Birmingham Botanical Gardens is open!
A cherished place of respite and inspiration for more than 55 years, Birmingham Botanical Gardens is open to all, and we look forward to your visit. The Gardens are open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day of the week through October 31. Starting November 1, fall/winter hours will be 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Visitors are encouraged to practice social distancing. Face masks are required when interacting with others in the Gardens and for entering the Garden Center. For more information and guidelines for visiting safely, click here. We hope to see you soon at the Gardens!

The Library at the Gardens

Use your library card here!

Archives & Rare Book Room | Art Gallery | Catalog | Honors & Memorials | Thyme to Read | Contact Us

The Seed Exchange

About The Library

The Library at Birmingham Botanical Gardens is part of the Public Libraries in Jefferson County, making it the only public horticultural library in the United States. Simply present your blue or black library card to check out one of over 8,000 books, DVDs, audio books and magazines from our circulating collection. As a full-service public library, we can access all of the vast resources of the entire Public Library System in Jefferson County. Stop by today and dig into our collection—your knowledge is sure to grow!

Hours of Operation

PLEASE NOTE THESE HOURS OF OPERATION AS OF MONDAY, JUNE 8, 2020:

As of June 8, 2020, the Library at Birmingham Botanical Gardens is open for curbside service 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. 

If you would like to set up a time to pick up a book or other resource, please call 205.533.6062 or 205.588.4593.

About Curbside Pickup

  • When you request a curbside pickup time, you will be given a 30-minute time window to pick up your items.
  • You must come to the back (outside) door of the Library to pick up your items.
  • Pre-order all items at least 24 hours prior to your pickup time so that we can pull and process your items properly. 
  • You can access the JCLC Encore Catalog system and order items by clicking here. 
  • If you need assistance in selecting materials to place on hold, please call the Library at 205.588.4593 or 205.533.6062.
  • If you have more than $5 in fines, you will not be able to place items on hold. You can pay your fines by logging into your account here.
  • You must have a valid JCLC library card to use this service. Digital library cards will not be accepted.

The Library Offers:

  • Large selection of new gardening books

  • Children's section. Click here for the Kid's Catalog!

  • Over 65 different circulating gardening and horticulture magazines

  • Archives and Rare Book Room

  • A large collection of DVDs

  • Free internet access

  • Free Wi-Fi

  • Magic School Bus DVDs

  • Eyewitness books and DVDs

  • Resource material for Hands-on Activities Science Program (HASP) modules on Living Things, Organisms, Plant Growth and Development, Butterflies, Ecosystems and Earthworms

  • Multiple copies of Peterson's First Guides: Forests, Trees, Urban Wildlife, Butterflies & Moths and Caterpillars

  • The entire Discovering Alabama series on DVD

  • Teacher Resource Area with lesson plan materials

  • Used books & magazines for sale

  • Friendly staff and volunteers to help with all your gardening questions
     

CLICK HERE TO SEARCH THE CATALOG OR RESERVE A BOOK

Complete list of newest available titles at JCLC

Contact Us

205.414.3920 | phone
205.414.3922 | fax

Got a gardening question? Email us

Original brochure for The Library at The Gardens 

Honey for Sale



Utilize the Library at the Gardens' curbside service to purchase honey from
Birmingham Botanical Gardens’ hives, located just west of the Bruno Vegetable Garden.

Cost: $10/bottle

Simply call 205.588.4593 or 205.533.6062 to place your order.

2020 Thyme to Read Book Club 

A monthly gathering hosted at the Library at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Join us at 6 p.m., no registration required, to discuss the month's reading selection. For more information contact Hope Long, library director, at 205.414.3950 ext. 110 or [email protected] 

The Alabama Humanities Foundation, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities, co-sponsors this project. 

 

Explore our 2020 Book List:

When: Tuesday, January 7
Title: Save Me the Plums
Author: Ruth Reichl  

When: Tuesday, February 4
Title: Deep Creek: Finding Hope in the High Country
Author: Pam Houston

 

When: Tuesday, March 3
Title: The Lost Art of Mixing
Author: Erica Bauermeister

When: Tuesday, April 7
Title: The Story of Alabama in Fourteen Foods
Author: Emily Blejwas

 

When: Tuesday, May 5
Title: Cork Dork: A Wine-Fueled Adventure Among the Obsessive Sommeliers, Big Bottle Hunters, and Rogue Scientists Who Taught Me to Live for Taste
Author: Bianca Bosker 

 

When: Tuesday, June 2
Title: The Peach Keeper
Author: Sarah Addison Allen

 

When: Tuesday, July 7
Title: The Genius of Birds
Author: Jennifer Ackerman

When: Tuesday, August 4
Title: The Monk of Mokha
Author: Dave Eggers

When: Tuesday, September 8
Title: The Last Chinese Chef
Author: Nicole Mones

When: Tuesday, October 6
Title: Underground: A Human History of the Worlds Beneath Our Feet
Author: Will Hunt

When: Tuesday, November 10
Title: French Lessons: Adventures with Knife, Fork, and Corkscrew
Author: Peter Mayle

When: Tuesday, December 1
Title: Murder in the Secret Garden
Author: Ellery Adams

 

Contact Hope Long, director of library services, at 205.414.3931 or [email protected] to learn more about the book club.

Honors and Memorials To Support the Library at the Gardens

Don't see a book in the library that you think we should have? We welcome suggestions and donations. You can also choose to memorialize or honor a relative, friend, or colleague and help grow the Library at Birmingham Botanical Gardens at the same time. Be sure to note that your tribute gift is for the Library at the Gardens. Thank you for your support!