Birmingham Public Library history

The Woodlawn library was the first of these in 1911.

In 1913, a public library board was established, and the City of Birmingham assumed responsibility for funding the growing institution.

In 1918, the Booker T. Washington Library at Smithfield was established to become the first- and at the time the only-Negro public library in Alabama.

In 1921, the Wylam and Pratt City branches were opened.

An impressive neo-classical building of Indiana limestone was completed in 1927 and served as the central facility of the Birmingham Public Library for 57 years.

In April 1963 the Birmingham Public Library integrated racially after almost fifty years of constructing duplicate buildings, acquiring materials, and serving the community in a climate of segregation.

In 1981 in the midst of this expansion project, the library received a disastrous reduction in its operating budget.

In 1982 a new branch with a "bookstore" concept opened in the Eastwood Shopping Mall.

To accommodate the growing collection and demand for services, an additional structure containing 133,000 square feet (12,400 m) of floor space was completed in 1984 and connected to the original building via a crosswalk.

The Eastwood Branch Library was also permanently closed, the first branch to close since 2010.

Floyd Council was named the first male African-American director of the Birmingham Public Library system in 2017.