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.
Operating as usual
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!
Catherine Champion will be teaching "How to Research your house history" at Homewood Library July 19!
Congratulations to our Assistant Archivist!
Catherine Oseas Champion is BPL's assistant archivist. Catherine Oseas Champion, the Birmingham Public Library 's assistant archivist, has ...
https://bplolinenews.blogspot.com/2022/02/learn-more-about-hb1pregnant-workers.html
Join us for a discussion on the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. Flyer by Lisa Mitchell. In January of 2022, the Archives and Manuscripts Dep...
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.
https://bplolinenews.blogspot.com/2022/01/bpls-2022-mlk-memorial-lecture-to.html
Birmingham, Ala. - Join us virtually on Tuesday, January 18, 2022, as the Birmingham Public Library presents its 19th Annual Martin Luther K...
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 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, Ala.)
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 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
In case you missed it last night, here is the recording of our discussion with Brandon Jett about his book Race, Crime, and Policing in the Jim Crow South.
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 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.
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!
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.
Archives Department (Birmingham Public Library System) updated their business hours.
Archives Department (Birmingham Public Library System) updated their website address.
Resources on Preserving Family Papers, Books, Photos & More
By Catherine Oseas | BPL Archives Department The Birmingham Public Library Archives Department shares tips on preserving materials. When ...
Doing Spring Cleaning? BPL Archives Department Tips on Preserving Old Photos
Photo of George P. Collins Photo from 1893 Alabama-Auburn football game. By Don Veasey| Curator of Photographs, BPL Archives Department N...
Eighteenth Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Lecture: “A Reckoning With Monuments, Memory, and the Legacy of White Supremacy”
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!
Birmingham Public Library Archives Houses Depression-Era WPA Educational Dolls
By Catherine Oseas | Archives Department , Central Library In 1929 the stock market had crashed and was by many accounts considered to be on...
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 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!
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.
May is Jewish American Heritage month! BPL Archives has many sources to explore the Jewish Community in Birmingham!
https://www.archives.gov/news/topics/jewish-american-heritage
Explore Alabama History from the comfort of your own home! Check out photos, recipes, and more!
https://yellowhammernews.com/alabama-historyhome-is-an-online-window-into-states-past-and-more/?fbclid=IwAR33OAgQ4p4_fmg3_ihw2hQUZvigx87uW4DBIW2cmS6LmMXY3cklANeIuRA
Have you ever wondered what Alabamians’ recipes looked like during World War I or wanted to see what houses looked like in your community
Another fantastic Archives Department photo!
Check out the Digital Exhibit of Gone with the Wind. Brought to you by the BPL Archives Department.
http://www.bplonline.org/resources/exhibits/GWTW/default.aspx
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...
Our Assistant Archivist, Catherine Oseas Champion, helps you through your first Archives visit in this blog post.
https://bplolinenews.blogspot.com/2020/04/what-to-expect-when-you-are-going-to.html
Catherine Oseas Champion | Archives and Manuscripts Department , Central Library As an archivist, people ask me quite often a. what t...
Now is your chance! Color in one of our most popular photos and send it in for us!
https://bplolinenews.blogspot.com/2020/04/coloringbham.html
Happy Halloween from the Archives!
2100 Park Place
Birmingham, AL
35203
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In case you missed our Sunday evening program on Alabama HB1, here is our discussion with Dr. Teneasha Washington and Rep. Neil Rafferty.
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.
In case you missed it last night, here is the recording of our discussion with Brandon Jett about his book Race, Crime, and Policing in the Jim Crow South.
Inaugural Intern "box derby"!
Jefferson County Development Services - Inspe
Richard Arrington Jr Boulevard NJobsquest.org Personnel Board of Jefferson C
Reverend Abraham Woods Jr BoulevardJeffCo Metro Area Crime Center
Reverend Abraham Woods Jr BoulevardJefferson County Sheriff's Office
Reverend Abraham Woods Jr BoulevardBirmingham Land Bank Authority
North 20th StreetCity of Birmingham, Division of Social Justic
North 20th StreetJefferson County Emergency Management Agency
19th Street NHonorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Ge
20th Street North
Jefferson County Sheriff's Office
Reverend Abraham Woods Jr Boulevard
Jefferson County Council on Aging
4th Avenue S
Lawson State Community College Radio & TV Pro
Birmingham Main Campus 3060 Wilson Road
Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmi
20th Street N
City of Birmingham, Community Resource Servic
North 20th Street/2nd Floor
City of Birmingham, Division of Social Justic
North 20th Street
Black Alabamians for Education
20th Street South Suite