Excelsior Branch - San Francisco Public Library

First Monday Movies at Excelsior on Monday, February 6, 6:30-8:30pm

2012-01-28T10:16:00.000-08:00

After taking a break in January, First Monday Movies @ Excelsior is back! The theme for this year is Oscar Winners (and Some Nominees) from the 1930s and 40s.

The February selection is Grand Hotel with Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford and Wallace Beery, directed by Edmund Goulding, 1932, 113 minutes. Oscar for Best Picture, 1932.

The most expensive hotel in Berlin furnishes the background for gaiety and sorrow in a multi-layered story based on a novel by Vicki Baum.

Do You See Cats? SF SPCA Community Cats Education Program, Monday, January 23, 6:30-8pm

2012-01-18T14:29:00.000-08:00

Do you see or feed cats in your neighborhood? Cats with noparticular home or owner? These are some of San Francisco’s communitycats.

To learn more about San Francisco's Community Cats, and how TrapNeuter Return (TNR) Programs can be successful in your neighborhood,view a trapping demonstration and get involved.

Spanish translationwill be available.

Excelsior Film Fest Short Film Series on Tuesday, January 17, 7-8:30

2012-01-13T17:10:00.000-08:00

The Excelsior Film Festival Short Film Series is a monthly event showcasing short films by local and independent film artists.

This month's feature is A Brush with the Tenderloin by Paige Bierma. Paige Bierma's film documents a mural project in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood. Other short films will be shown as well.

7-7:30pm Film for general audience

7:30-7:45pm Intermission

7:45-8:30pm PG13 film

Children under 13 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.

Please join us for this free event.

Library closed on Monday, January 16, for Martin Luther King Jr. Day

2012-01-11T14:52:00.000-08:00

All San Francisco Public Libraries will be CLOSED Monday, Jan. 16, 2012 for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

一月十六日(星期一)為〝馬丁路得·金紀念日〞全部舊金山市立圖書館休息一天。

Las bibliotecas públicas de San Francisco estarán cerradas el lunes 16 de enero del 2012 Día de Martin Luther King, Jr.

Start the New Year with a Good Book

2012-01-03T10:04:00.000-08:00

Looking for reading suggestions? There's no better starting place than the Reader's Corner of our website!

There you can

See the latest selection of the On the Same Page city-wide book club (The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh)
Browse a list of new titles for the month
Sign up for Next Reads newsletters in the reading genre of your choice
And explore our literature databases, reading blogs, and other fun links.

Or do you want to read some of the best books of 2011? Here are links to best books list from a variety of sources:

The Economist Books of the Year
The New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011
The New Yorker Favorite Books from 2011
NPR Best Books of 2011
The Economist Books of the Year
San Francisco Chronicle 100 Recommended Books
The Wall Street Journal Best Novels

For even more best books lists, see the Readers Advisor Online blog's list of best titles lists.

Happy Reading!

New Year Holiday Closures

2011-12-27T16:50:00.001-08:00

The Excelsior Branch and all San Francisco Public Libraries will be closed starting at 5pm on Saturday, December 31, 2011, and all day Sunday, January 1, and Monday, January 2, 2012

We will resume our regular opening hours on Tuesday, January 3. Happy New Year!

Christmas Holiday Closures

2011-12-20T16:35:00.000-08:00

The Excelsior Branch and all San Francisco Public Libraries will be closed for the Christmas holiday weekend on

Saturday, December 24
Sunday, December 25
Monday, December 26

A special Christmas holiday grace period is in effect and checked-out library materials will not be due during this three-day closure.

Happy holidays from all of us at Excelsior Branch!

全部舊金山市立圖書館為聖誕假日將在以下三天休息:

十二月二十四日星期六

十二月二十五日星期日

十二月二十六日星期一

請留意圖書館實施特別的聖誕節寬限期, 所有外借圖書館資料不用在12月24, 25及26日圖書館休假期間歸還.

En celebración de las Fiestas de Navidad, todas las Bibliotecas Públicas de San Francisco estaráran cerradas los días:

Sábado 24 de diciembre

Domingo 25 de diciembre
Lunes 26 de diciembre

Se ha establecido un periodo especial de gracia durante las fiestas de Navidad pare que ningún material prestado deba ser regresado los días 24, 25 y 26 de diciembre en que la biblioteca estará cerrada.

Basic Computer Class, Saturday, December 10, 3:30-5pm

2011-12-07T16:30:00.001-08:00

Learn how to use a mouse and keyboard and other computer basics. This class is limited to 10 students, please call Excelsior Branch at 355-2868 to sign up.

Can't make it to class or want some more practice? Try some of these resources for beginning computer users!

Mouse tutorials

http://www.seniornet.org/howto/mouseexercises/mousepractice.html

http://www.lclshome.org/tutorials/mouse/index.htm

Mouse games

http://www.pbclibrary.org/mousing/games.htm

Typing tutorials

http://www.sense-lang.org/typing/tutor/lessons.php?lang=EN&lesson=1

http://www.powertyping.com/qwerty/lessonsq.html

http://www.typingweb.com/ (click on “No thanks, I don't want to register START TYPING now without saving your progress” to use without registering for the site)

Typing games

http://freeonlinetypinggames.com/free-online-typing-games/typing-trek/

http://games.yahoo.com/game/typer-shark

http://www.onlytypinggames.com/

Good list of more computer resources from Schenectady County Public Library

http://www.scpl.org/resources_services/internet_links/tutorials.html#keyboard

The Life and Art of Vincent van Gogh, Wednesday, December 7, 7pm

2011-12-01T10:43:00.001-08:00

Join us for a lecture on the life and art of Vincent van Gogh for this month's Excelsior Branch Library Arts and Culture Salon!

Discover the joy, beauty, sorrow and genius of this amazing artist. View over 100 slides of van Gogh's art - paintings, drawings, lithographs, etchings - including rarely-seen childhood drawings, those from his early Dutch years, and photographs of him and his family. Hear stories about his life, his childhood, places he lived and jobs he held before he became an artist.

Marlene Aron is an artist, educator and published poet. She was educated in The Netherlands at the Vrije Academie voor Beeldende Kunsten in The Hague, and in the United States, receiving her Master of Fine Arts Degree from California College of the Arts.

They are in! Get your copy of the November/December On the Same Page selection now!

2011-11-30T15:11:00.001-08:00

We just received our copies of Model Home, the November/December On the Same Page book club selection, today so get them right now without a wait!

Model Home by Eric Puchner is tender and funny portrait of an unraveling family from the award-winning and critically acclaimed author of Music Through the Floor.

The New York Times Book Review says this about the novel: "Puchner is a tender, humane observer of family life, and his lithe prose deepens our understanding of his characters . . . the writing is attuned and specific . . . the image of the Zillers as the sole survivors of a disaster is affecting, and subtly suggests our contemporary situation." (full review)

Not sure what On the Same Page is? Click here for more information about the club, more reviews of Model Home, read-alikes and a list of past selections.

Change of Date! Excelsior Branch Youth Chess Club Tournament on Saturday, December 17, 1-3pm (check-in 12:45pm)

2011-11-26T15:48:00.000-08:00

Please note that the date for this event has changed. the Excelsior Branch Youth Chess Club Tournament will take place on Saturday, December 17, not December 10 as originally announced.
All level of chess players are welcome. Play, learn and meet new friends!
Two sections: Open and Beginner

Awards: Medals, chess set, chess pins to all new participants who complete all their rounds.

