nii-Amar, Brenda, Amartei and Bettina Boateng-Afari. They have one grand-daughter, Annie Amamoo.
The City Council Appoints Two New Trustees
Patty A. Pilkerton is the former Associate Librarian and Head of Digital Programs and Preservation at the Mervyn H. Sterne Library at the University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB). She retired from UAB in July of 2012. A graduate of Fairfield High School, she received a B.S. in Education from the University of Montevallo; a M.A. in Education from the University of Alabama in Birmingham; and an M.L.I.S. from the University of Alabama. Patty has been very involved in civic and professional organizations and activities locally, statewide, and nationally. She is a former president for the Central City Neighborhood Association and currently serves on boards of the Alabama Writers Forum, Alabama Book Festival, Alabama Center for the Book, Birmingham Planning Commission, Birmingham Historical Society, Jefferson County Historical Commission, the Library School Association (University of Alabama) and REV Birmingham's Executive Committee
Kim Richardson is the President and owner of Kimberly Richardson Consulting, LLC, specializing in the provision of federal grant writing, management and technical assistance to municipal, non-profit, and faith-based organizations in Alabama and the southern U.S. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Baldwin-Wallace College in Ohio and a Master's of Science in Urban Affairs from Cleveland State University. In 2009, she became the first grant writer in the State of Alabama to obtain the Grants Professional Certification (GPC) awarded by the Grants Professional Certification Institute, and she is currently the only grant professional in the state holding this credential. Richardson is a member of the Grant Professionals Association and has served on the Board of Directors of the local chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, as well as having served on the Agency Impact Committee of the United Way of Central Alabama. She is the mother of one daughter, Imani.
The Library’s Trustee Board includes:
Gwendolyn Amamoo, President
Georgia Morgan Blair, Vice President
Gwendolyn B. Guster Welch, Immediate Past President
Judge Scott Vowell, Parliamentarian
Dr. Monique Gardner-Witherspoon
Patty Pilkerton
Kimberly Richardson
Samuel A. Rumore, Jr.
Dora Sims
Katrina M. Watson
Dr. Regina Ammon, President of the Friends (Advisory Board Member)
City Council Appoints Two New Members
At its February 2013 meeting, the Birmingham Public Library (BPL) Trustee Board elected Gwendolyn Amamoo as its President and Georgia Morgan Blair as its Vice President. A member of the Board since 2008, Amamoo follows Gwendolyn B. Guster Welch in the position. Amamoo appointed Judge Scott Vowell to serve as the Board’s Parliamentarian and Welch now serves as the Immediate Past President. Additionally, the Birmingham City Council appointed Patty Pilkerton and Kimberly Richardson to serve on the Board during its meeting on March 12, 2013.
About the Board President
President Gwendolyn R. Amamoo Gwendolyn R. Amamoo is a Birmingham native, a product of the Birmingham Public School System, (Wilkerson and A. H. Parker High), a graduate of Miles College and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She has worked in the Birmingham School system for many years and currently leads the teacher mentoring program through the Professional Development Department. She is committed to giving back to her community and is a member of numerous professional and civic organizations, which includes the American Library Association, Life Member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the Birmingham Sister City Commission, and the Ghana Committee Chair. Amamoo is a deaconess at the Sardis Missionary Baptist Church. Her commitment to service is extended globally as she and her husband take yearly mission/medical trips to Ghana, West Africa, her husband's native land. She is married to Dr. Paul A. Amamoo and they are the proud parents and extended parents of, Naa- Ahinee, Kingsley, Nii-Amar, Brenda, Amartei and Bettina Boateng-Afari. They have one grand-daughter, Annie Amamoo.
The City Council Appoints Two New Trustees
Patty A. Pilkerton is the former Associate Librarian and Head of Digital Programs and Preservation at the Mervyn H. Sterne Library at the University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB). She retired from UAB in July of 2012. A graduate of Fairfield High School, she received a B.S. in Education from the University of Montevallo; a M.A. in Education from the University of Alabama in Birmingham; and an M.L.I.S. from the University of Alabama. Patty has been very involved in civic and professional organizations and activities locally, statewide, and nationally. She is a former president for the Central City Neighborhood Association and currently serves on boards of the Alabama Writers Forum, Alabama Book Festival, Alabama Center for the Book, Birmingham Planning Commission, Birmingham Historical Society, Jefferson County Historical Commission, the Library School Association (University of Alabama) and REV Birmingham's Executive Committee
Kim Richardson is the President and owner of Kimberly Richardson Consulting, LLC, specializing in the provision of federal grant writing, management and technical assistance to municipal, non-profit, and faith-based organizations in Alabama and the southern U.S. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Baldwin-Wallace College in Ohio and a Master's of Science in Urban Affairs from Cleveland State University. In 2009, she became the first grant writer in the State of Alabama to obtain the Grants Professional Certification (GPC) awarded by the Grants Professional Certification Institute, and she is currently the only grant professional in the state holding this credential. Richardson is a member of the Grant Professionals Association and has served on the Board of Directors of the local chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, as well as having served on the Agency Impact Committee of the United Way of Central Alabama. She is the mother of one daughter, Imani.
