John Wilkes Booth is Not Dead!

Please join us on Thursday, January 3rd from 12:00 p.m.to 1:00 p.m. for
"John Wilkes Booth Is Not Dead!": Birmingham's Louise Wooster and the
Strange Afterlife of Lincoln's Assassin.  Jim Baggett, Head of Birmingham
Public Library's Archives Department, will give a presentation exploring
the likelihood of a relationship between Wooster and Booth and the
enduring myth of a government conspiracy to fake his death.  Free
admission.

Choice Site of the Week

Choice Site of the Week (12/17/12)

 POW/MIA   Homepage
http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/

 

Book of the Week

      Book of the Week (12/17/12)

   

  "ttyl; ttfn; l8r, g8r" (series), by Lauren Myracle 

Reasons: offensive language; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group

December Family Movie Night

Please join us on Monday, December 17th at 4 p.m. for a showing of
the movie Madagascar 3. Alex, Marty, Gloria and Melman are still
fighting to get home to their beloved Big Apple. Their journey takes
 them through Europe where they find the perfect cover: a traveling
circus, which they reinvent - Madagascar style. Free admission.

Home for Christmas

Please join us on Thursday, December 13th from 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. for
a presentation of "Home for Christmas" by popular storyteller Dolores
Hydock.  Enjoy the hilarious story of a Mississippi mother and daughter who head up
to Tennessee for Christmas at the "old home place."  Hurt feelings, burnt
fingers, house on fire ... ah yes.  Just another family Christmas!

Free admission.  Sponsored by the Friends of the Bessemer Public Library.

Family Movie Night

Please join us on Monday, November 26th at 5:30 p.m. for a showing of the movie Tangled.
The magically long-haired Rapunzel has spent her entire life in a tower,
but now that a runaway thief has stumbled upon her, she is about to
discover the world for the first time and who she really is.  Free admission.

Tale of the Iron Man

Please join us on Thursday, November 1, 2012  at noon in the Auditorium
 for a reading by the Seasoned Performers of The Tale of the Iron Man; the
 dramatic story of the ups and downs of our Vulcan's statue's first 100 years.
  Free admission.

October Movie Night

Please join us on Monday, October 22, 2012 at 4:30 p.m. in the Auditorium for a showing of the movie, Happy Feet Two. Mumble is back - and everybody's favorite tap-dancing penguin now has a son named Erik.  Mumble was born to dance, but little Erik just isn't feelin' the beat. In this sequel to Happy Feet, Erik  discovers what his own "thing" is when the entire nation of Emperor Penguins is threatened by an enormous iceberg.  Free admission.

Birmingham Museum of Art

Please join us on Thursday, October 4th at noon in the auditorium for a PowerPoint
presentation on the Birmingham Museum of Art given by Kristen Greenwood,
Ambassador for the Museum.  Find out about the history of the museum and
its unique qualities.  Also featured will be the Museum's current exhibit
of artist Norman Rockwell's work.   Free admission

September Movie Night

Please join us on Monday, September 24th at 5:30 p.m. for the showing of The Pirates: Band of Misfits.

With a rag-tag crew at his side, and seemingly blind to the odds stacked against him, Pirate Captain dares to beat his bitter rivals Black Bellamy and Cutlass Liz to the coveted Pirate of the Year Award.
Free admission.

Local Author Book Talk and Signing

On Thursday, September 13, 2012 at noon local author, Lottie Jacks, will
briefly discuss her first novel, Applegreen.  Set in post-Civil War Alabama,
the story revolves around Emily Whitworth, who after being rejected as a
child, sets her heart on a lifetime journey to find love.  After the discussion,
Ms. Jacks will be available to sign her book.  Please join us in the Bessemer
Library Auditorium.  Free admission.

Birmingham Botanical Gardens Archives and Rare Book Room

On Thursday, September 6, 2012 from noon - 1:00 p.m. Jason Kirby, Archivist at
the Birmingham Botanical Gardens Library, will give a PowerPoint presentation on  the Archives 
and Rare Book Room.  Opened to the public in 2008, the collection includes antique seed catalogs,
garden club scrapbooks, plant press books, plant fossils and many other unique items.
Please join us in the Bessemer Library Auditorium.  Free admission.

August Family Night at the Movies

The Bessemer Public Library will be showing Dr. Seuss The Lorax on Monday, August 27, 2012 at 5:30 p.m. in the Auditorium.  Admission is free.

Art Gallery Exhibit

Come explore the artwork of local artist Dennis Earley.  His collection includes three oil paintings as well as a series of charcoal drawings entitled "Dreaming in History."  The charcoal drawings are intended to be interpretations of historical periods.  They focus on the cultural impact of discoveries and inventions, and some of the major figures of the eras.

The collection will be on exhibit in our Art Gallery on the upper level during the month of August.

The Monumental, the Mundane and the Macabre: Discovering 19th-Century Life in Alabama Letters and Diaries

August 2, 2012  noon - 12:30 p.m.

