Wylam Library
The Wylam Library (or Birmingham Public Library Wylam Branch) is a branch of the Birmingham Public Library located at 4300 7th Avenue on the corner of Gulfport Street in Wylam.
The original Wylam Library opened in 1921. The branch was relocated several times. In the late 1940s it operated from a leased building which had previously housed a beauty parlor. After signing a new 5-year lease, the board undertook an improvement project by removing partitions and installing new plate-glass windows above the shelves.
A new 2,000 square-foot library building was built by the city with funds from the 1960 Birmingham bond issue. The triple-gabled one-story brick building was dedicated at the present site on August 19, 1962. Birmingham City Commissioner Bull Connor gave the featured speech at the dedication.
In 1974 the library board proposed closing the Wylam and East Ensley Library branches after the Ensley Library was expanded. Those closures were not pursued. In 1980 the library board considered a proposal to merge the Wylam library with the Powderly Library at Wiggins Park as a cost-savings measure. That plan also proved unpopular with residents.
The library's interior finishes were refurbished in 2006. The 1962 building was demolished in May 2019 to make way for a new $1.6 million, 6,000 square-foot library. The new building, designed by Crawford McWilliams Hatcher Architects and scheduled to open in January 2020, includes a public meeting room, reading room, work rooms, a covered outdoor patio, and a new parking lot and landscaping.
Head librarians
- Selina Johnson, 2019
References
- Wright, Erica (June 11, 2009) "Groundbreaking held for $1.6M library in Wylam." The Birmingham Times
External links
- Birmingham Public Library Pratt City Branch at bplonline.org
- Wylam Library on Facebook.com