The Library’s Trustee Board includes:
Gwendolyn Amamoo, President
Georgia Morgan Blair, Vice President
Gwendolyn B. Guster Welch, Immediate Past President
Judge Scott Vowell, Parliamentarian
Dr. Monique Gardner-Witherspoon
Patty Pilkerton
Kimberly Richardson
Samuel A. Rumore, Jr.
Dora Sims
Katrina M. Watson
Dr. Regina Ammon, President of the Friends (Advisory Board Member)
Keeping Up With Science: ScienceNews.org
I find it difficult to keep up with advances in science. I usually try to stop and visit CNN.com or other news sites several times a week, but I find that if the site’s raison d’etre is political or financial news, the science stories will consist mostly of the latest computer app and how it will affect a corporation’s bottom line, or the most sensational science stories. As a reference librarian I definitely need to be aware of these news stories, but I also occasionally like looking beyond the headlines to the ‘merely’ interesting stories that make up the bulk of science advances.
ScienceNews.org, the magazine of the Society for Science & the Public, does a great job of presenting ordinary science news for the layman, and presenting these stories in an extraordinary way. But don’t misunderstand me; ScienceNews.org doesn’t just cover the quotidian. They also report on major science events such as the recent meteor that caused over 1,000 injuries in the Russian town of Chelyabinsk. What I appreciated about this piece is that the science reporter, Andrew Grant, covered the destruction, but also explained why NASA and other international space agencies were unable to see this meteor approaching and entering our atmosphere. (At 15 meters in diameter, it was too small to be detected. Yikes!)
I’m a believer that just about any science story is aided by pictures and video. And ScienceNews.org has some wonderful media accompanying their stories. Check out the artwork for the HR 8799 planetary system, or the video showing the interaction between a paralyzed woman and a robotic arm. This isn’t science fiction, but emotionally moving science fact.
The site is separated into eleven categories, e.g. atom & the cosmos, environment, matter & energy. All the news stories include networking tools for sharing such as Facebook and Twitter. And speaking of social media, a recent story highlighted in ScienceNews showed what scientist can learn from social media tools such as twitter. In the piece Twitter maps New York City, language by language Delia Mocanu of Northeastern University in Boston showed how twitter reveals which second languages are prominent in New York City and in which neighborhoods these second language speakers can be found.
ScienceNews.org also reviews science books, but not dry, academic titles. A recently reviewed title, The Lady and Her Monsters: A Tale of Dissections, Real-Life Dr. Frankensteins, and the Creation of Mary Shelley's Masterpiece, explores the intersection of science, culture and literature. (And it just happens to be available at your local library.)
Submitted by David Ryan
Business, Science & Technology
Central Library
From Page to Stage: Charlotte’s Web - A Readers’ Theatre Workshop for Children
Birmingham Public Library (BPL), in partnership with Birmingham Children’s Theatre (BCT) and Junior League of Birmingham (JLB), and the Jefferson County Library Cooperative (JCLC), would like to invite you to attend From Page to Stage: Charlotte’s Web, a Readers’ Theatre Workshop for children, coming to a library near you!
In anticipation of the upcoming BCT performance of Charlotte’s Web, BPL will be hosting free workshops at some of its area libraries. Children, aged 7 to 12, will have the opportunity to learn how storybook characters come alive though the magic of a theatrical play. JLB will be on hand to coach the children through the play and introduce them to related literature located within the walls of their local library. Each child will also receive TWO FREE TICKETS (one child ticket and one adult ticket) to the Birmingham Children’s Theatre’s Charlotte’sWeb production.
Space is limited, so please visit here to sign up now or visit/call a participating library to register a child for the workshop. A valid email address from the child or guardian is required to sign up.