Space is limited. Please register by Wednesday, December 7 for a guaranteed spot. To register, please email Vincent Ng (Tournament Director) at ngvincep@yahoo.com, with participating youth's full name, school/chess club, age, grade, and with parent/guardian's name & phone number. Subject line: Excelsior Library Tournament.

This tournament is hosted by the Bright Knights Chess Club.

For chess lessons: The Excelsior Branch offers a free chess program every Saturday from 1-3pm.

Thanksgiving Holiday Library Closures

2011-11-18T14:44:00.001-08:00

San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection
Reproduced with the permission of the
San Francisco History Center, SFPL.

Please note that Excelsior Branch and all San Francisco Public Libraries will be CLOSED starting at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 23 and all day Thursday, November 24 and Friday, November 25, 2011 for Thanksgiving. We will resume our regular opening hours on Saturday, November 26, 2011. Happy Thanksgiving!

請大家注意:十一月二十三日(星期三)提前於下午五時休息, 二十四日(星期四)及二十五日(星期五)為"感恩節假日"全部舊金山市立圖書館休息兩天。圖書館在十一月二十六日（星期六）恢復正常開放時間。祝大家感恩節快樂!

Las bibliotecas públicas de San Francisco cerrarán a las 5 p.m. el miércoles, 23 de noviembre y estarán cerradas el jueves 24 y el viernes 25 de noviembre del 2011 en celebración del Día de Acción de Gracias. Vamos a continuar nuestro horario habitual el Sábado, 26 de noviembre 2011. Feliz Día de Acción de Gracias!

Stories from the Road - Bonda Lewis presents Sara Bard Field on Wednesday, November 16, 7-9pm

2011-11-14T15:31:00.001-08:00

The Excelsior Arts & Culture Salon presents Bonda Lewis performing her one-woman show as Sara Bard Field.

Addressing a suffrage meeting, Sara Bard Field tells stories of hereighty-eight day cross-country automobile trip in 1915, carrying apetition to Congress for the immediate adoption of the Susan B Anthonyamendment giving the right to vote to all women of the United States.Sara and two other feminists departed from the Panama-PacificExposition in San Francisco with 500,000 signatures of Californiawomen, who had already won the vote in 1911, and enfranchised womenfrom 11 other western states. In the months prior to this journey, theNational Women’s Party had maintained a booth in the Education buildingto collect the signatures. To help reach the goal of universalsuffrage, the three women endured the rough drive to Washington, D.C.,on the brand-new Lincoln Highway, the first transcontinental road inthe U.S., a road that was mostly unpaved, largely unmarked, and alwayswithout the amenities of rest stops or motels.

Please join actor Bonda Lewis for the live performance and a question-and-answer session to follow.

San Francisco Public Library Free Day at the Contemporary Jewish Museum, Sunday, November 13, 11am-5pm

2011-11-08T11:26:00.000-08:00

Take opportunity of this free event for all San Francisco Public Library card holders at the Contemporary Jewish Museum.

Just present your San Francisco Public Library Card for free entry. In addition to the current exhibitions including Houdini: Art and Magic, enjoy a full day of magical and mysterious story-telling from San Francisco’s very own children’s librarians, hands-on art-making, a story-telling session with local author Lewis Buzbee, and performances by Brian Scott, master magician and mind reader.

Library closed on Friday, November 11, for Veterans' Day

2011-11-04T10:12:00.000-07:00

Excelsior Branch and all other San Francisco Public Libraries will be closed on Friday, November 11, for Veteran's Day.

十一月十一日(星期五)為"退伍軍人節" 全部舊金山市立圖書館休息一天.

Las bibliotecas públicas de San Francisco estarán cerradas el viernes 11 de noviembre del 2011 Día de los Veteranos.

First Monday Movies @ Excelsior on November 7, 6:30-8:30

2011-11-01T13:00:00.000-07:00

The movie for this month's Monday Movies @ Excelsior is Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious with Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman (1946/101 mins).

Alicia Huberman (Ingrid Bergman), daughter of a Nazi spy convicted of treason against the US, meets a dashing stranger named Devlin (Cary Grant). It turns out Devlin works for the intelligence community and he wants to recruit her to infiltrate a cadre of Nazis living in Brazil. Despite the fact that Alicia and Devlin have fallen in love, Alicia realizes the only way to discover what the Nazis are plotting is to marry into the inner circle – a man who has been unsuccessfully courting her for years, Alexander Sebastian (Claude Rains).

Daylight Saving Time ends on November 6, 2011

2011-10-31T15:49:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to set your clocks back one hour on Sunday morning! Daylight Saving Time officially ends at 3am on Sunday, November 6.

夏時制11月6日(星期天)結束! 請記住在11月6日(星期天) 的早上把家裡的鐘錶撥慢1小時。

No se olvide de ajustar sus relojes una hora atrás el proximo domingo! El horario de verano termina oficialmente a las 3 am el domingo, 6 de noviembre.

Excelsior Arts and Culture Salon, Wednesday, October 26, 6:30-8:30pm

2011-10-20T17:19:00.000-07:00

Join us on Wednesday, October 26, for La Bamba: Latinos in Vintage Rock, Pop, and Soul.

Local rock historian Richie Unterberger will present this curated video-program of Latino performers from the 1950s through the 1980s focusing particularly on Latino music from New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, San Antonio, and San Francisco. Included will be clips by artists such as Santana, Malo, Ritchie Valens, the Sir Douglas Quintet, Linda Ronstadt, Jose Feliciano, and Los Lobos, among others.

This program is presented in conjunction with the exhibition American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music currently on view in the Skylight Gallery of the Main Library. American Sabor was created by Experience Music Project and organized for travel by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. The exhibition, its national tour and related programs are made possible by Ford Motor Company Fund.

Lily Tung Crystal as Tye Leung, Tuesday, October 18, 7-8pm

2011-10-12T16:54:00.000-07:00

Bay Area actor Lily Tung Crystal portrays Tye Leung, a San Francisco woman who was both the first Chinese-American woman to vote in the U.S., and the first Chinese American of either gender to work a civil service job for the federal government as a translator at Angel Island immigration station. The program will cover her childhood into her adult years.

This program is part of the city-wide Women's Suffrage Centenial celebration. For other programs related to this celebration, please visit the SFPL website or click here.

One City One Book Discussion Tonight, 7:00pm

2011-09-28T12:32:00.000-07:00

Join us tonight (Wed., Sept 28) to discuss the current One City One Book Packing for Mars by Mary Roach. We will have a book discussion leader on hand to lead the discussion.

Computer Classes

2011-09-16T12:48:00.000-07:00

Teens Teaching Seniors

This popular drop-in workshop has started again! Adults of all ages can drop in to receive individual attention from tech-savvy high school students. Get help with your particular computing and technology questions and problems. No appointment or reservation necessary. Potential volunteers and prospective students can contact Marla Bergman at the Excelsior Branch on 415-355-2868.

Saturdays, 3:30-5:00 p.m.
September 10, 17, 24; October 1, 8, 15, 22, 29;
November 5, 12, 19, 26

Doug Nolan / Rock Steady Juggling for kids

2011-07-20T14:33:00.000-07:00

A program of juggling virtuosity, comedy antics, plate spinning, and unicycling. For ages 3-5. Space limited; call for reservations.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011 11:00-11:30 am

Duct Tape Wallets for Teens

2011-07-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

Use ordinary duct tape in various colors to make a very functional and long lasting wallet for yourself or a gift. Ages 12-18. For more information, contact Marla at mbergman@sfpl.org or 415-355-2868.

