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Resource of the Week

Alt HealthWatch focuses on the many perspectives of complementary, holistic and integrated approaches to health care and wellness. It offers libraries full-text articles for more than 180 international, and often peer-reviewed journals and reports. In addition, there are hundreds of pamphlets, booklets, special reports, original research and book excerpts.

Did You Know?

January is Get Organized Month. The BPL collection includes numerous titles to aid you in organizing to create more time and less stress. Check out the titles at your favorite BPL location. Books for uncluttering and organizing your life are found in the 648 call number range.

Books for All Seasons 2012: Book Reviews from BPL Librarians

Each year BPL staff list their favorite books from the previous year in a free guide called Season’s Readings. This year the library has revamped the look and title of the publication, renaming it Books for All Seasons and streamlining the design and content. Now published at the beginning of each year, Books for All Seasons will be available to the public year-round.

Books for All Seasons includes recommendations for adults, teens, and children in both fiction and nonfiction. Each book is chosen by a staff or board member as one that they enjoyed reading in the previous year—not necessarily one that was published in the previous year. ...learn more

Fiddler, a quilt depicting Louis Gossett Jr.'s role in the TV miniseries Roots

Quilts Reflect Story of African American History Makers

“Stitch your stress away,” is a quote that quilter Aisha Lumumba has taken to heart. Many hours of hard work are visible in the more than 20 quilts depicting noted African Americans currently on display in the Fourth Floor Exhibition Gallery at the Birmingham Public Library. This exhibition includes likenesses of President and Mrs. Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and the late Billie Holiday. Each piece reflects the textile artist’s heritage and interest in history. The African American History Makers Quilt Exhibition opened January 3 and runs through February 24 at the Central Library located at 2100 Park Place.

As a youngster, Lumumba sewed and created art projects with fabric. She learned quilting by watching elders stitch colorful cloth swatches together; she began her first quilt as a teenager. With more than 25 years of experience working with textile arts, Lumumba strives to capture the musical rhythm of the colors, designs, and texture of the pieces she creates. “I want my quilts to tell a story and maybe even sing,” Lumumba states. ...learn more