Dates, times, and library locations:
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Avondale Regional Library
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
(205) 226-4003
Central Library
3:00 PM – 4:30 PM
(205) 226-3651
Five Points West Regional Library
3:00 PM – 4:30 PM
(205) 226-4017
Saturday, March 30, 2013
West End Branch Library
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
(205) 226-4089
Saturday, April 6, 2013
East Lake Branch Library
2:30 PM – 4:00 PM
(205) 836-3341
Southside Branch Library
2:30 PM – 4:30 PM
(205) 933-7776
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Eastwood Branch Library
3:00 PM – 4:30 PM
(205) 591-4944
Avondale Regional Library
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
(205) 226-4003
Holocaust Survivor Aisic Hirsch Speaks at the March 20 Brown Bag Lunch Program
Aisic Hirsch, a Holocaust survivor, speaks to us about his life in Poland that changed completely when at the age of nine he witnessed German troops invade his small town, and he and his family were forced into a ghetto. Later in the Warsaw Ghetto, he watched helplessly as his brother and grandmother died of typhus, and his mother slid into madness. At age 12 he was alone. He was able to escape from the Warsaw Ghetto by bribing Polish and German guards. He is alive today because of “his guardian angel," a Catholic priest who befriended and protected him. Wednesday, March 20, noon, Arrington Auditorium, Central Library.
Feed your body and mind at BPL's Brown Bag Lunch programs. You bring the lunch and we'll bring the drinks. Central Library, Linn Henley Research Building, Arrington Auditorium, 4th floor. For more information call 226-3604 or visit www.bplonline.org.
Smart Shopping Tips Concludes BPL's Money Smart Series
In collaboration with the Urban Development Group, Inc. and Alabama financial institutions and agencies, the Birmingham Public Library is offering free programs to enhance your financial skills and banking knowledge. Four financial classes were offered at various branches during February, and "Smart Shopping Tips" scheduled at the Southside and Eastwood Libraries will complete the Money Smart program.
Smart Shopping Tips
Tuesday, March 26
10:30-11:30 a.m.
Southside Library
Tuesday, March 26
1:00-2:00 p.m.
Eastwood Library
Spring Break Family Fun at Avondale
It’s that time of year again: birds are singing, bees are buzzing, flowers are budding, and spring is in the air. March 24-31 marks the week of spring break fun for the students of Birmingham City Schools. If you and your family are staying home this week, add the library as part of your staycationing fun.
Tuesday, March 26th at 6:30 p.m. the Avondale Library will host The Giant, The Beanstalk & Jack presented by Lee Bryan“That Puppet Guy.” The show is based on the timeless tale of a lazy boy named Jack who outwits the Giant, gets the gold, and saves the farm. Call 205-226-4003 today to register your family for an evening of Fee-fi-fo-Fun!
Submitted by Carla Perkins
Youth Services
Avondale Regional Library
Rescued by Righteous: How Gertruda's Oath Saved a Child from the Holocaust
On April 8 the Birmingham Public Library, in collaboration with The Birmingham Jewish Federation, will be hosting a program in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day. Michael Stolowitzky, a Polish survivor who now lives in New York, will be sharing his amazing account of his experience during the Holocaust. Michael was just three years old when war broke out and his family lost everything. His father, desperate to settle his business affairs, traveled to France, leaving Michael in the care of his mother and Gertruda Bablinska, a Catholic nanny devoted to the family. When Michael's mother had a stroke, Gertruda promised the dying woman that she would make her way to Palestine and raise him as her own.
In 2007 Israeli author Ram Oren recreated Michael's amazing journey in the book Gertruda's Oath. It is a story that transcends history and religion to reveal the compassion and hope that miraculously thrives in a world immersed in war.
Copies of Gertruda’s Oath will be for sale at the program.
Event: Discussion on Gertruda's Oath
Presenter: Michael Stolowitzky
Place: Central Library, Arrington Auditorium
Date: Monday, April 8
Time: 12:00 p.m.
Cost: Free and open to the public
A clip of Michael Stolowitzky's testimony in the Rescued by Righteous
Among the Nations series.
Links:
The International School for Holocaust Studies' book page for Gertruda's Oath
http://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/education/books/gertrudas_oath.asp
Teacher's Guide
http://www.randomhouse.com/book/124785/gertrudas-oath-by-ram-oren#reader%27sguide
Book trailer featuring Michael Stolowitzky
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llH7tiVFhKs&safe=active
In 2007 Israeli author Ram Oren recreated Michael's amazing journey in the book Gertruda's Oath. It is a story that transcends history and religion to reveal the compassion and hope that miraculously thrives in a world immersed in war.
