Archives Department (Birmingham Public Library System)

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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 Alabama 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.

10/15/2026

Traveling Overseas During the Holidays? Make Plans Now to Attend 2026 BPL Passport & Travel Agent Fair on October 24 By Roy L. Williams, ...

The Central Library will open at 2:00 PM on Thursday, October 15, 2026.All other Birmingham Public Library locations wil...
10/14/2026

The Central Library will open at 2:00 PM on Thursday, October 15, 2026.

All other Birmingham Public Library locations will be open during regular hours, 9:00 AM-6:00 PM

10/14/2026

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
Passport Fair
Saturday, October 24, 10 AM - 2 PM
Birmingham Public Library, 2100 Park Place

The Passport Fair is a great opportunity to connect with travel professionals, learn more about passport services available at BPL and make sure you're ready for your next adventure!

And while you’re here, be sure to check out the Black Child Book Fair, happening during the Passport Fair! Celebrate Black authors, stories and young readers while discovering books that inspire, educate and empower.

Did you know? The Birmingham Public Library offers passport services at Central Library and Avondale Regional Branch Library, assisting with new passport applications, renewals, required documents, passport photos and application fees. Central Library accepts walk-ins, while Avondale Regional Branch requires an appointment.

Today is Ask an Archivist Day! Comment or message any questions you have and the archivist will answer.
10/14/2026

Today is Ask an Archivist Day! Comment or message any questions you have and the archivist will answer.

In 2025, with the centennial celebration of the Linn-Henley Research Library on the horizon, the Archives department of ...
10/13/2026

In 2025, with the centennial celebration of the Linn-Henley Research Library on the horizon, the Archives department of the Birmingham Public Library invited Auburn’s Interior Architecture Program to turn its creative lens toward the home of those treasured resources. The challenge: to imagine what the next chapter of this historic institution might look like.

This exhibition celebrates that collaboration and the transformative ideas that emerged from it. Students were invited to reimagine the third floor of the Linn-Henley Library as a Community Memory Lab and expanded Archives—a space where preservation and participation, scholarship and storytelling, history and contemporary life could intersect.

Drawing inspiration from the Archives’ collections and the layered histories held within them, the students’ proposals explore how physical space can become an active vessel for memory. Their designs ask us to consider not only how we preserve the past, but how we create spaces that invite communities to discover, contribute to, and shape their own histories.

The resulting work is both a design study and an act of imagination: a glimpse into how the Archives might evolve as a living, accessible, and creative center for collective memory.

Please join us for the opening reception on Tuesday, October 20th at 4pm.

Y'all stay safe this weekend! Looks like it'll be wetter than rain at a baptism(pictured here).To make an appointment to...
10/09/2026

Y'all stay safe this weekend! Looks like it'll be wetter than rain at a baptism(pictured here).

To make an appointment to see this collection and any others, please call 205-226-3630.

General Photographs Collection. Birmingham, Ala. Public Library Archives. 1556.22.49

10/06/2026

Birmingham Public Library is hiring!
The following positions are available:
Laborer-Part-Time, 30 Hrs Biweekly, Southside Branch
Librarian II-Full-Time, North Birmingham Branch
Library Assistant III-Full-Time, Wylam Branch
Library Assistant III- Part-Time 40 Hrs Biweekly, North Avondale Branch
Library Assistant II-Part-Time, 40 Hrs Biweekly, Five Points West Branch
Security Officer-Part-Time, 58 Hrs Biweekly, East Lake Branch
Security Officer-Part-Time, 58 Hrs Biweekly, Pratt City Branch

To apply for a job with the Birmingham Public Library System, visit: https://applybpl.carrd.co/
or
Birmingham Career Center, 3216 4th Avenue South
205-582-5220 The web address is https://alabamaworks.alabama.gov/

Job descriptions: https://cobpl.libguides.com/libraryjobs

Updated October Calendar. Please note that the Central Branch will be closed Tuesday, October 27th for Classic Cocktails...
10/05/2026

Updated October Calendar. Please note that the Central Branch will be closed Tuesday, October 27th for Classic Cocktails and Saturday, October 31st for the Magic City Classic.

10/04/2026

These cozy books for a rainy day span classics, romance, mystery, and fantasy, with 23 picks that suit a wide range of reading moods.

Happy Greek Festival weekend! Birmingham has a rich history of Greek residents and culture, as seen in our Birmingfind C...
10/02/2026

Happy Greek Festival weekend! Birmingham has a rich history of Greek residents and culture, as seen in our Birmingfind Collection. This photo was taken in 1907 to commemorate the first service at Holy Trinity Church and features Reverend Callinicos Kanellos.

To make an appointment to see this collection and any others, please call 205-226-3630.

Birmingfind Collection. Birmingham, Ala. Public Library Archives. 829.2.25

Address

2100 Park Place
Birmingham, AL
35203

Telephone

+12052263631

Website

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