Wednesday, July 13, 4:00-5:30 pm

Monday Movies at Excelsior

2011-06-30T17:35:00.000-07:00

Continuing the 2010-2011 theme of film noir:

A Double Life (1947, 104min.) Broadway actor Anthony John (Ronald Colman) has a habit of becoming the characters he plays. He’s easy to get along with when doing a comedy, but he can be a real pain when he's involved in a tragedy. He'd like to get back together with his co-star and ex-wife Brita (Signe Hasso), but she's sick of the emotional roller coaster. Coleman’s journey into psychosis is a foregone conclusion after he takes on the lead role in the longest running Othello in history. Also starring Shelley Winters and Edmond O’Brien. Directed by George Cukor.

Monday, July 11, 6:30-8:30 - note that this is the SECOND Monday due to the holiday on July 4.

Heather Rogers, Magician & Quick Change Artist for kids

2011-06-29T15:48:00.000-07:00

Please come enjoy a fun program of magic, comedy, audience participation, and instant costume changes. For ages 4 and older. Space limited; call for reservations.

Wednesday, July 6, 11:00 - 11:30 am

July 4 - Library Closed for Independence Day

2011-06-28T17:49:00.000-07:00

The Library will be closed for Independence Day on July 4.
We will be open at the usual times on July 3 and July 5.

Teen Movie Day - Step Up 2

2011-06-25T17:19:00.000-07:00

Step Up 2: The Streets (2008)
Romantic sparks occur between two dance students from different backgrounds at the Maryland School of the Arts.
Director: Jon M. Chu
Stars:Robert Hoffman, Briana Evigan and Cassie Ventura

Tuesday, July 05, 2011, 4:00 - 6:00 pm

Free movies for teens every first Tuesday. Refreshments provided. Ages 10-18 welcomed. For more information, please contact Marla at mbergman@sfpl.org or 415-355-2868.

String Creatures - craft for teens

2011-06-10T13:41:00.000-07:00

Learn how to make an adorable, string creature from one piece of string! These creatures are based on string dolls from Thailand. All materials provided. For teens, ages 12-18. For more information or to register, contact Marla Bergman, Teen Librarian, at mbergman@sfpl.org or 415-355-2868.

Wednesday, June 22, 4:00-5:30 pm

Classical Chinese Dance - Excelsior Arts & Culture Salon

2011-06-02T17:15:00.000-07:00

The Excelsior Arts & Culture Salon and the Adult Summer Reading Program present Classical Chinese Dance. Cecilia Xiong of the Fei Tian Academy of the Arts California teaches classical Chinese dance, a dance that expresses inner feeling and grace. Chinese dance has developed over the course of the 5,000 year history of Chinese civilization. By learning this ancient art form, one can become familiar with this profound culture, a culture based on the philosophies of Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. The class size may be limited to 15 adults.

To get a free ticket, speak to a librarian at the branch.
Wednesday, June 22, 7:00-8:00 pm

Library Closed for Memorial Day Holiday

2011-05-25T20:11:00.000-07:00

Monday May 30, 2011, all branches of San Francisco Public Library will be closed in observance of Memorial Day. Excelsior Branch will be open as usual on Sunday, 1:00-5:00 pm and Tuesday, 10:00 am to 9:00 pm

First Monday Movie - The Big Heat

2011-05-21T12:51:00.000-07:00

Continuing the 2010-2011 theme of film noir:

The Big Heat (1953/90 mins.) - When homicide sergeant Dave Bannion (Glenn Ford) is assigned to investigate the apparent suicide of a fellow police officer, he uncovers a sinister relationship between the local syndicate boss and the corrupt city government. Bannion’s cozy suburban life is destroyed when the big city gangsters mistakenly kill his wife with a car bomb intended for him. After he is suspended from the police force, Bannion embarks on a crusade of revenge in this classic police drama. Also starring Lee Marvin and Gloria Grahame. Directed by Fritz Lang.

Monday, June 6, 6:30-8:30

Cherry Hoops Hula Hoop Fun

2011-05-21T12:39:00.000-07:00

Join enthusiastic and talented teacher Miss Nicole for hula hoop fun! Great for beginners. Hoops provided. For ages 6 and older.

Monday, June 6
1:15-1:45 pm

Space is very limited, so please call (415) 355-2836.

Congress on Your Corner

2011-05-21T11:00:00.000-07:00

If you are having problems with a federal agency or obtaining your Social Security, Medicare, veterans or other federal benefits, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi’s office may be able to help. Congresswoman Pelosi’s office will hold Community Office Hours on Wednesday June 8th from 4pm to 7pm at the Excelsior Branch, Wednesday June 22nd from 4pm to 7pm at the Main Library – Stong Meeting Room (1st Floor) and Friday July 8th from 2pm to 5pm at the Glen Park Branch.

Staff will be available to answer questions about federal agencies, programs and benefits, and to offer any possible assistance. For more information about Congresswoman Pelosi’s constituent services, please visit www.house.gov/pelosi.

Wednesday June 8, 4:00-7:00 pm

How to Train Your Dragon - Teen Movie Day

2011-05-20T16:28:00.000-07:00

A hapless young Viking who aspires to hunt dragons becomes the unlikely friend of a young dragon himself, and learns there may be more to the creatures than he assumed.

Directors: Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders

Free movies for teens every first Tuesday. Refreshments provided. Ages 10-18. For more information,contact Marla at mbergman@sfpl.org or (415) 355-3858.

Tuesday, June 7, 4:00-6:00 pm

Bike to Work Day

2011-05-12T10:05:00.000-07:00

Today is Bike to Work Day in San Francisco.

To search for all things bicycles and bicycling, make a KEYWORD search for words in the SUBJECT HEADING using tag s: for subject, like this:

KEYWORD s:bicycl*

The asterisk is a wildcard representing the end letters in bicycle, bicycling, bicycles
(you can also use d: for "descriptor")

Click here for results of that search.

To find the list of Subjects available at SFPL in this area, make a SUBJECT search for bicycle:

SUBJECT bicycle Click here for the resultant list of subjects.

You can limit your search by location by changing from View Entire Collection to the name of a branch. You can limit your results to only items available by checking that box. By clicking on the "Limit/Sort Search" or "Modify Search" button you can narrow your search by language or by media type (book or DVD etc).

Teen Movie - Inception

2011-05-01T17:10:00.000-07:00

In a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through dream invasion, a highly skilled thief is given a final chance at redemption which involves executing his toughest job to date: Inception.

Director: Christopher Nolan
Writer: Christopher Nolan
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ellen Page

Refreshments provided.

Tuesday, May 10, 3:30-6:00 pm

The Water is Wide - Songs of the Seas and Rivers

2011-04-29T17:40:00.000-07:00

A favorite of library audiences for his uplifting renditions of popular American folksongs, Tim Holt performs and discusses our heritage of sea chanteys, whaling songs, traditional songs ("Shenandoah" and "The Erie Canal"), and Woody Guthrie's Columbia River songs promoting public power. He also includes an original song, "Sailing Down My Mountain Stream," adapted from a Pete Seeger song about cleaning up the Hudson River. Holt's version focuses on a more recent effort to restore wild salmon to the upper reaches of the Sacramento River.

Note that, in a break with the usual pattern, this Excelsior Arts and Culture Salon offering will be on the second, instead of the fourth Wednesday of the month.