Copies of Gertruda’s Oath will be for sale at the program.
Event: Discussion on Gertruda's Oath
Presenter: Michael Stolowitzky
Place: Central Library, Arrington Auditorium
Date: Monday, April 8
Time: 12:00 p.m.
Cost: Free and open to the public
A clip of Michael Stolowitzky's testimony in the Rescued by Righteous
Among the Nations series.
Links:
The International School for Holocaust Studies' book page for Gertruda's Oath
http://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/education/books/gertrudas_oath.asp
Teacher's Guide
http://www.randomhouse.com/book/124785/gertrudas-oath-by-ram-oren#reader%27sguide
Book trailer featuring Michael Stolowitzky
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llH7tiVFhKs&safe=active
Brown Bag Lunch Program - A Holocaust Survivor Speaks
Aisic Hirsch, a Holocaust survivor, speaks to us about his life in Poland that changed completely when at the age of nine he witnessed German troops invade his small town, and he and his family were forced into a ghetto. Later in the Warsaw Ghetto, he watched helplessly as his brother and grandmother died of typhus, and his mother slid into madness. At age 12 he was alone. He was able to escape from the Warsaw Ghetto by bribing Polish and German guards. He is alive today because of “his guardian angel," a Catholic priest who befriended and protected him. Wednesday, March 20, noon, Arrington Auditorium, Central Library.
Feed your body and mind at BPL's Brown Bag Lunch programs. You bring the lunch and we'll bring the drinks. Central Library, Linn Henley Research Building, Arrington Auditorium, 4th floor. For more information call 226-3604 or visit www.bplonline.org.
BPL's Director of Development Receives David Warren Bowen Award for Paper on Gee's Bend
Molley Mooney, Roman Pettway
Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections
Kelsey Bates, the Birmingham Public Library’s Director of Development and the library’s former Assistant Archivist, has received the David Warren Bowen Award from the Alabama Association of Historians. Kelsey received the award because her paper "The Women of Gee’s Bend" was selected as the best paper presented at the Association’s annual meeting in Florence last month.
While the world knows Gee’s Bend for its quilts, Kelsey spoke about the insights revealed in oral histories conducted by Alabama writer and storyteller Kathryn Tucker Windham with the residents of this rural community in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Those oral histories are now preserved in the BPL Archives and available online. Kelsey’s research looks at foodways, and she has discovered that as the women of Gee’s Bend discussed food—growing, cooking, and eating traditions—they simultaneously revealed their feelings, beliefs, and ideas about culture, politics and life in Gee's Bend.
Submitted by Jim Baggett
Archives Department
Central Library
Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections
Kelsey Bates, the Birmingham Public Library’s Director of Development and the library’s former Assistant Archivist, has received the David Warren Bowen Award from the Alabama Association of Historians. Kelsey received the award because her paper "The Women of Gee’s Bend" was selected as the best paper presented at the Association’s annual meeting in Florence last month.
While the world knows Gee’s Bend for its quilts, Kelsey spoke about the insights revealed in oral histories conducted by Alabama writer and storyteller Kathryn Tucker Windham with the residents of this rural community in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Those oral histories are now preserved in the BPL Archives and available online. Kelsey’s research looks at foodways, and she has discovered that as the women of Gee’s Bend discussed food—growing, cooking, and eating traditions—they simultaneously revealed their feelings, beliefs, and ideas about culture, politics and life in Gee's Bend.
Submitted by Jim Baggett
Archives Department
Central Library
Civil Rights Sleuths: Instagram Photo Hunt
As part of the citywide celebrations honoring the 50th Anniversary of the pivotal year in the Civil Rights Movement, the Birmingham Public Library is having a contest in which participants must use their smartphones and the Instagram app in order to find and photograph historically significant locations from around the city.
During the contest, participants will discover some of the famous and not-so-famous places that played an important role in the Civil Rights Movement during 1963. Each branch of the Birmingham Public Library will have a packet with information about a location that is not far from each library. These locations all figured into the day-to-day activities of the Movement in 1963. Several of the locations included in our Instagram photo hunt were iconic factors in the Movement.
The Civil Rights Sleuths contest will begin on Monday, March 18th and concludes on April 12th. Participants are allowed to compete as teams in the contest and there will be a prize: a $50.00 gift card that is good for any shop or restaurant at the Summit.
