Archives Department (Birmingham Public Library System)

Archives Department (Birmingham Public Library System) The Archives Department of the Birmingham Public Library, Birmingham, Alabama

Established in 1975, the Department of Archives and Manuscripts is located in the Linn-Henley Research Library, a part of the Birmingham Public Library system. The department collects government records, business records, maps, photographs, letters, diaries, scrapbooks, and other primary material documenting the history and development of Birmingham, Jefferson County and the surrounding area of Al

abama known as the Birmingham District. The Archives collects material statewide relating to the Episcopal Church in Alabama, the Civil Rights Movement in Alabama and Jewish history and life in Alabama. The department’s holdings include the papers of city and county officials, businesses and business people, politicians, social activists, churches and synagogues, civic groups and study clubs, clergy, artists, writers, musicians, athletes and homemakers. Serving as the archives for the City of Birmingham and for numerous organizations and institutions, the collection contains more than 30,000,000 documents and 400,000 photographs. The collection is open to the public and draws thousands of researchers each year from throughout the Birmingham area, around the United States and the world. These researchers include local people investigating the history of houses and buildings; university students researching class papers, theses, and dissertations; scholars researching articles, books and museum exhibitions; and film makers working on documentaries and other motion picture productions. More than 230 books have been published using the Archives’ collections, including five recipients of the Pulitzer Prize. Documentary films researched in the Archives have appeared on most major television networks and include recipients of the Academy Award, the Peabody and the Emmy.

BPL Archives doesn't have a Twitter account, but we are still participating in   Day right here on Facebook!October 12, ...
10/05/2022

BPL Archives doesn't have a Twitter account, but we are still participating in Day right here on Facebook!

October 12, feel free to ask any questions you might have about our Archives and collections. Post to the page or ask through messenger!

Can't wait to hear your great questions!

07/14/2022

Catherine Champion will be teaching "How to Research your house history" at Homewood Library July 19!

02/01/2022

To begin the month, we wanted to share our 19th annual "Begin the Day" program from January 18.

Dr. Teneasha Washington joined us virtually to discuss Black Maternal Health in Alabama and nationwide.

Happy New Year from the Archives Department!
12/31/2021

Happy New Year from the Archives Department!

Happy Holidays from the Birmingham Public Library Archives!We would love it if you would share your holiday memories wit...
12/22/2021

Happy Holidays from the Birmingham Public Library Archives!

We would love it if you would share your holiday memories with us. If you have holiday photos from Kwanzaa, Eid, Yule or other observances year-round, and want to preserve them in the Archives, you can send a digital copy to [email protected]! Physical copies can be sent to:

Archives Department
Birmingham Public Library
2100 Park Place
Birmingham, AL 35203

Happy Thanksgiving from the BPL Archives!(Thanksgiving dinner 1918 at the School for Cooks and Bakers, Camp Sheridan, Al...
11/25/2021

Happy Thanksgiving from the BPL Archives!

(Thanksgiving dinner 1918 at the School for Cooks and Bakers, Camp Sheridan, Ala.)

Honoring those who have served. Happy Veteran's Day. (Photos taken from 1971 Birmingham, AL Veteran's Day Parade)
11/11/2021

Honoring those who have served. Happy Veteran's Day.

(Photos taken from 1971 Birmingham, AL Veteran's Day Parade)

Come visit our partners at Invisible Histories Project! They will have scanners there if you aren't ready to part with y...
11/02/2021

Come visit our partners at Invisible Histories Project! They will have scanners there if you aren't ready to part with your photos!

Help IHP Save Our History! Sunday, Nov. 7 from 1-4 pm, we'll be set up at Beloved Community Church in Birmingham for you to bring your q***r history. For more information including the types of materials wanted, check out the event linked below.
https://bit.ly/GuerillaArchiving

Found some pocket instamatic film.
10/08/2021

Found some pocket instamatic film.

In 1992 Karma Ibsen, J. L. Lowe, and Sammy Lowe conceived a jazz musical based on the early life of Erskine Hawkins. The...
09/29/2021

In 1992 Karma Ibsen, J. L. Lowe, and Sammy Lowe conceived a jazz musical based on the early life of Erskine Hawkins. The title of the Musical is "Tuxedo Junction" taken from the song of the same name written by Hawkins. The Musical captures the vibrant cultural life of the Tuxedo Junction. The musical features many songs written by Sammy Lowe, another prominent Birmingham musician and Hawkins. The Musical along with other papers can be found in the J. L. Lowe collection at the BPL Archive.

09/29/2021
The Mascot

Greetings Avid followers of the BPL Archives! Last week we posted a photo of a big cat and asked what kind of cat you thought it could be. It is listed as a panther under our general photo collection and is the same cat that Birmingham Southern used as a mascot. For the full story check the link below to Birmingham Southern: https://www.bsc.edu/bsc-folklore/material/mascot.html

In 1924, Birmingham-Southern purchased an authentic stuffed panther from a scientific organization. Proud of their new icon, the team captain, “Red” Farr, even posed for his photograph in front of it.

What kind of Big Cat do you think this is? Post in the comments!
09/22/2021

What kind of Big Cat do you think this is? Post in the comments!

