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The Bicentenary of Matthew Boulton 2009 Matthew Boulton is arguably the most important man in the history of Birmingham. Over the coming months, these pages will mark the year-long festival celebrating his life, work and legacy.

Made in Birmingham: The 1886 Exhibition of Local Manufactures and Natural History Centenary Square, Birmingham 20 June - 31 August 2009 - Free

Designs for the Library of Birmingham Unveiled Mike Whitby, Leader of Birmingham City Council, has unveiled the design concepts for the new Library of Birmingham by the acclaimed Dutch architects Mecanoo.The library will be situated on Centenary Square between the Birmingham Repertory Theatre (The REP) and Baskerville House and will be joined to The REP at ground and mezzanine levels, sharing the foyer, bars, restaurants and a new 300 seat studio theatre.

Mystery Shopping of Libraries See the results of the recent 'Mystery shopping' exercise by BMG Research and what we're doing to improve our service.

Handsworth's Search for a Star This competition for solo singers and rappers aged 16 and above to show their star quality has now reached the final stages. See the shortlist of performers for the Grand Final on Wednesday 24 June 2009 at 7 pm in Birmingham Library Theatre.

Council Worker of the Year Awards Birmingham Libraries Community Librarian, Liz Parkes, has been shortlisted for this prestigious award for her work with children and young people at Shard End Library. Please vote for Liz to support Birmingham Libraries and our excellent services.

Healthy Living in Birmingham This exhibition on Floor 6 of Birmingham Central Library shows the threat of disease to a happy and healthy life in the Birmingham of the past, and then the many improvements in everyday life to combat disease. Until 22nd July.

Jeffery Deaver Birmingham Central Library invites you to a special evening with Jeffery Deaver, the number one bestselling author of The Bone Collector.

Tina Freeth Birmingham's own, Tina Freeth, author of the short story 'Lychees and Bingo Balls' has been hailed as "An exciting new entrant to the literary scene." Discover more about Tina and her work

Netloan computer booking system This is now in operation on floors 3, 4, 5 and 6 of Birmingham Central Library. You will also need to book to use the QuickNet computers in the foyer and the cafe. There'll be no more queuing for computers, but please remember to bring your library card number and PIN to book a session. Netloan will be introduced in all Birmingham libraries during the next few months. We welcome your suggestions for improvement to the system.

Archives and Heritage Document of the Month July 2009 Birmingham born artist Paul Braddon (b.1864 d.1937) was known for his watercolours, but in early life he produced comprehensive architectural drawings, influences of which seem to appear in this series of works.

Archives of Soho Document of the Month - July 2009 This year there will be a year-long festival celebrating the life, work and legacy of Matthew Boulton (1728-1809), a world famous Birmingham businessman. Each month in 2009 Birmingham Archives & Heritage will feature a document from the substantial archive of the papers of Matthew Boulton and family which is held here.

1911 Census Online The 1911 Census is now available online. Searching is free, but if you wish to download the digitised census records, you need to register and buy credits online or buy pre-paid vouchers. These are now available from Birmingham Central Library.

Self-Service in Central Lending Library We now have six Self-Service kiosks in the Central Lending Library so you can issue, discharge and renew your items yourself. This gives staff more time to help and advise you. To use the new kiosks, you will need to know your PIN, so please ask the staff now if you've forgotten it. Get it. Know it. Use it!

Temporary Closure of Perry Common Library and Balsall Heath Library Both Balsall Heath Library and Perry Common Library are now closed for major roof repairs. Both libraries will open again in 2009. Please remember that your library card can be used at any community library in Birmingham and also the Central Library. Update on Balsall Heath Library Closure

Public Lending Right Did you know that authors have the right to receive payment for loans of their books from public libraries? It's called Public Lending Right (PLR) and this year marks its 30th birthday. Public libraries are joining the PLR office in celebrating 30 years of support for authors. Find out more at www.plr.uk.com

Don't bin your PIN Get it, know it, use it ! You'll soon need a library card and PIN to use the computers in Birmingham Libraries. You'll be able to book a computer when and where you want it, so there'll be no need to queue.