Wednesday, May 11, 7:00-8:30 pm

Music with Pam Donkin

2011-04-29T16:48:00.000-07:00

A hop skip and a jump! - for young children

Encourage literacy in this interactive and fun musical program. Join Pam Donkin as she leads songs, chants and fingerplays that help with reading-readiness.

Tuesday, May 3, 11:00 - 11:30 am

Button Mania for Teens - Recycle-a-thon!

2011-04-29T16:30:00.000-07:00

Make a button with your favorite pic or words. Cut it out, print it out, or draw your own. FYI, buttons are small (1 1/4 inches in diameter). Materials provided. Join us in making buttons and other recycled crafts! This is a WritersCorps event led by Aracely Gonzalez.

Wednesday, May 4 and 18, 4:00 - 5:30 pm

First Monday Movie for May - Angel Face

2011-04-29T16:04:00.000-07:00

Ambulance driver Frank Jessup (Robert Mitchum) falls under the spell of spoiled rich girl Diane Tremayne (Jean Simmons) when he’s called to her home following a near fatal “accident.” Frank soon becomes the Tremayne chauffeur, and he dreams of opening his own sports-car garage with the help of Diane’s money. But Diane's got a few quirks - especially her hostility toward her stepmother. Frank begins to feel danger under Diane’s surface sweetness as she slowly pulls him into her world of lies and deceit. Directed by Otto Preminger (1952/91 mins.)

Monday, May 2, 6:30 pm

Call+Response

2011-04-20T09:53:00.000-07:00

This April, the Excelsior Branch Arts & Culture Salon features Call+Response, a film about modern day slavery.

Join Director Justin Dillon at this screening of Call + Response, a pioneering documentary that exposes the world’s 27 million dirtiest secrets: there are more slaves today than ever before. Call + Response goes deep undercover where slavery is thriving, from the child brothels of Cambodia to the brick kilns of rural India, revealing that in 2009, slave traders made more money than Google, Nike and Starbucks together. Prominent political and cultural figures such as Cornel West, Madeleine Albright, Daryl Hannah, Julia Ormond, Ashley Judd and Nicholas Kristof offer firsthand accounts of this 21st century trade. The film features performances from Grammy-winning and critically acclaimed artists including Moby, Natasha Bedingfield, Talib Kweli and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Dillon will answer questions and discuss the film with the audience following the screening.

Wednesday, April 27 @ 7:00 pm

National Poetry Month

2011-04-13T15:37:00.000-07:00

Inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, National Poetry Month is now held every April, when publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, schools and poets around the country band together to celebrate poetry and its vital place in American culture. Thousands of businesses and non-profit organizations participate through readings, festivals, book displays, workshops, and other events.

Keep an eye out for Poem in Your Pocket Day at Excelsior Branch Library on April 14!

Check out some “poetry generator” sites:

For example
Think Zone Poem Generator
Will produce poems like this:

Sails endure like sunny gulls.
Why does the shark die?
Misty, rough clouds swiftly love a small, old shore.
Clear, dead winds roughly view a lively, misty lad.
The breeze travels like a warm captain.

Shrink calmly like a misty slum.
Love, work, and life.
Life, life, and action.
The car gabs like a big street.
The big girl quickly buys the hood.

*************************************************

These are from Language is a Virus:

So comely in the fog
Strangely green beyond the shadows
You cavort with cold faces in the air
Take cover! The sin is done
Very quiet below the spirits
We poke evil flames over the tomb
God! The day has vanished
So comely in the fog
You conjure dark delusions about the rain
Alass! The Knave is vanishing
shifting hungry
never meeting
no words left
From what country
the sailor
wander aimlessly
in the late light

Strange and colorful about the clouds
So murky in the air
You prod dry teeth about the spirits
Can you dig it? The sin must continue
Dark and black below the shadows
I smell luminous fragments over the light
Ahhh! The Queen is going
Strange and colorful about the clouds
I swallow dark hooks over the fire
I reach! The day felt good
darkening nameless
saying goodbye
sun on his face
In how many places
the god
turn aside
in the late light

***********************************

Or try this: Poetry Generator

This one from the Educational Technology Training Center is more interactive.

Dewey Classifications for Poetry

800s for literature generally
808 for materials about the craft of writing

So ...
808.1 for materials about the craft of writing poetry

Poetry class numbers tend to end in 1

Poetry collections begin at 808.81

American poetry in English begins at 811
English poetry begins at 821

Some examples of numbers for poetry in other languages:

831 German poetry
839.71 Swedish poetry
841 French poetry

851 Italian poetry
861 Spanish poetry
869.1 Portuguese poetry
871 Latin poetry
881 Classical Greek poetry
889.1 Modern Greek poetry

891.86 Czech poetry

891.71 Russian poetry
895.61 Japanese poetry

Spring Craft with Marianne for children

2011-04-09T05:24:00.000-07:00

Please come join in the Springtime fun and crate an Easter craft with Marianne. All ages welcome! Space limited; call for reservations.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

11:30 - 12:15

Earth Month Madness

2011-03-31T17:06:00.000-07:00

Recycle-a-thon!

April is Earth Day, all month long! Join us in making journals and more from a variety of recycled papers.

This is a WritersCorps event led by Aracely Gonzalez. For more information, contact Marla at mbergman@sfpl.org or 415-355-2868.

Wednesdays, April 4 and April 18, 4:00 - 6:00 pm

Teen Movie Day

2011-03-31T16:47:00.000-07:00

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) 108 min
A couple undergo a procedure to erase each other from their memories when their relationship turns sour, but it is only through the process of loss that they discover what they had to begin with.

Director: Michel Gondry
Writers: Charlie Kaufman (story & screenplay), Michel Gondry (story), Pierre Bismuth (story)
Stars: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet and Tom Wilkinson

Tuesday, April 5, 2011
4:00 - 6:00 pm

Free movies for teens every first Tuesday. Refreshments provided. Ages 12-18. For more information, contact Marla at mbergman@sfpl.org or (415) 355-2868.

First Monday Movie for April - "Gun Crazy"

2011-03-30T04:30:00.000-07:00

Gun Crazy (1949, 86 minutes)

Bart Tare (John Dall) has always loved guns. He’s fresh out of the army when his friends take him to a carnival. There he meets the perfect girl, Annie Laurie Starr (Peggy Cummins), a sharp-shooting sideshow performer. The couple begins a cross-country string of daring robberies, in this variation on the Bonnie and Clyde story. This brilliantly filmed noir film includes an amazing sequence - shot in one long take - of a bank robbery seen from the backseat of the getaway car. Directed by Joseph Lewis.

Monday, April 4, 2011
6:30 - 8:30 pm

Chess Club canceled Saturday March 26 and April 2

2011-03-26T11:52:00.001-07:00

Chess Club at Excelsior Branch is canceled this afternoon! We apologize for the late notice. It is also canceled on April 2 because the team will be away at a tournament. Chess club should be back the week after, on April 9.

Triangle Shirt Factory

2011-03-25T15:35:00.000-07:00

Today is the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist fire. This crime and tragedy was an important event in labor history in the United States. 146 workers, the vast majority young immigrant women, died in the fire. The flimsy fire escape collapsed, the fire brigade's ladders were too short, and many jumped to their deaths from the 8th, 9th and 10th floor windows. Most importantly, the doors were locked to prevent the sweatshop workers from leaving during working hours and the heaps of rubbish everywhere were a fire hazard. The owners of the factory were prosecuted, but acquitted of manslaughter charges. However, the direct result was to strengthen labor safety laws and the cause of the labor unions, particularly the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union (ILGWU).

