Family name information, genealogy, histories, census data, military records, passenger lists, vital records, directories, photos, and more. Ancestry Library Edition is subject to ongoing updates and new content is added frequently. Ancestry Library Edition is only available from computers inside of the Birmingham Public Library.

Birmingham Public Library - In Library Use Only.

Training Guide  Web Site

The U.S. Serial Set, an ongoing collection of U.S. Government publications compiled under the directive of Congress, captures every aspect of American life from the early 19th century onward, from farming, to westward expansion, scientific exploration, politics, international relations, business, and manufacturing. It includes Congressional reports and documents as well as executive agency and departmental reports ordered to be printed by Congress.

Requires a JCLC card and residence in Birmingham, AL.

Search America's historic newspapers pages from 1836-1922 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. There are currently 664 historical newspapers available to browse and view in this site and over 140,000 newspapers listed in the U.S. Newspaper Directory.

Publicly Available.

African-American History Online covers topics such as affirmative action, Africa, black nationalism, civil rights, emancipation, free blacks, the Harlem Renaissance, migrations, racial violence and hate crimes, religion, slave living conditions, slave liberation strategies, social work and philanthropy, sports, and visual arts.

Requires a JCLC card.

Introductory Tour  Requires Flash
Video Tutorial  Video tutorial by BPL on YouTube (length 4:01)

The Oxford African American Studies Center provides students, teachers, and scholars with an authoritative and comprehensive source on the African American experience. The site is comprised of five major encyclopedias and content from eighteen additional reference sources from Oxford University Press, including more than 8,000 articles by top scholars in the field. The Oxford African American Studies Center combines the authority of carefully edited reference works with sophisticated technology to create the most comprehensive collection of scholarship available online to focus on the lives and events which have shaped African American and African history and culture.

Requires a JCLC card and residence in Birmingham, AL.

Guided Tour  Flash presentation.
Video Tutorial  Video tutorial by BPL on YouTube (length 6:45)

This US Congressional resource provides a searchable database of all members of Congress from 1774 to present. The Biographical Directory of the United States Congress includes the position, party, year, and state of each member of congress.

Publicly Available.

Britannica Online Public Library Edition contains 4 full encyclopedias, the Encyclopædia Britannica, Compton’s by Britannica, Britannica Elementary Encyclopedia, and Britannica Concise Encyclopedia each covering the research needs of a different age group. Along with this encyclopedia content, Public Library Edition contains full-text magazine articles, Web sites that have been reviewed and verified by Britannica editors, a homework help section for students, a world atlas, Merriam-Webster dictionaries and thesauri for children and adults, a Spanish-English dictionary, video and audio content, daily content updates, and more.

Requires a JCLC card.

Features the full text of more than 650 historical encyclopedias and other non-fiction books, as well as nearly 60 leading history periodicals; historical documents, biographies of historical figures, historical photos and maps; and hours of historical film and video.

Requires a JCLC card.