Sourdough Starter Workshop, Tuesday, June 3, 7-8:30pm

Cat Shimizu, the "breaducator" from Sour Flour —a Mission District bakery dedicated to neighborly bread gifting and bread education— will talk about the art and science of making bread using a sourdough starter.

This includes how to feed and take care of your own starter, and how different factors such as time, temperature, and starter hydration affect the fermentation process. And how the fermentation process, using wild yeast and lactic "good" bacteria,  improves the nutritional and storage properties of bread.

Samples and suggested reading will help get you started on a healthy, enjoyable and delicious new adventure in baking.

Summer Read SF 2014: May 31-August 10
Connect to your library, your imagination, and San Francisco.
sfpl.org/summerread

eReader drop-in on Tuesday, May 13, 7-8:30pm

Come to our eBook drop-in on Tuesday, April 8, 7-8:30pm and we will help you download free books and audiobooks to your smart phone, tablet or eReader. We'll also show you how to use Hoopla, our new streaming audio and video platform, so stop on by.

Intimate Impressionism docent talk and slideshow, Tuesday, April 29, 7-8:30pm

Learn about the exhibition Intimate Impressionism currently on view at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor in this free lecture and slideshow. The exhibit
showcases 70 paintings from some of the most beloved artists in the world, including Cezanne, Degas, Monet, Renoir and Van Gogh, on loan from the National Gallery of Art in Washington.

In this lecture will explore the close relationships that developed between these artists and their subjects as well as the friendships and rivalries that existed within this group.

Exciting new services for streaming music, audiobooks and movies

San Francisco Public Library is now offering thousands of streaming movies, television shows, music and audiobooks, all for free with your library card!

The new service is called Hoopla Digitial. You can download the Hoopla Digital app for your smartphone or tablet or simply stream the content on your computer. All you need is your library card number and PIN.
If you have questions, feel free to come by and ask a librarian or see the FAQs here: http://sfpl.org/index.php?pg=2000707201

eBook questions?

Come to our eBook drop-in on Tuesday, April 8, 7-8:30pm and we will help you download free books and audiobooks to your smart phone, tablet or eReader.

Movies @ Excelsior, Monday, April 7, 6:30-8:30pm

The movie for April is The Lost Weekend (1945, 101 mins) starring Ray Milland, Jane Wyman, and Phillip Terry; directed by Billy Wilder.

A would-be writer's dissatisfaction with his life leads him on a three day bender, giving an uncompromising look at the devastating effects of alcoholism.

The Lost Weekend won in the categories Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director and Best Screenplay at the 1946 Academy Awards. The movie is based on an autobiographical book of the same name by Charles Jackson.

Computer Classes for Adults and Seniors starting April 1

Do you or someone you know need a little help getting started on the computer? Sign up for our free computer classes for beginners.

Classes are on Tuesdays from 7-8:30pm. Attendance is limited to 10 students. Please contact Excelsior Branch to sign up.

April 1: Computer Basics
Learn how to use a mouse, the keyboard and other basic computer functions.

April 15: Word Processing Basics
Learn how to use Microsoft Word. Basic mouse and keyboard skills are required.

May 6: Searching the Internet
Learn how to navigate and search the Internet. Basic mouse and keyboard skills are required.

May 20: Basic Email
Learn how to set up an email account and basic email functions. Basic mouse and keyboard skills are required.

Write Your Will Workshop, Tuesday, March 25, 7-8:30pm

Attend this workshop led by estate planning and probate lawyer, Stuart Bronstein, and leave with a fully functional will.

Please bring a blue ink non-erasable pen. Advance registration is required; please contact Excelsior Branch to reserve your space.

eReader and eBook Drop In Class, Tuesday, March 11, 7-8:30pm

Would you like to download free eBooks and free eAudiobooks to your tablet, smartphone or eReader? Come to our drop-in class and have a librarian show you how.

No registration required.

Movies @ Excelsior, Monday, March 3, 6:30-8:30pm

The movie for March is The Defiant Ones (1958, 96 mins) with Tony Curtis, Sidney Poitier, Theodore Bikel, Charles McGraw; directed by Stanley Kramer.

Two convicts, shackled together, escape a chain gang and flee an armed posse.

The film won Oscars for best writing, story and screenplay in 1959. Both Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier were nominated for best actor but lost out to David Niven.
According to imdb.com, Elvis Presley wanted the role of Joker Jackson, hoping to co-star with Sammy Davis Jr. but was persuaded by his manager not to do the film.

Building Trust: Communicating with Your Children About Puberty, Wednesday, February 26, 4:30-6pm

Learn how to handle questions about growing up and the changes that come with it. This workshop is led by trained parent facilitators from Mission Graduates and will be bilingual Spanish/English.

Bridges that Brought African-American's Over Deep Rivers, Black History Month special program, Tuesday, February 11, 7-8:30pm

Join us for a very special Black History Month program with Friends of Negro Spirituals featuring rare DVD footage of slavery time ring shouts, old-time Negro Spirituals (audience participation encouraged), the Sojourner Truth story told poetically and a tribute to Amiri Baraka.