Remember the Triangle Fire website

Items in the library catalog about the fire and the history surrounding it include books for children and adults, with several works of fiction.

Labor History in the United States in the library catalog

Diane di Prima - Writing for Fun - POSTPONED

2011-03-18T16:00:00.000-07:00

EVENT POSTPONED
Wednesday, March 23

The Excelsior Branch Library regrets to announce that this event has been postponed.

Please watch this space for a future event with San Francisco Poet Laureate Diane di Prima.

We like Arundhati Roy

2011-03-16T10:59:00.000-07:00

For Women's History Month - we like Arundhati Roy.

Best known for her Booker-winning novel The God of Small Things, she is a writer of essays and a political activist in her native India, where she supports the causes of the poor.

Arundhati Roy in the SFPL catalog.
An interview in the Guardian this January (UK)
An interview on Democracy Now last year
A recent article written by Roy

"What We Like" features weekly recommendations from Excelsior staff and patrons for Library books, music, movies and audiobooks that we think you might like. If you have something you want to recommend, drop by and let us know!

Teen Texting Contest

2011-03-15T05:00:00.000-07:00

TXT UR <3 OUT

Hey, You! With the nimble fingers! Just how fast/accurate are you? Think you’re TXT MSG savvy? In celebration of Teen Tech Week at the library, compete in our texting contest for prizes. Ages 12-18.

Tuesday March 29
1:30-3:30 pm

What We Like

2011-03-09T15:34:00.001-08:00

Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy

This is a book that has stayed with me for decades. I first read it when I was just finding my feminist feet. It is not a perfect book. Few descriptions of utopian visions are. However, the story of Connie Ramos, a poor Chicana forced into a mental institution by her niece’s lying pimp, is compelling. Each dreadful chapter describing Connie’s grim circumstances is followed by the relief offered by a chapter describing Connie’s travel through time and space to an ideal community. This community is Piercy’s feminist vision of what the future could be. The book made me think differently about people with mental illness (is Connie mad or gifted?), and also imagine what my own feminist utopia might be. I reread it recently and it still pulled me in.

Woman on the Edge of Time was a best seller and is a classic of its genre, both for its feminist and for its science fiction elements. There is a lot of material about it on the web.

Marge Piercy’s Website

Amazon reader reviews

International Women's Day Centennial

2011-03-08T09:37:00.000-08:00

Happy International Women's Day!

According to internationalwomensday.com the first International Women's Day was 100 years ago:
In 1869 British MP John Stuart Mill was the first person in Parliament to call for women's right to vote. On 19 September 1893 New Zealand became the first country in the world to give women the right to vote. Women in other countries did not enjoy this equality and campaigned for justice for many years.
At the second International Conference of Working Women held in Copenhagen in 1910, Clara Zetkin (Leader of the 'Women's Office' for the Social Democratic Party in Germany) proposed that every year in every country there should be a celebration on the same day - a Women's Day - to press for their demands. The conference of over 100 women from 17 countries, representing unions, socialist parties, working women's clubs, and including the first three women elected to the Finnish parliament, greeted Zetkin's suggestion with unanimous approval and thus International Women's Day was the result.

The very first International Women's Day was launched in 2011 on 19 March (not 8 March). The date was chosen because on 19 March in the year of the 1848 revolution, the Prussian king recognized for the first time the strength of the armed people and gave way before the threat of a proletarian uprising. Among the many promise he made, which he later failed to keep, was the introduction of votes for women.

In 1913 International Women's Day was transferred to 8 March and this day has remained the global date for International Wommen's Day ever since.

During International Women's Year in 1975, IWD was given official recognition by the United Nations and was taken up by many governments. International Women's Day is marked by a national holiday in China, Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

March is Women's History Month and there are programs and displays at Excelsior Branch and throughout SFPL.

Check out the timeline at the National Women's History Project.
And the Library of Congress site for Women's History Month.
Ms. magazine has a blog.

Tuesday tip - searching for a series

2011-03-07T23:17:00.000-08:00

If you don't want to spoil an ongoing story line by reading the books in a series out of order, how can you sort out which comes first?

You can try searching the Internet. Often the author's website, or that of a fan will tell you. You could try looking for publishing dates, but what if you're looking at dates of reprints and new editions? Another way would be to use one of the library's databases. One I like to use is called NoveList.

Go to our home page: sfpl.org
Under eLibrary there is a link for Articles & Databases
To get to Novelist you can click on N, or choose Books &Literature from the drop-down.

Once you have Novelist open you can see that one of the options to search on is Series. You can type a keyword from the name of the series, or you can type the title of one book in the series, or just type the author's name. When you click on the name of the series, or on the title of one of the books in the series, you will get the list of all titles in the series in order. Each title has a link to the catalog of SFPL so you can check availablity and reserve (hold) a copy.

Here is a video to show how:

If you cannot see the video, please let us know.

Teen Movie Day - Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - Tuesday March 15, 4:00-6:00 pm

2011-03-03T17:10:00.000-08:00

Based on Bryan Lee O’Malley’s comic book series, the film stars Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans, Anna Kendrick, Alison Pill, Brandon Routh and Jason Schwartzman.

Meet charming and jobless Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera). A bass guitarist for garage band Sex Bob-omb, the 22-year-old has just met the girl of his dreams…literally. The only catch to winning Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead)? Her seven evil exes are coming to kill him.

Tuesday March 15, 2011

4:00-6:00 pm

First Monday Movies - Ace in the Hole

2011-03-01T08:20:00.000-08:00

Ace in the Hole (1951/111 min)

Directed by Billy Wilder

Kirk Douglas plays Chuck Tatum, a former big-time reporter whose reputation is so tarnished he's now at an Albuquerque rag, chasing down local-interest stuff. That is until a local miner gets stuck in a cave, a situation that Tatum not only exploits but actually manipulates, hoping to jumpstart his career. The situation quickly escalates into an out-of-control media circus. Also starring Jan Sterling.

March 7, 2011 6:30 pm

Puppet Art Theater comes to Excelsior

2011-03-01T07:05:00.000-08:00

Jack and the Beanstalk

Jack has traded his cow for magic wishing beans much to his mother's dismay. In frustration, Jack's mom tosses the beans out the window where they grow into a huge beanstalk. Up the beanstalk goes Jack and the adventure begins!