On September 2 1945 WWII ended and two weeks later was Rosh Hashanah. This year September 8th is the Jewish holiday of R...
09/15/2021

On September 2 1945 WWII ended and two weeks later was Rosh Hashanah. This year September 8th is the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, the start of the new year of the Hebrew Calendar. To memorialize these two events we at the Birmingham Archives decided to share a letter from a soldier, Walter Nathan, to Rabbi Milton Grafman who served at the Temple Emanu-El in Birmingham Al.

Great Resources upstairs in our Southern History Department!
09/17/2020

Great Resources upstairs in our Southern History Department!

Demand continues to grow for local newspaper articles and obituaries! Did you know that many years of the Birmingham News are only available on microfilm? Birmingham Public Library has the Birmingham News all the way back to 1894!

As the new baseball season gears up, check out the Birmingham Baseball online collection http://www.bplonline.org/progra...
07/15/2020
Birmingham Public Library - Baseball in Birmingham

As the new baseball season gears up, check out the Birmingham Baseball online collection http://www.bplonline.org/programs/ReadItForward/Baseball.aspx

Birmingham boasts a rich and historical relationship with America's favorite past time. From the celebrated--and oldest-- baseball field in the United States to a little league world series championship to award-winning baseball players and minor league teams, Birmingham is poised to reestablish its...

BPL Archives is proud to be a part of this innovative projecthttp://blog.archive.org/2020/03/10/community-webs-receives-...
05/29/2020
"Community Webs" Receives Additional Funding to Further Public Library Local History Web Collecting - Internet Archive Blogs

BPL Archives is proud to be a part of this innovative project

http://blog.archive.org/2020/03/10/community-webs-receives-additional-funding-to-further-public-library-local-history-web-collecting/

In 2017, our Archive-It service was awarded funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) for the 2-year project “Community Webs: Empowering Public Librarians to Create Community History Web Archives.” The program has been providing training and technical infrastructure for a ...

Alabama Department of Archives and History has a great tutorial on how to transcribe original documents!
05/29/2020

Alabama Department of Archives and History has a great tutorial on how to transcribe original documents!

Interested in learning how to transcribe original documents and manuscripts? Our reference archivist, Kayla Scott, provides a great tutorial for beginners in our latest online workshop. Click here to view - https://youtu.be/ZRMGztluZco

We always need virtual volunteers to help with our online transcription projects! Anyone with an internet connection can participate. Visit www.fromthepage.com/adah to jump in.

Another fantastic Archives Department photo!
04/30/2020

Another fantastic Archives Department photo!

As we all stay home and bake, let's try to preserve our favorite recipes! Here are some tips and tricks from the Nationa...
04/30/2020
Preserving Family Recipes

As we all stay home and bake, let's try to preserve our favorite recipes! Here are some tips and tricks from the National Archives.

https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2016/fall/family-archives-recipes

Fall 2016, Vol. 48, no. 3 | Your Family Archives By Mary Lynn Ritzenthaler Some of the most treasured items that are passed along in a family are recipes: Grandma’s apple pie or Dad’s special barbecue sauce. They evoke wonderful memories and keep traditions alive. Nowadays, recipes are easily fo...

Happy Halloween from the Archives!
10/31/2019

Happy Halloween from the Archives!

Address

2100 Park Place
Birmingham, AL
35203

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Listen into Dr. Teneasha Washington and me discuss maternal and infant health, women in the workforce, and how HB 1 (Alabama Pregnant Workers Act) can move our great state forward in this virtual program. Thank you Catherine Champion, Birmingham Public Library, and Archives Department (Birmingham Public Library System)
Hi, I have in my possession documents from the collection of Catherine Greene Browne who researched Avondale extensively and wrote a book about its history. Catherine died recently and her research and historic documents were given to Friends of Avondale Park by her daughter. Two of our board members have gone through these and have them ready to donate to the Archives - where we think they belong - but despite repeated requests to the department we have never gotten a reply from the department about whether they can be delivered to BPL Archives. Sure would like an answer from someone. Even if it is that you do not want them - we can go from there. Thank you.
Bill Costen, first and only African American hot air balloon "Master" in the world to be featured in documentary film "Balloon Man" - https://www.facebook.com/BalloonManMovie
Looking for any information about a plane crash near Route 1, Pinson, AL around 1952. It happened near the Masseyline Community.
Have you been keeping a lockdown diary? Recording interviews with family whilst in lockdown? Or are you thinking or writing something about your experience? Let us know about your lockdown journals!

You may also be interested in Archives Department (Birmingham Public Library System) who are encouraging Brummies to document their experience of Covid-19 lockdown for future generations.

https://theironroom.wordpress.com/2020/05/11/documenting-the-second-citys-lockdown/

Would you have any articles from the Sunday Mercury around the 1950's? My Great Grandfather Charlie Willis wrote the pigeon column and I was wondering if any articles existed.
My Grandad would go up to pigeons in the Cathedral square and ask "Do you know Charlie Willis?" He had a wonderful sense of humour.

Any help would be appreciated.

Regards,
Andrew
It's all in the details!
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