Program participants:
ODINMÁ Performance Ensemble
Angela Thomas and Rener Price, Song Leaders

Also, go and check out the Black History Month photo album with historic photographs on our Facebook page. And while you are there, why not like your favorite neighborhood branch so that you get all our updates?

Movies at Excelsior, Wednesday, February 5, 6:30-8:30 pm

The movie for February is Marty (1955, 90 mins) with Ernest Borgnine, Betsy Blair, Esther Minciotti and Augusta Ciolli; directed by Delbert Mann.

A 34-year-old Bronx butcher fears that he will never find love but at a Saturday night dance he meets a lonely schoolteacher with similar fears.

According to imdb.com Marty was the shortest movie to ever win the Oscar for Best Picture (it also won 3 other Oscars) and the first American movie to win a Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

Lion Dance at Excelsior Branch on Saturday, January 18, 12:30-1pm

Help Excelsior Branch celebrate Chinese New Year! Come by this Saturday to watch a lion dance and martial arts demonstrations. For all ages!

And just in case you are wondering, the Year of the Snake starts on Friday, January 31!

為Excelsior圖書館帶來馬年好運！舞獅與武術表演，慶祝中國新年！適合所有年齡.

萬一您想知道: 2014的春節是1月31日!

Affordable Care Act and Covered California, Friday, January 17, 2-4pm

Please join us as representatives from Chinese Community Health Plan (CCHP) will give a presentation on the Affordable Care Act and Covered California. Find out whether or not it will impact you and what you need to do about it. A Q&A session will follow the presentation.

2-3pm Presentation in Cantonese
3-4pm Presentation in English

可負擔醫療保險計劃
諮詢講座

主題包括MediCal和CoveredCalifornia的概況，申請條件及程序，以及如何選擇保險計劃。講座設有問答環節. 該講座是由舊金山華人保健計畫(CCHP)提供.

下午2時至3時  廣東話講座
下午3時至4時  英文講座

eReader and eBook drop-in, Tuesday, January 14, 7-8:30pm

Did you get a Kindle or an iPad for Christmas? Would you like to download free eBooks and free eAudiobooks to your tablet, smartphone or eReader? Come to our drop-in class and have a librarian show you how.

No registration required.

Instructions for Winter Craft

Some of you have asked for the instructions for the winter craft program at Excelsior Branch in December.

Cut the cover off an old book. 












Start folding each page in half.












Keep doing this until all the pages are folded. The book will naturally open up into a fan shape. You can just do this and use it to display postcards or other small paper items by sticking them between 2 pages.








Use a paint brush to dab white paint (we used acryclic paint) on the top of the folded pages. Think light sprinkling of snow not blizzard – otherwise your pages will all stick together and you’ll have trouble inserting your figures. Sprinkle glitter on top while the paint is still wet.




 

Cut out trees and images of small animals. We used old natural history illustrations but you can use images cut from old magazines, wrapping paper or even stamp your own images. Unless the images are printed to card stock, glue them to another piece of paper to make them sturdier. Remember to cut a little tab at the bottom of the image to glue the image into your book.






Just stick the images into the pages first to decide how you want to set up your scene. Once you have it set up the way you like it, use white craft glue or glue stick to glue them in place.

Done!

And here is a link to the pdf if you want to download the instructions:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_E8SOdvF2i6WEUtQkk4dE5xaUE/edit?usp=sharing

First Monday Movies @ Excelsior, January 6, 6:30-8:30pm

We start off the year with Singin' in the Rain (1952, 103 mins) with Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds; directed by Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly.

This musical comedy satirizes the early days of talking motion pictures. The famous dancing in the rain scene took all day to set up but was filmed in only on take.

Our Computer Classes for Seniors and Adults Start Again in January

Is your New Year's resolution to work on your computer skills? Our popular computer classes for seniors and adults start again in January and we still have space available on the sign-up sheets.

Here is what we are offering:

Tuesday, January 7, 7-8:30pm
Computer Basics
Learn how to use a mouse, the keyboard and other basic computer functions.

Tuesday, January 21, 7-8:30pm
Word Processing Basics
Learn how to use the computer to write letters, essays and other text documents. Basic mouse and keyboard skills are required.

Tuesday, February 4, 7-8:30pm
Searching the Internet
Learn how to navigate and search the Internet. Basic mouse and keyboard skills are required.

Tuesday, February 19, 7-8:30pm
Basic Email
Learn how to set up an Email account and basic Email functions. Basic mouse and keyboard skills are required.

Attendance limited to 10 people. Please contact Excelsior Branch to sign up.

Winter Craft Program for Teens and Adults, Tuesday, December 17, 7-8:30pm

Take a break from your holiday preparations and make a winter landscape out of an old book. All materials provided. Limited to 10 participants, first come first served.

Join us, we have glitter!