Tuesday March 15, 2011
2:00 - 2:45 pm

Black History Month - quotation

2011-02-28T04:34:00.000-08:00

There is no life that does not contribute to history.
Dorothy West (1909?-1998)

Black History Month - quotation

2011-02-27T04:24:00.000-08:00

"The greatest struggle of any oppressed group in a racist society is the struggle to reclaim collective memory and identity. At the level of culture, racism seeks to deny people of African, American Indian, Asian, and Latino descent their own voices, histories, and tradiitons."
Manning Marable (1950- )

Black History Month - quotation

2011-02-26T01:59:00.000-08:00

“As a poet and writer, I deeply love and I deeply hate words. I love the infinite evidence and change and requirements and possibilities of language; every human use of words that is joyful, or honest or new, because experience is new... But as a Black poet and writer, I hate words that cancel my name and my history and the freedom of my future: I hate the words that condemn and refuse the language of my people in America.”
June Jordan (1936 - 2002)

Black History Month - quotation

2011-02-25T02:21:00.000-08:00

All History is current; all injustice continues on some level, somewhere in the world.
Alice Walker (1944-)

Black History Month - quotation

2011-02-24T01:05:00.000-08:00

"I learned a history not then written in books but one passed from generation to generation on the steps of moonlit porches and beside dying fires in one-room houses, a history of great-grandparents and of slavery and of the days following slavery; of those who lived still not free, yet who would not let their spirits be enslaved."
Mildred Taylor (born 1943)

Black History Month - quotation

2011-02-23T00:45:00.000-08:00

I always looked upon the acts of racist exclusion, or insult, as pitiable, from the other person. I never absorbed that. I always thought that there was something deficient about such people.
Toni Morrison (born 1931)

Black History Month - quotation

2011-02-22T05:45:00.000-08:00

There's no reason for the establishment to fear me. But it has every right to fear the people collectively - I am one with the people.
Huey Newton (February 17, 1942 – August 22, 1989)

The Black Panther Party Platform (October 1966)

Black History Month - quotation

2011-02-21T05:35:00.000-08:00

“Truth is powerful and it prevails.”
Sojourner Truth (1797 - 1883)

Black History Month - quotation

2011-02-20T05:09:00.000-08:00

"Those who profess to favor freedom and yet depreciate agitation, are people who want crops without ploughing the ground; they want rain without thunder and lightning; they want the ocean without the roar of its many waters. The struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, or it may be both. But it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will."
— Frederick Douglass (1818 – 1895) Frederick Douglass died 116 years ago today, February 20.

Reminder - Library Closed Monday!

2011-02-19T17:38:00.000-08:00

REMEMBER The Excelsior Branch and all SFPL branches will be closed Monday, February 21 for Presidents' Day.

Parking Enforcement
MUNI information
BART holiday schedule

Black History Month - quotation

2011-02-19T05:14:00.000-08:00

“When we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard or welcomed. But when we are silent, we are still afraid. So it is better to speak.” - Audre Lorde, writer, poet and activist (1934 – 1992)

Black History Month quotation

2011-02-18T04:58:00.000-08:00

I do not hesitate one second to state clearly and unmistakably: I belong to the American resistance movement which fights against American imperialism, just as the resistance movement fought against Hitler. - Paul Robeson (1898-1976), quoted in Here I Stand p.108 (Beacon Press Edition, 1988)

Black History Month

2011-02-17T16:14:00.000-08:00

It's late in the month to mention this, but there are a lot of programs and exhibitions at SFPL for Black History Month. Here at Excelsior we have a small display of books in the entrance wall case. You are welcome to ask a librarian to pull a book out of the case for you to check out, or to recommend other books on the subject. People are also borrowing books from the "Check Out the Civil Rights Movement" and Martin Luther King Jr. displays.

And here is a quotation from author and playwright Zora Neale Hurston (1903 - 1960):
"Mama exhorted her children at every opportunity to 'jump at de sun.' We might not land on the sun, but at least we would get off the ground."

New Editor for the Blog

2011-02-17T16:01:00.000-08:00

The Excelsior blog has a new editor. We apologize for any recent gaps in service and hope to be up to date and running as usual from now on. Thank you for your patience!
- Jane

LIBRARY CLOSED - February 21, Presidents' Day

2011-02-16T11:30:00.000-08:00

The Excelsior Branch and all SFPL branches will be closed Monday, February 21 for Presidents' Day.

Parking Enforcement
MUNI information
BART holiday schedule

First Monday Movies - Shadow of a Doubt

2011-02-01T17:00:00.000-08:00

Shadow of a Doubt (1943/108 mins.)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Uncle Charlie (Joseph Cotton) arrives in peaceful Santa Rosa, California for an extended visit. The film's chilling prologue has already revealed Uncle Charlie's identity as the notorious Merry Widow Murderer. The suspense grows almost unbearable as the trust and admiration of his niece and namesake (Teresa Wright) gives way to dread and suspicion. This witty thriller strips away the façade of small-town tranquility to reveal evil where it's least expected.

Monday, February 7, 6:30pm

LIBRARY CLOSED - January 17 - Martin Luther King Jr Day

2011-01-14T11:22:00.000-08:00

The Excelsior Branch and all SFPL branches will be closed on Monday, January 17, 2010 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

MLK National Day of Service

Parking Enforcement
MUNI information
BART holiday schedule

First Monday Movies - The Asphalt Jungle

2010-12-27T10:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the 2011 Season of First Monday Movies at Excelsior Branch. The year's theme is Film Noir Part 2, continuing our most popular theme yet.

The Asphalt Jungle (1950, 112 min.)
Directed by John Huston

Criminal mastermind Doc Erwin Riedenschneider (Sam Jaffe) blows into town with a caper that the local hoods can't resist. He sets up the deal with big-time lawyer Alonzo D. Emmerich (Louis Calhern) and chooses Dix Handley (Sterling Hayden) as the muscle for the job. Unfortunately, Emmerich is hatching a doublecross and plans to take the loot and skip with his mistress Angela Phinlay (Marilyn Monroe). The dark urban world of The Asphalt Jungle is one of the essential destinations in film noir.

Monday, January 3 @ 6:30 p.m.

LIBRARY CLOSED - Christmas

2010-12-17T10:00:00.000-08:00

The Excelsior Branch and all SFPL branches will close at 5:00pm on Friday December 24 and will be closed Saturday, December 25 for Christmas.

Parking Enforcement

MUNI information

BART holiday schedule

Have a great Holiday!

First Monday Movies - The Long Goodbye - December 6th

2010-11-27T09:00:00.000-08:00

A thoroughly eccentric version of author Raymond Chandler’s novel bearing the indelible stamp of maverick director Robert Altman. Smart-aleck, cat-loving private eye Philip Marlowe (Elliott Gould) is certain that his friend Terry Lennox isn't a wife-killer, even after the cops throw Marlowe in jail for not cooperating with their investigation. Marlowe starts his own search for the missing Lennox when he discovers that the mysterious Eileen Wade (Nina Van Pallandt), who hired him to find her alcoholic novelist husband Roger (Sterling Hayden), coincidently lives on the same Malibu street as Lennox. (1973/112 mins)

Monday, December 6th @ 6:30 p.m.

LIBRARY CLOSED - Thanksgiving

2010-11-23T17:26:00.000-08:00

The Excelsior Branch and all SFPL branches will be closed Wednesday through Friday, November 24-25-26 for Thanksgiving.

Parking Enforcement

MUNI information

BART holiday schedule

Have a great Holiday!

Excelsior Salon - Vincent Van Gogh - November 17th

2010-11-12T15:35:00.000-08:00

Vincent Van Gogh and the Post-Impressionist Movement

Marlene Aron presents the life and art of Vincent Van Gogh, whose intense passion for people and the land drove him to create some of the most beautiful, vibrant, and deeply-felt art ever seen. He, along with Paul Cézanne, Emile Bernard, Toulouse-Lautrec and Paul Gauguin, responded, through their art, to the world in ways that had never been done before and journeyed into a realm of personal expression that was to become the Post-Impressionist Movement. This event coincides with the de Young Museum exhibition: Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne and Beyond: Post-Impressionist Masterpieces from the Musée d’Orsay.

Wednesday, November 17th @ 7 p.m.

LIBRARY CLOSED - November 11th - Veterans Day

2010-11-07T10:00:00.000-08:00

The Excelsior Branch and all SFPL branches will be closed on Thursday, November 11, 2010 in observance of Veterans Day.