From matters of love, death and politics to the price of shoes, nineteenth
century Alabamaians recorded their experiences in letters and diaries.
This talk explores life in the 1800's through personal writings now
preserved in the Birmingham Public Library Archives.

Program presented by Jim Baggett, Head of the Department of  Archives and
Manuscripts at the Birmingham Public Library.  Free admission.

Friends of Bessemer Public Library Book and Bake Sale

Don't miss a fantastic opportunity to buy your favorite items for a great
price!
Hundreds of books available.  Hardbacks, audiobooks & VHS $1 each.
Paperbacks 50 cents each.
Presale is Thursday, August 2nd 5 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.  $1 admission.
Book and bake sale Friday, August 3rd 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Saturday,
August 4th 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. free admission.
All proceeds benefit the Bessemer Public Library at 400 19th St. N, Bessemer.

Job Hunting Class

Bessemer Public Library

Job Hunting Class Tuesday, July 24th  1 - 3 p.m.

Learn how to become proficient at applying for jobs online. The class will
include valuable resources for developing resumes and finding jobs.
How to navigate job websites will also be covered.  No charge.  Registration
required.  To register call 428-7882 or send e-mail to http://post.bham.lib.al.us/webmail/src/compose.php?send_to=bessemerlibrary%40gmail.com using
Topic Job Hunting & include your name & phone number.

Birmingham Historic Sights Lost & Saved

Please join us on Thursday, July 12th from noon - 1:00 p.m. as Linda
Nelson, preservationist with the Jefferson County Historical Commission,
presents Birmingham Historic Sights Lost and Saved.  She will be giving a
visual tour of historic Birmingham buildings and sites, as well as some
historic houses and neighborhoods, including Bessemer.  Admission is free.

Teaching Birmingham Women to Cook: From the Magic Meals Cooking School to Julia Child

Birmingham's rich culinary history was built, in large part, by women who cooked in their homes for their families every day.  Learn how Birmingham women shaped the city's culinary history, economy, and character simply by putting dinner on the table.

Please join us for this presentation by Kelsey Bates, Assistant Archivist at Birmingham Public Library, on Thursday, June 7th from noon - 1 p.m.  Admission is free.

Music of the Mines, Mills, and Railroads of the Birmingham District

On Thursday, May 3rd from noon - 1:00 p.m., Karen Utz, Curator and
Historian of Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark, will present a
program on labor-related music brought into Birmingham's industrial
district by migrants.  Music of the Mines presents histories and personal
recollections from the musicians and their families, and includes an audio
account of the unique music.  Please join us for an educational and
entertaining program. Free admission.

Genealogy News

Due to a lack of funding the Jefferson County Library Cooperative had to drop HeritageQuest from the Alabama Virtual Library.  The good news is that patrons can now access HeritageQuest through the library's website as a result of a donation from the Friends of the Bessemer Public Library.  Under the Reference heading, click onto HeritageQuest and follow the directions.

The 1940 Census records were released by the U.S. National Archives on April 2, 2012 and brought online through a partnership with Archives.com.  The website 1940census.archives.gov  allows you full access to the 1940 Census images in addition to 1940 Census maps and descriptions.

You cannot look up people by name, however, because the census has not yet been indexed by name.  Therefore, only searches by location and enumeration district are currently possible.

The 1940 U.S. Census Community Project is a volunteer initiative currently underway to make a name-index
available for free.

Getting the Most from Social Security

On Monday, April 30th at 6:00 p.m., Rick Bruni, Financial Advisor with
Merrill Lynch, will discuss how people's decisions regarding Social
Security benefits will impact their overall financial plan for retirement.
Comprehensive materials will be provided. Mr. Bruni will be available to
answer questions.  Free admission.

Callling All Gardeners

On Thursday, April 12th from noon until 1:00 p.m., Sallie Lee, gardening expert with the Jefferson County Extension Office, will present "Basic Gardening Techniques."  Come hear tips for growing your best flowers and vegetables, and bring your questions.

Free admission.

Birds of East Africa

Please join us on Tuesday, March 13th from noon - 1:00 p.m. as we travel to East Africa, one of the richest and most diverse bird areas in the world with nearly 1400 species.  Dick Mills, our tour guide, will show slides of numerous unique and colorful African birds in a variety of natural  habitats.  Nature lovers and birdwatchers alike will enjoy this presentation.  Free admission.

Mother's Day 1961: The Freedom Rides in Alabama

Please join us on Tuesday, February 14th from 12 noon - 1:00 p.m. for a presentation by Laura Anderson, Archivist at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.  The program will take a look at the making of history on
Mother's Day 1961, as two groups of passengers, known as the "Freedom Riders", boarded buses for
separate trips to Birmingham.  The program will include a slide show of photographs from a collection housed in the Archives of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.  Free admission.  Program sponsored by the Alabama Humanities Foundation.