In order to participate in the contest, you or a member of your team will need to have the Instagram app installed on your smartphone.
Once you have the Instagram app on your phone and are ready to begin, participants should proceed to their nearest branch of the Birmingham Public Library system. The contest rules are below:
- Visit any library in the Birmingham Public Library system between March 18th and April 12th and ask for the 1963 Packet that has information on a historic location near the library and an assignment.
- Identify the location or object to be photographed. Ask the librarian if you need assistance in finding the location. Some of the landmarks no longer exist, but we have indicated that in the packet.
- Proceed to those locations or find the intended objects.
- Photograph the location or object with your smartphone. You may take a photo of yourself at the location or take a stylized photo.
- Upload the image to Instagram with the following hashtag: #bplcivilrightscontest
- Although not mandatory, you may want to comment on your photos in order to give the images some context for your followers.
- A winner will be chosen at random from the contestants that complete at least five of the 22 tasks outlined in the packets. The library’s Instagram account (@bplpics) will notify the winning Instagram account by commenting on a photo from the winner on April 16, 2013.
If you have any questions about the contest, please contact Sandi Lee at the Springville Road Library 205-226-4081.
Brown Bag Lunch Program Features Birmingham Attorney Karl Friedman
In this historical year when Birmingham remembers the Civil Rights struggle of 1963, Karl Friedman, then a practicing attorney in Birmingham who had already served in many positions of leadership in the general and Jewish community, recalls for us how the Jewish people and community responded to the momentous events that were taking place as the African American community fought the battle for equal rights. Wednesday, March 13, noon.
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Birmingham's civil rights struggle, the Birmingham Public Library is sponsoring the Year of Birmingham, a 12-month series of lectures, documentary films, performances and panel discussions.
Feed your body and mind at BPL's Brown Bag Lunch programs. You bring the lunch and we'll bring the drinks. Central Library, Linn Henley Research Building, Arrington Auditorium, 4th floor. For more information call 226-3604 or visit www.bplonline.org.
Letter from Birmingham Jail: A Worldwide Celebration
On April 16, 2013, the 50th anniversary of the day that Martin Luther King, Jr. began writing his Letter from Birmingham Jail, the Birmingham Public Library will sponsor a program titled Letter from Birmingham Jail: A Worldwide Celebration.
Participants in this program will host public readings from the Letter at various locations around the globe: libraries, museums, schools, universities, churches, synagogues, temples, places where people work, public parks, bookstores, street corners, coffee shops and anywhere that people want to participate. In addition to people who are participating throughout the Birmingham area and around Alabama, there will be participants from around the globe, from Israel to China to England to South Africa and Somalia. Mayor William Bell will read from the Letter at Central and more names are being added each day.
People who participate in the readings can read the full text of the Letter or selections from the Letter, individually, as a group, or however they want to do this. Groups participating may range from two people to hundreds of people. Readings can be done at any time of the day on April 16.
For more information, visit http://www.bplonline.org/letterfrombirminghamjail.
Participants in this program will host public readings from the Letter at various locations around the globe: libraries, museums, schools, universities, churches, synagogues, temples, places where people work, public parks, bookstores, street corners, coffee shops and anywhere that people want to participate. In addition to people who are participating throughout the Birmingham area and around Alabama, there will be participants from around the globe, from Israel to China to England to South Africa and Somalia. Mayor William Bell will read from the Letter at Central and more names are being added each day.
People who participate in the readings can read the full text of the Letter or selections from the Letter, individually, as a group, or however they want to do this. Groups participating may range from two people to hundreds of people. Readings can be done at any time of the day on April 16.
For more information, visit http://www.bplonline.org/letterfrombirminghamjail.
March 13 Program at Five Points West Library Discusses Windham's Gee's Bend Interviews
The Entry: The Baptized and Their Sponsors, John Reese, 1980
BPL Digital Collections
In the late 1970s, journalist and folklorist Kathryn Tucker Windham interviewed and recorded the residents of Gee's Bend, Alabama. The Archives Department at the Birmingham Public Library has about 30 of the interviews. Kelsey Bates, director of development at the Birmingham Public Library, will discuss the interviews and the residents' comments on cooking and eating traditions, politics, religion, and family. Wednesday, March 13, 10:30 a.m., Five Points West Library. For additional information on this program visit Birmingham365.org.