Parking Enforcement
MUNI information
BART holiday schedule

Edwardo Madril Storytelling

2010-11-05T10:00:00.000-07:00

The program features stories from various tribes and regions, including costumed theater, dancing, audience participation, and sign language. Every song, dance, and gesture illustrates a part of Native American heritage as a people with roots in the distant past.

Wednesday, November 10, 11:00 - 11:30 am

Parkside Grand Reopening Celebration

2010-11-03T17:00:00.001-07:00

Welcome back to a beloved neighborhood treasure, the newly renovated Parkside Branch Library.

Saturday, November , 1-6pm

Shakespeare on Tour

2010-11-02T14:12:00.000-07:00

Shakespeare on Tour will be coming to the Excelsior Library on November 3rd at 3:15pm. Come experience the drama and excitement of a live Shakespeare performance of "The Tempest".

Wednesday, November 3rd, 3:15 pm

Giants Pride Week – Excelsior Branch

2010-10-27T11:18:00.000-07:00

Even though we are not able to light our building orange like City Hall or Coit Tower, Excelsior Branch Library is showing our Giants Pride with displays of Giants memorabilia from the collections of Branch staffers.

Here at the Excelsior Branch we have many Giants fans (long-suffering and bandwagon-ers alike) on the staff and out in the stacks and chairs. Patrons keep the staff up to date with the scores from GameCast or the latest from KNBR when they hustle in to return a book. But, when the Giants win, we know within seconds: the nearby watering holes erupt with cheers, followed soon after by the parade of cars down Mission Street.

So, when you’re not glued to your TV or radio, stop by Excelsior Branch to see our display of memorabilia from the personal collections of staff members. You can pick out books about the Giants or look for old newspaper articles. You can also see a fine collection of Giants and Seals images from the Library’s Historical Photograph Collection.

If something historic happens, be sure to check out the Newseum’s collection of front pages.

Go Giants! ¡Viva Gigantes!

First Monday Movies - They Live By Night - November 1st

2010-10-19T17:14:00.000-07:00

Bowie Bowers (Farley Granger) escapes from jail with two hardened criminals and holes up at Mobley's filling station to recover from a wound. He's nursed by Mobley's daughter Keechie (Cathy O'Donnell). Despite the fact that neither has known anything but hardship and distrust in their short lives, Bowie and Keechie begin to fall in love. The older cons involve Bowie in a bank heist where a man gets killed, and the couple go on the run. Bowie and Keechie are hopelessly naïve, fabricating their own idyllic dream world as the authorities close in. Based on Edward Anderson's Depression-era novel Thieves Like Us. Directed by Nicholas Ray (1948/95 mins)

Monday, November 1st @ 6:30 p.m.

Excelsior Knitters

2010-10-14T20:00:00.000-07:00

Knitters & Crocheters - come chat, knit, purl, and spin! Have fun comparing patterns, sharing techniques and trading tips. Make new friends in the neighborhood!

Intermediate and advanced, please come and share your experience and ideas. The room is cozy, private and comfortable. Beginners are welcome to look at patterns and get acquainted. Please bring your own materials. We welcome all. Excelsior Knitters usually meet at the Library on the second Monday each month.

Monday, October 18th - 6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Monday, November 8th - 6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Magic Dan - October 20th

2010-10-14T10:00:00.000-07:00

Magic Dan brings his magic show to Excelsior just in time for Halloween! Enjoy magic tricks, juggling and themed games. Ages 3 and older. Space is limited. Please call (415) 355-2868 for reservations.

Clinic by the Bay

2010-10-12T10:00:00.000-07:00

Clinic by the Bay, a free health clinic, has opened at 4877 Mission Street in the Excelsior District.

A volunteer-powered, non-profit organization that will serve the primary medical needs of the uninsured in San Francisco and San Mateo Counties, the Clinic's goal is to provide a caring medical home for their patients so they can work, attend school, adequately care for their families and be productive members of their community.

Clinic by the Bay is a Volunteers in Medicine (VIM) clinic. VIM is a national model of health care that was founded by Dr. Jack McConnell in 1992 and opened in Hilton Head, South Carolina, in 1994. (See www.volunteersinmedicine.org.) There are currently 78 VIM clinics operating in 24 states in the United States, the majority of which are located east of the Mississippi.

Clinic by the Bay's Mission: To understand and serve, with dignity and respect, the health and wellness needs of the medically underserved in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Additionally, their goal is to enhance the lives of the volunteers who contribute to the care and wellness of our community as a whole.

For more information, contact the Clinic at 415.405.0222.

Excelsior Salon - Maid as Muse - October 27th

2010-10-11T16:19:00.000-07:00

In Maid as Muse, Aife Murray explodes the myth of the isolated genius and presents an intimate, densely realized story of joined lives between Emily Dickinson and her domestic servants. Part scholarly study, part detective story, part personal journey, Murray's book uncovers a world previously unknown: an influential world of Irish immigrant servants and an ethnically rich one of Yankee, English-immigrant, Native American, and African American maids and laborers, seamstresses and stablemen. Murray reveals how Irish immigrant Margaret Maher and the other servants influenced the cultural outlook, fashion, artistic subject, and even poetic style of Emily Dickinson.

Local scholar and author Aife Murray says Maid as Muse came about because of a visit to the Library. She recalls "I was standing in this reading room of the main library in San Francisco one afternoon wondering how Emily Dickinson – prize-winning baker and astonishing poet – managed to turn out so many poems (and breads and cakes). 'Did she have help?' I asked myself. I pulled a popular Dickinson biography from the shelves situated in the far back of the reading room. The book naturally opened at a photographic plate labeled 'the Dickinson domestics, circa 1870.' Three Irish faces stared out just as the photographer depressed the bulb. He let a little light leak into the studio so that a side of Margaret Maher’s beautiful face is bleached out. The man in the center looked a lot like my grandfather.... Seeing that image changed my life."

Join us for an exciting reading and discussion of this below-stairs, bottom-up portrait of the artist and her family. The kitchen pantry where Dickinson spent a good portion of each day was headquarters for people mostly lost from the public record - and it was her interactions with them that changed and helped define who Emily Dickinson was as a person and a poet.

Wednesday, October 27th @ 7 p.m.

LIBRARY CLOSED - October 11th - Columbus Day

2010-10-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

The Excelsior Branch and all SFPL branches will be closed on Monday October 11, 2010 in observance of Columbus Day.

Parking Enforcement

MUNI information

BART holiday schedule

Have a great holiday!

"What We Like"

2010-10-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

Guji Guji by Chih-Yuan Chen

I love Guji! Guji! by Zhiyuan Chen. It's sort of The Ugly Duckling with a twist. One evening a huge egg rolls down a hill and into Mama Duck's nest. She doesn't notice. She's too busy reading. She sits on all of the eggs until that fateful day when....a water loving-creature cracks its way out of the huge egg. It's first sound is "Guji! Guji!" so that's what Mama Duck names it. And it really thinks it is a duck! But it's not.

To find out what Guji!Guji! really is, and how he saves his duck family from being eaten, you will just have to reserve this fun book.

K Smoak

P.S. I love the illustrations so much, I would decorate the library with them.

TUESDAY TIPS

2010-10-05T10:00:00.000-07:00

TODAY'S TIP - Using OpenOffice at the Library

OpenOffice – an open source software – is now installed on all Internet Public Computers as of July 9, 2010. OpenOffice Writer replaces Microsoft Word, and OpenOffice Calc replaces Microsoft Excel. The presentation software application OpenOffice Impress is also installed.

