Library of Birmingham blog

Exploring our collections – the Diamond Jubilee 1st time around.

May 25, 2012 – 1:53 pm

Birmingham Libraries are currently gearing up for events to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, with a Right Royal Family Fun Day at Centre for the Child on Saturday 2nd June and the Jubilee Book Bash at Aston Hall on Monday 4th and Tuesday 5th June. Would Queen Victoria have been amused? I’m read more »

The graphic Queen's Diamond Jubilee Number

Tags Book Bash, Diamond Jubilee, Joseph Chamberlain, Queen Victoria, Young Readers | Comment (0)

Arts

Chasing an idea

May 5, 2012 – 10:27 am

And so it began – that is as soon as I found out about the Birmingham Silent Movies Animation Competition, it began in earnest, the frenetic culling of a million ideas flying around in my head in order to fulfil the brief given. To produce an animation using either the letters of the word, ‘Birmingham,’ read more »

Tags animation, cbso, silent movies | Comment (0)

Books and Reading

The Daggers are out!

April 18, 2012 – 3:33 pm

Back in January, I wrote about my initial experience of joining the judging panel for the Crime Writers’ Association Dagger in the Library Award. Since then, life has been a real reading roller coaster! At first, the entries trickled in, and after the initial shock of the first three being writers I’d never read, a read more »

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Collections

Exploring our Collections – Brummies aboard the Titanic

April 12, 2012 – 5:10 pm

As we prepare for the move to the Library of Birmingham we’re doing lots of work on our collections – preserving, digitising, packing – and in the process we’re finding out lots of fascinating nuggets of information. For instance, I didn’t know that it was two lovers from Birmingham who inspired the film Titanic. As read more »

Tags History, Titanic | Comment (0)

Arts Building Transition

Reference Works: a major photography commission

April 3, 2012 – 5:24 pm

Today the Library of Birmingham will publicly launch Reference Works: a major photography commission in which four leading photographers will make visual responses to the current Central Library building and to the build, transition and relocation to the new Library of Birmingham. Established by Birmingham City Council to reflect and record this momentous event in read more »

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Books and Reading Children and Young People

The Great Kindle Relay Project

March 30, 2012 – 5:53 pm

As part of our 2012 Young Readers Festival I’m lucky enough to be working on an exciting creative reading and writing project with bestselling author Simon Cheshire and 6 Birmingham schools. Between us, we’re co-writing a book that will be launched as part of the ‘festival fortnight’ in June. The idea is that groups from read more »

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Building Events

Library of Birmingham opening date announced – Tuesday 3rd September 2013

March 20, 2012 – 10:32 am

Library of Birmingham opening date announced Tuesday 3rd September 2013 ————— The new £188.8 million Library of Birmingham will open to the public on Tuesday 3rd September, it was announced today, along with a competition to nominate the first book to be placed on its shelves. Carillion, principal contractor for the project, will hand over read more »

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Books and Reading

Choose the first book for The Library Of Birmingham!

March 19, 2012 – 10:43 am

Library users are being asked to nominate the first book to be placed onto the Library of Birmingham’s shelves, a hugely symbolic celebration of the continued importance of the printed word in this library for the future. Nominators should tweet to @libraryofbham (using the hashtag #LoB1stbook) with their choice and reason why it should be read more »

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Arts Collections

Animators challenged to bring life back into Silent Movie music

March 14, 2012 – 10:31 am

Animators everywhere are being challenged to bring to life a unique collection of silent movie scores that have been recorded by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and form part of Birmingham’s world-class archive and special collections, which will be housed at the new Library of Birmingham (opening 2013). The Silent Movies Animation Challenge is read more »

Tags animation, cbso, press release | Comment (0)

Building Environment and Sustainability

Our new Combined Heat and Power Engine has arrived

March 7, 2012 – 3:27 pm

On Monday 5th March, a new Combined Heat and Power Engine was delivered to the Library of Birmingham, which will provide the new £188.8 million building with highly efficient low carbon energy when it opens in 2013. The combined heat and power District Energy Scheme for Birmingham supplies hot water for heating, chilled water for read more »

Tags brown roof, combined heat and power, energy, Environment, Green | Comments Off