BPL Digital Collections
In the late 1970s, journalist and folklorist Kathryn Tucker Windham interviewed and recorded the residents of Gee's Bend, Alabama. The Archives Department at the Birmingham Public Library has about 30 of the interviews. Kelsey Bates, director of development at the Birmingham Public Library, will discuss the interviews and the residents' comments on cooking and eating traditions, politics, religion, and family. Wednesday, March 13, 10:30 a.m., Five Points West Library. For additional information on this program visit Birmingham365.org.
Beyond the Basics of Genealogy Workshop Series at the Birmingham Public Library
Beyond the Basics of Genealogy (BtB) workshops, a series of classes covering various topics on genealogical research will be conducted in the Birmingham Public Library (BPL) beginning in April 2013. Workshops will run from one to two hours, and be conducted by members of the Southern History Department staff.
Participants will gain in-depth knowledge on specialized areas of researching genealogy. The BtB classes are designed to expand on information provided in the Introduction to Genealogy classes, which are offered throughout the year by the Southern History Department. Registration is limited to the first 18 respondents. Classes will be held at 10:00 a.m. in the Board Room of the Central Library.
The subjects being taught and dates are as follows:
Registration for the workshop costs $5.00, which includes the class handout. To register, contact the Southern History Department of the Birmingham Public Library at 205-226-3665 or askgenlocal@bham.lib.al.us. Seating is limited to the first 18 to register.
Participants will gain in-depth knowledge on specialized areas of researching genealogy. The BtB classes are designed to expand on information provided in the Introduction to Genealogy classes, which are offered throughout the year by the Southern History Department. Registration is limited to the first 18 respondents. Classes will be held at 10:00 a.m. in the Board Room of the Central Library.
The subjects being taught and dates are as follows:
- What’s Up Doc?: Government Documents in Genealogical Research – Saturday, April 13th
- The Bases Are Loaded: BPL’s Catalog, Worldcat, and Other Databases – Saturday, May 18th
- Loving the LDS: An In-Depth Guide to Using Familysearch.org – Saturday, June 15th
- Getting the Good Dirt: Using Land Records in Genealogical Research – Saturday, July 27th
- Bring Out Your Dead: Cemeteries in Genealogical Research – Saturday, August 17th
Registration for the workshop costs $5.00, which includes the class handout. To register, contact the Southern History Department of the Birmingham Public Library at 205-226-3665 or askgenlocal@bham.lib.al.us. Seating is limited to the first 18 to register.
Nine Birmingham Public Library Locations Chosen as Public Review Sites for Birmingham Comprehensive Plan
In the summer of 2011, the City of Birmingham launched its comprehensive planning process to create the Birmingham Comprehensive Plan, a 20-year policy and strategic framework to guide future administrative, legislative, and financial decisions affecting the city of Birmingham's quality of life, environment, and economic prosperity. Over the last 20 months, the City staff and consulting team have engaged the public through a series of community meetings, open houses, public forums, small group gatherings, and individual and corporate interviews as well as other public engagement methods to seek ideas and determine the issues and concerns facing those who live, work, and own businesses in Birmingham.
Now that the Birmingham Comprehensive Plan is complete in draft form, the general public is being invited to view it and comment on it. Hard copies of the plan will be available for review at nine Birmingham Public Libraries: Avondale, Central, East Ensley, East Lake, Eastwood, Five Points West, North Birmingham, Springville Road, and West End. Comment sheets will be provided at each location. Comments may also be submitted on the Birmingham Comprehensive Plan website, and in the city planning offices, located on the 5th floor of City Hall.
The Birmingham Planning Commission will also be seeking public comments on the Plan during a public hearing to consider adoption of the Plan to be held on Thursday, April 4, 2013, at 6:00 p.m.,in the City Council Chambers on the 3rd floor of City Hall. Once adopted by the Planning Commission, the Plan will be forwarded to the City Council for their consideration and endorsement of the Plan.
Please make your voice heard about the future of Birmingham by reviewing and commenting on the Birmingham Comprehensive Plan. Comments will be solicited during the month of March.
Now that the Birmingham Comprehensive Plan is complete in draft form, the general public is being invited to view it and comment on it. Hard copies of the plan will be available for review at nine Birmingham Public Libraries: Avondale, Central, East Ensley, East Lake, Eastwood, Five Points West, North Birmingham, Springville Road, and West End. Comment sheets will be provided at each location. Comments may also be submitted on the Birmingham Comprehensive Plan website, and in the city planning offices, located on the 5th floor of City Hall.