These programs work in much the same way as the programs previously installed on library computers, with most of the same features and many of the same shortcuts that have become standard in office software. In fact, you may not even have noticed the recent change.

The Library has created guides for using Writer and Calc, with more information available on the SFPL website. Additional information is available on the web from OpenOffice on their support site.

The library continues to teach computer classes at the Main any many branches. You can find out about the classes by checking the calendar, or other publications. And, as always, we have plenty of resources in the Library's collection that can help you learn more about computers. Just ask a Librarian for assistance.

More about the change to open source software can be found in this press release from the Mayor's office.

Excelsior Librarians and Staff share tips & tricks to help you make the most of the San Francisco Public Library catalog, databases and website. New tips posted Tuesdays on the Excelsior Blog. Watch this space!

Read for the Record - October 7th

2010-10-04T10:00:00.000-07:00

Join the Excelsior Branch and the rest of SFPL for this annual program which features stories and activities for children ages 3-5. This year, the book we will be reading is The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.

At 11:00 a.m. on October 7, Excelsior Branch is co-sponsoring a reading of The Snowy Day with Excelsior Family Connections here at the Branch.

Jumpstart's Read for the Record brings national attention to the importance of early education by organizing the world's largest celebration of reading. Each year, the campaign sets a new world record for the most number of children reading the same book on the same day.

Excelsior Festival - October 3rd

2010-10-01T14:34:00.000-07:00

The annual Excelsior Festival will be held Sunday, October 3, from 11am until 5pm at Mission Street and Ocean Avenue in the heart of the Excelsior District.
There will be international food, craft vendors, activities for kids, and the Excelsior's Got Talent competition. Live music will include Los Chiles Verdes, Carne Cruda, City College Jazz Band and Gabriel Fuentes.

Excelsior Branch will have a prize wheel for children and literature table at the event. On the half hour (or, as the schedule allows) our Children's Librarians will be offering storytimes with a Green theme. Please stop by and visit us!

Festival proceeds benefit Excelsior Action Group and their efforts to strengthen the Excelsior neighborhood. For more information, contact EAG at 415.585.0110.

"What We Like"

2010-09-29T12:49:00.000-07:00

Hunger Games Trilogy
Hunger Games (2008)
Catching Fire (2009)
Mockingjay (2010)

In a dystopian future, the country of Panem is under the grip of a repressive security state after a destructive civil war. All of the numbered districts (1-12) live in abject poverty and struggle to survive and to serve the Capital, a decadent, all-powerful central authority. This authority, and a reminder to the districts that the civil war has not been forgotten or forgiven, is manifested in the Hunger Games, a brutal reality show where each of the twelve districts submits two teenage tributes in a televised battle to the death.

Part gripping action, part ironic love story, part caustic warning against the authoritarian reaction to civil disobedience, this trilogy has just concluded with the much-anticipated release of Mockingjay.

The Hunger Games is an extremely popular and in-demand series at the SFPL. Do not be discouraged by the long holds list! The wait is worth it! Request it NOW! Before the Panem government catches you at it and punishes your family!!

JJ

"What We Like" features weekly recommendations from Excelsior staff and patrons for Library books, music, movies and audiobooks that we think you might like. If you have something you want to recommend, drop by and let us know!

TUESDAY TIPS

2010-09-28T10:00:00.000-07:00

TODAY'S TIP - Election information on the web

Election day this year is Tuesday, November 2nd. This week's tip is a round-up of election information for California and the City and Country of San Francisco.

Important dates for San Francisco: October 18 is the last day to register. October 26 is the last day to request a vote-by-mail ballot.

The Secretary of State's office manages elections in California. In addition to general information about campaigns and elections in California, you can find historical results back to 1990. The November 2, 2010 General Election information includes the list of qualified ballot measures, certified candidates, and the Official Voter Information Guide.

The San Francisco Department of Elections website has a wealth of information on the November 2, 2010 election. Additionally, you can look up your voter registration status, find your polling place, and check the status of your vote-by-mail ballot.

To find your Congressional District, check out this US House of Representatives website, which requires your zip+4 information. If you don't know your zip+4, you can look it up at the US Postal Service. You can also look up your California Assembly and Senate representatives with just your just your zipcode.

Excelsior Librarians and Staff share tips & tricks to help you make the most of the San Francisco Public Library catalog, databases and website. New tips posted Tuesdays on the Excelsior Blog. Watch this space!

A Fond Farewell

2010-09-24T13:00:00.000-07:00

Excelsior librarian Mary Hones retired in August after 15 years with the San Francisco Public Library System. Employing her excellent professional library skills and strong commitment to service, Mary helped develop and maintain the Branch’s book, CD, and DVD collections for adults, hosted the popular First Monday Movies @ Excelsior and taught many of the much-in-demand computer classes. It was Mary who arranged the annual appearance of San Francisco Poet Laureate Diane di Prima at the Excelsior Arts & Culture Salon. She also nurtured a working relationship with beloved Excelsior Branch benefactress Dolorous Knight. Mary conceived and, working with the Teen Services Librarian, co-designed and updated this Excelsior Library Blog.

In 2009, Mary was presented with a well-deserved Staff Recognition Award.

Patrons and staff were fortunate to have Mary as one of our librarians. Everyone will miss her. We wish her all the best as she begins her new life.

"What We Like"

2010-09-23T10:10:00.000-07:00

Essentially Odd is a catalog of the products available at the 826 Stores nationwide.

Some of you may know the 826 Stores from seeing the Pirate Supply Store at 826 Valencia. If you do, and even if you don't, this book will tell you all about the seven locations of the 826 Stores. You can get a Secret Identity Kit at the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co or Caveman Candy at the Echo Park Time Travel Mart.

Nearly as much fun as being there in person, the kid in you will delight in the "neato-ness" of the products as much as the adult in you appreciates the humor.

Brainchild of the Dave Eggers and the folks at 826 Valencia, the 826 Stores are part of 826 National, a nonprofit tutoring, writing, and publishing organization with locations in eight cities across the country. Their goal is to assist students ages six to eighteen with their writing skills, and to help teachers get their classes excited about writing.

Kit

Dark Water Rising - Excelsior Salon on September 22

2010-09-21T10:03:00.000-07:00

Over 50,000 dogs and cats were left behind in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. This forced separation created America’s first-ever major animal rescue. A dedicated and compassionate group of volunteer rescuers and animal welfare groups from around the world risked their lives to sledgehammer down doors and brave toxic floodwaters in a truly heroic effort to save nearly 10,000 animals. This film tells uplifting stories of hope and survival as pets are reunited with their owners while other lucky animals find loving new homes. It will renew your faith in the American spirit.

Wednesday, September 22, 7:00 pm

First Monday Movies - The Killing - October 4th

2010-09-20T17:13:00.000-07:00

Sterling Hayden plays veteran criminal Johnny Clay, planning one last big job before settling down to a respectable life with Fay (Colleen Gray). Teaming with several ex-cons, Johnny masterminds a $2 million racetrack robbery to be carried out with military precision. Unfortunately, all the crooks involved are losers and small-timers who find themselves in way over their heads. Director Stanley Kubrick's first major film clearly shows his vision of characters who seem to control their environment but actually are controlled by it. (1956/85 mins)

Monday, October 4th @ 6:30 p.m.