Birmingham Public Library

This is one of Birmingham’s best kept secrets. It’s the main branch of a unified library system that reaches throughout the county and maintains a high level of service despite the maladroit county government that keeps slashing the budget. You’ll notice that the escalators no longer work and the elevators judder and lurch. The carpets are worn. The guard checks large bags to make sure you’re not planning to bathe and change clothes in one of the public restrooms.
Still, I love this place and come as often as I can. The collection is very good, the staff is always diligent and helpful, and there is a whole extra library across the street, in the decorative Linn-​Henley Building. There are events going on all the time, from history talks to computer workshops to the monthly Friday night poetry slam with microbrews on tap.
So don’t be put off by the signs of wear and tear. This library is full of great people offering valuable services, usually for free. Oh, and of course there are the books, CDs, and databases. The Linn-​Henley collection is a top-​notch history library that draws genealogists from everywhere. They also do free workshops on how to research family history, from beginning to advanced. The library archives have documents and photos that have helped noted authors complete their books. Materials at Linn-​Henley cannot be taken from the building, but that’s not a serious drawback. The old-​fashioned reading room with its oak tables is a great place to read and write.
It’s not a particularly quiet place. Posted signs ask you to silence your phone, but patrons often take calls and don’t get shushed. Still, in my extensive experience, people mind their manners here and keep their voices down, even when on the phone.
Lastly, the bookstore in the main building is worth a visit. They sell donated and withdrawn books, and I think the stock is unusually good for this kind of store.
I dream of a day when the rest of our city and county services are as good as our library system.

It’s no major city library or museum, but it definitely fits the bill of library, and even carries over a bit of cool architecture, art, and history in it. You can do pretty much anything you would want/​need to get done with a library, and a bit more.
Definitely take some time to walk around and explore everything this library has to offer. It is a lot bigger than you think it is. There are 3 floors of standard library action in the new, East portion of the library. The fourth floor had some artwork, and a couple neat handmade, friendship quilts with the sister city to Birmingham-​Hitachi, Japan.
You have to visit the older, West portion of the library. I think there are 4 accessible floors here, too. You can actually get between the two from a 3^rd floor skywalk over Richard Arrington. I believe you can also enter there on the far West side near Linn Park. This older portion is where you can find ornate decorations, historic paintings, sculptures, bookshelves, everything. Really, I was kind of shocked to see that it was such an enjoyable, pensive library feel there. The walls and ceilings in here are very neat, and even come with a great deal of history you can read about in some of their flyers at the information desk. Take some time to really study all of those. When we visited there was a super passionate lady that was pumped to talk about the extensive history of the murals and this building. I would certainly get all of my study/​work materials and stay in this portion of the library; it just sort of makes the work effort seem more meaningful and momentous.
Both sides of the library have their perks, but I certainly appreciate all the older side has to offer.

The downtown Birmingham branch of the Jefferson County Library system is, I believe, one of the larger locations within the system. In several visits, the layout has gradually become a little less confusing, but I’m still not entirely sure how everything is arranged.
There’s often an interesting crowd in the foyer/​lobby area (sometimes even a chess game). The restrooms are on the first floor toward the back of the building, and they’re in rough shape. I’d recommend «emergency use only.»
The staff is pleasant and checking out goes quickly. Book and material requests from other branches usually arrive in two or three business days, but they’re also just held for three days, so make sure you get there promptly to check out your items.
There’s metered parking along the street and a free gated lot behind the building for library patrons only.