The Birmingham Planning Commission will also be seeking public comments on the Plan during a public hearing to consider adoption of the Plan to be held on Thursday, April 4, 2013, at 6:00 p.m.,in the City Council Chambers on the 3rd floor of City Hall. Once adopted by the Planning Commission, the Plan will be forwarded to the City Council for their consideration and endorsement of the Plan.
Please make your voice heard about the future of Birmingham by reviewing and commenting on the Birmingham Comprehensive Plan. Comments will be solicited during the month of March.
Culture and Connection: Examining the Gee's Bend Interviews
The Entry: The Baptized and Their Sponsors, John Reese, 1980
BPL Digital Collections
In the late 1970s, journalist and folklorist Kathryn Tucker Windham interviewed and recorded the residents of Gee's Bend, Alabama. The Archives Department at the Birmingham Public Library has about 30 of the interviews. Kelsey Bates, Director of Development at the Birmingham Public Library, will discuss the interviews and the residents' comments on cooking and eating traditions, politics, religion, and family. Wednesday, March 13, 10:30 a.m., Five Points West Library. For additional information on this program visit Birmingham365.org.
BPL Digital Collections
In the late 1970s, journalist and folklorist Kathryn Tucker Windham interviewed and recorded the residents of Gee's Bend, Alabama. The Archives Department at the Birmingham Public Library has about 30 of the interviews. Kelsey Bates, Director of Development at the Birmingham Public Library, will discuss the interviews and the residents' comments on cooking and eating traditions, politics, religion, and family. Wednesday, March 13, 10:30 a.m., Five Points West Library. For additional information on this program visit Birmingham365.org.
Flow Tactics Teen Open Mic at the YMCA Youth Center
Teens, get your poetry on at the Flow Tactics Teen Open Mic every 3rd Saturday from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.at the YMCA Youth Center, 2400 7th Avenue North (near Phillips Academy). Admission is free. The sessions are for high school students only. To sign up to perform or for more information, e-mail johnpaul@reallifepoets.org. This month's program is scheduled for Saturday, March 16.
Flow Tactics is sponsored by The Real Life Poets, the Mayor's Office Division of Youth Services, YMCA Youth Center, and the WORD UP! Student Poetry Slam Committee of the Jefferson County Library Cooperative. WORD UP! is an annual poetry slam for Jefferson County high school students hosted by the Birmingham Public Library.
Flow Tactics is sponsored by The Real Life Poets, the Mayor's Office Division of Youth Services, YMCA Youth Center, and the WORD UP! Student Poetry Slam Committee of the Jefferson County Library Cooperative. WORD UP! is an annual poetry slam for Jefferson County high school students hosted by the Birmingham Public Library.
Your Donations Will Be Matched for the "Flow Tactics" Teen Poetry Campaign!
In the past two days, a generous and anonymous donor has issued a $500 challenge grant to help BPL raise $7,000 for "Flow Tactics," the poetry and performance workshops serving Birmingham youth.
Young Birmingham poets at a recent competition.
This donor is someone close to the "Flow Tactics" program and someone who knows what these young poets are capable of sharing with the city of Birmingham, the state of Alabama, and the world.
Your donations will be matched 100% until the challenge is met!
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Our spring Library WishList mini campaign raise money for the Birmingham Public Library's "Flow Tactics" poetry program.
Flow Tactics is a poetry and performance workshop that began two years ago by poet and community activist, John Paul Taylor, director of the nonprofit group Real Life Poets. He was asked by librarian Haruyo Miyagawa to help teens eager to improve their skills for BPL's popular annual WORD UP! Student Poetry Slam for Jefferson County high school students.
The Result:
John Paul hosts two-hour workshops one Saturday each month at the Central Library. The workshops have continued and now average 20 young poets-in-training per session (they are very popular and growing every month). Workshop goals include raising teens' commitment to reading, writing, and performing poetry while expanding performance opportunities beyond Birmingham and giving back to the community.
Our Goal:
Our goal is to raise $7,000 by May 5. The $7,000 will be used for direct costs such as instructor fees, promotional expenses, and materials and supplies. Part of the donations will be used to help some of the young performers travel to Chicago for a national poetry and performance competition called Brave New Voices. No team from Alabama has ever competed at the annual competition, and we all have great hopes that the Birmingham team will be accepted as the first. Check them out on Facebook. These performances are very impressive:
How You Can Help:
You can help us by contributing to this worthy cause for these talented young people. Also, please share our tweets and posts and spread the word to your email/ friends lists. During the course of the campaign, we will share several videos of students performing, such as the one here:
You may donate online or mail your donation to BPL at this address:
Birmingham Public Library
Library WishList
2100 Park Place
Birmingham, AL 35203
Young Birmingham poets at a recent competition.