The Birmingham Music Collection To celebrate and promote local talent, the Central Music Library is creating a collection of music by artists with a Birmingham connection. Individual artists, bands or groups are invited to make their CDs available in the library for people to listen to and borrow free of charge. Find out more about the Birmingham Music Collection

Birmingham Stories is an exciting project that intends to extend an awareness of the diverse histories of the city in its many voices and cultures. Unlocking the experiences contained in archive and heritage materials, the project will present a series of public workshops and free online research guides.

Ancestry Library Edition is available FREE on computers in Birmingham Libraries. Trace your family history using records from England, Wales and Scotland censuses 1841 to 1901, UK parish and probate records and now incorporating the complete General Register Office index of births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales from 1837 to 2005. Now includes British Army WW1 Medal Rolls Index cards 1914 - 1920

Midlands Historical Data This project is making digital copies of rare books, maps, photographs and documents about the West Midlands for viewing online. It's free to use on computers in Birmingham Libraries. The site has Birmingham electoral registers for 1912/13, 1918 (absent voters list), 1920, 1925, 1930/31 and 1935/36 - fully searchable by name - which makes it a useful source for family history research.

Health Exchange Calendar There is now a full programme of activities taking place in the Health Exchange on Floor 5 of Central Library and in local centres. Subjects include Tackling Obesity, Healthy Eating and Stopping Smoking

Neighbourhood Libraries Birmingham Libraries are opening brand new, self-service libraries in Community Centres and Leisure Centres around the City. They are convenient, easy to use and, above all, they are local. These neighbourhood libraries are now open - Cocks Moors Woods, Farm Road, Hawkesley, Hawthorn House, Kingsbury, Ladywood, Lyndhurst and St Michael's.

Expensive web sites free in the library . . . and at home if you're a member Birmingham Libraries subscribes to an increasing number of web sites to give you the information you need. If you have a library card, you can use these sites at home, work or college simply by typing in your card number. Sites include Times Digital Archive, Oxford English Dictionary, Naxos Music Library, COBRA business

Some popular pages on our site Local History menu | FAQs about Birmingham past and present | Photo Archive Historical maps of Birmingham | William Shakespeare | J.R.R. Tolkien Muslim places of worship | Hot topics | Resources for Transport Research Information for the Polish Community | Dance schools in Birmingham Pure Science | Websites for Family History

A Brief History of Austin and Longbridge Herbert Austin, founder of the Austin Motor Company, was born 8th November 1866 at Grange Farm, Little Missenden, Buckinghamshire. Find out more about the history of Austin and Longbridge.

Creation Zone just got simpler ! This amazing website at www.creation-zone.co.uk contains over 3,000 images from the Early and Fine Printing Collection, the Parker Collection of Children's Books and Walsall Leather Museum. Browse for hours among the beautiful pictures in the Image Bank or use the Advanced Search to choose by theme, style and texture. And don't miss such treasures as the Aubrey Beardsley illustrations for Le Morte d'Arthur.

The Arts, Languages and Literature staff research and update an enormous amount of local information - Theatre Groups, Art Galleries, Reading and Writing Groups, Dance Schools, Auctioneers, Booksellers, Photographic Societies and more besides - all of these in Birmingham. There is also a useful list of collections and other specialised material you can find in this part of Birmingham Central Library.

Birmingham Box Office Online We sell tickets for a variety of promoters, events and venues in the region through a secure networked box office system.Transactions are live, and credit card processing and seat allocation are undertaken while you are on-line.

Map prints for sale. You can now order copies, colour or sepia, of many of the historical maps of Birmingham from the Archives and Heritage Service in the Central Library. These are A3 high definition prints on quality matte paper, cost £6 each (Postage and packing free).

Credo Reference - an online reference library that gives you access to a huge range of information, including encyclopaedias, dictionaries and books of quotations, plus a range of specialist subjects. You can search all these sources with one keyword search. Available on your home or office computer too, if you are a member of Birmingham Libraries.