Birmingham Central Library (1927-1984)
Birmingham, Alabama

Local citizens raised funds to build Birmingham’s first free-standing central library, which opened on April 11, 1927. Considered a model facility at the time, the four-story Beaux Arts structure cost $750,000 and was designed by Birmingham architects Miller, Martin & Lewis. In 1929, nationally-known muralist Ezra Winter installed 16 murals depicting figures from world literature in the library’s main reading room (see photo below).

During the segregated Jim Crow era, Birmingham maintained separate libraries for African Americans. The Booker T. Washington branch library, the first public library for African Americans in Alabama, opened in 1918 in a small storefront in Birmingham’s old black business district. By 1961 the Birmingham library system included four branch libraries for Black residents. These library facilities were never comparable to those provided for whites, however, and the Central Library was a “whites-only” facility.

In July 1962, Lola Hendricks, a young Birmingham civil rights activist, filed a lawsuit in federal court asking for the desegregation of Birmingham’s libraries. This suit was combined with other suits demanding the desegregation of all public buildings in the city. In the spring of 1963, while civil rights demonstrations were held almost daily in Birmingham, students from historically-black Miles College staged two sit-in demonstrations at the Central Library on April 9 and 10. Birmingham mayor Art Hanes had pledged to desegregate the libraries only at gunpoint. But in response to the sit ins and the pending lawsuit, library director Fant Thornley asked the library system’s board to desegregate the city’s public library system. The board approved a resolution integrating Birmingham’s Public Library System and directed that “no persons be excluded from the use of the public library facilities on account of race.”

A new central library building opened in 1984, and the old central library was renovated and reopened in 1985 as the Linn-Henley Research Library for special collections. The Birmingham Public Library Archives maintains, preserves and makes available thousands of historic documents relating to Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and work, including early versions of “The Letter from Birmingham Jail,” written following his arrest on April 12. Visit here for more on the Birmingham campaign for desegregation.

The Norfolk Library will be closed on Monday, January 15, in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Poetry Café
Wednesday, January 17, 6:00 - 6:45 p.m.

Join us for our mid-month Poetry Café. Bring a poem to read, either one you've read or written, and come ready to listen to and enjoy poetry. There will not be a formal discussion on the pieces, rather time to celebrate and share the poetry that we love. Each month will feature a different theme, and January's theme is "blue," interpreted as you wish, perhaps the color or an emotion. Please register here or just drop in. A Zoom link is available for this meeting here.

There is some debate on the origin of the phrase "Poetry Café." Some argue it refers to the Modernists (Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway, TS Eliot, etc.) sharing their work in the cafés in Europe. As spoken word poetry has gained traction and the genre of slam poetry has evolved, some trace the phrase to the Nuyorican Poets Café in Manhattan. The café was founded in 1973 by Rutgers professor Miguel Algarín and gave Puerto Rican New York poets a place to meet and share their work. Although the café was closed for several years in the 1980's, it continues to serve as an arts center for the Nuyorican community.

50th Anniversary Party
Saturday, January 20, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Please join us for a festive party at the Library to celebrate the kick-off of the Library Associates' 50th anniversary year. Founded in 1974, the Associates is a group of dedicated volunteers who contribute their talents and time to support the Library. They organize monthly art exhibits and raise funds so the Library can offer free concerts, films, children's programs, and more. Delectable hors d'oeuvres, a signature cocktail, wine, and anniversary punch will be served. Enjoy the music of the Grantville Dawgs. Let us know here if you plan to come. We hope to see you then!

Books & Booties
Monday, January 22, 5:00 - 6:00 p.m.

Kick off your winter boots and gather round a roaring fire in the Great Hall as we discuss The Art of Loading Brush: New Agrarian Writings by Wendell Berry. Berry's profound critique of American culture has entered its sixth decade, and in this new gathering he reaches with deep devotion toward a long view of Agrarian philosophy. Mr. Berry believes that American cultural problems are nearly always aligned with their agricultural problems, and recent events have shone a terrible spotlight on the divides between our urban and rural citizens. Our communities are as endangered as our landscapes. There is, as Berry outlines, still much work to do, and our daily lives—in hope and affection—must triumph over despair.

This text is made up of three essays and four fictional short stories. For the purpose of our discussion, we will read the essays which span pages 1-175. It is not necessary to have read the book to come for the discussion. Registration here is appreciated but not required. This program is in partnership with the Norfolk Land Trust and the Norfolk Church of Christ Green Team.

The Art of Loading Brush is available through Inter Library Loan. Contact Front Desk Circulation at 860-542-5075, ext. 2 for assistance in reserving a copy.

An Evening of Scottish Music and Merriment
Saturday, January 27, 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Join us at the Norfolk Library for our next Music Among Neighbors series featuring Andrew Thomson and Ken Storrs in a program of Scottish music and merriment. Feel free to wear your tartans! Registration here is appreciated, but not required.

Andrew Thomson, ASCAP, (b.1988), has earned an international reputation as a composer, performer, and educator, and has collaborated with a variety of organizations, ranging from the internationally acclaimed choirs of Joyful Noise, Inc. to the United States Marine Corps. At age 18, Andrew was the youngest member of the composition and arranging staff at the Armed Forces School of Music. Following his enlistment, Andrew earned a Bachelor of Music in composition and percussion with a minor in anthropology from Ithaca College, under the tutelage of Gordon Stout. Andrew currently teaches percussion in northwestern Connecticut, and continues to give clinics, recitals, and masterclasses around the country. He is the owner of Pipeman Studios in Norfolk.

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