This donor is someone close to the "Flow Tactics" program and someone who knows what these young poets are capable of sharing with the city of Birmingham, the state of Alabama, and the world.
Your donations will be matched 100% until the challenge is met!
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Our spring Library WishList mini campaign raise money for the Birmingham Public Library's "Flow Tactics" poetry program.
Flow Tactics is a poetry and performance workshop that began two years ago by poet and community activist, John Paul Taylor, director of the nonprofit group Real Life Poets. He was asked by librarian Haruyo Miyagawa to help teens eager to improve their skills for BPL's popular annual WORD UP! Student Poetry Slam for Jefferson County high school students.
The Result:
John Paul hosts two-hour workshops one Saturday each month at the Central Library. The workshops have continued and now average 20 young poets-in-training per session (they are very popular and growing every month). Workshop goals include raising teens' commitment to reading, writing, and performing poetry while expanding performance opportunities beyond Birmingham and giving back to the community.
Our Goal:
Our goal is to raise $7,000 by May 5. The $7,000 will be used for direct costs such as instructor fees, promotional expenses, and materials and supplies. Part of the donations will be used to help some of the young performers travel to Chicago for a national poetry and performance competition called Brave New Voices. No team from Alabama has ever competed at the annual competition, and we all have great hopes that the Birmingham team will be accepted as the first. Check them out on Facebook. These performances are very impressive:
How You Can Help:
You can help us by contributing to this worthy cause for these talented young people. Also, please share our tweets and posts and spread the word to your email/ friends lists. During the course of the campaign, we will share several videos of students performing, such as the one here:
You may donate online or mail your donation to BPL at this address:
Birmingham Public Library
Library WishList
2100 Park Place
Birmingham, AL 35203
Tax Forms and Assistance
As a service to the community, the Birmingham Public Library provides copies of current Federal and Alabama tax forms, instructions, and publications. Basic forms are available at most library locations; a more extensive collection of forms is available in the Government Documents Department in the Linn-Henley Research Library. Please contact your library to ensure that any forms you need are available.
Check back for updated information in the coming months.
Update: The form 1040 instruction books for the federal tax forms have arrived and
may be picked up in Government Documents or Microforms at Central Library.
Tax forms and instructions may also be downloaded from the Internet.
Federal Forms
IRS forms and publications
Request IRS forms by mail
State Forms
Alabama Department of Revenue
General Resources
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - This governmental site has United States federal income tax forms, information, and tips. Includes warnings about tax frauds and scams, information about filling online, and the ability to track the status of your refund.
Yahoo! Finance: Tax Center - Tax forms, estimators, calculators, preparation, guides, tips, terms, calendars, rates, rules, news, and state tax profiles. Includes a basic "Beginner's Guide" for those new to preparing U.S. taxes.
Free File Home: Your Link to Free Online Filing - This IRS site is about Free File, an "online tax preparation and electronic filing through a partnership agreement between the IRS and the Free File Alliance, LLC. In other words, you can e-file... free." This site explains eligibility requirements for this free service, steps to get started, and a list of related FAQs.
Free Tax Return Preparation For You by Volunteers - Information about the Internal Revenue Service Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program and the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Program, which "offer free tax help if you qualify. ... In addition to free tax return preparation assistance, many sites also offer free electronic filing (e-filing)."
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Impact Alabama (IA) - IA provides free tax preparation services for households earning less than $50,000 a year with one or more children or $20,000 year without children. You must call 1-888-99-TAX-AL (1-888-998-2925) for an appointment; no walk-ins will be assisted. IA is sponsored by SaveFirst. [NOTE: There will be tax prep assistance available at Five Points West Library when the dates are confirmed. Please check back for updates.] Assistance is not available when the Library is closed for the holidays.
Smithfield Library
1 8th Ave W
Birmingham, AL 35204
(205) 324-8428
January 21-March 9
Mondays and Tuesdays from 12:00-8:00 p.m.
Saturdays from 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
March 11-April 15
Mondays and Tuesdays from 12:00-5:00 p.m.
West End Library
1348 Tuscaloosa Ave SW
Birmingham, AL 35211
(205) 226-4089
January 23-March 9
Wednesdays and Fridays from 12:00-5:00 p.m.
Saturdays from 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
