The Library will close at 5:00 p.m. on December 31 and will be closed January 1 & 2 for New Year's Day

All San Francisco Public Libraries will close at 5:00 p.m. on December 31 and will be closed January 1 & 2 for New Year's Day.

The Glen Park Library will reopen on Tuesday, January 3 at 10:00am after the New Years Holiday.

Library closed Dec 24th-26th, 2011

Please note that the Glen Park Branch and all other San Francisco Public Libraries will be closed from Saturday, December 24 until Monday, December 26 for the Christmas holiday. We will resume our regular opening hours on Tuesday, December 27 at 10:00am.

Teen Winter Read

What are you doing over winter break? Why not sign up for the Teen Winter Reading contest? You can win prizes!
How it works:

Beginning Friday, December 16, 2011, visit a participating library and pick up a reading log.

Fill out one reading log for every five hours that you read.

Return the logs to a participating library by Saturday, January 14th.

For every 5 hours you read, your name will be automatically entered into a raffle for cool prizes! The more you read, the more chances you have to win!

And remember that you can read in the language of your choice. Practice your multilingual skills!

You must be between the ages of 12 and 18 and have a San Francisco Public Library card to enter. Participation is free and prizes are funded by the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library.

On the Same Page book for Novemeber/December

Our current On the Same Book selection for November & Decemeber is:

Model Home by Eric Puchner

A tender and funny portrait of an unraveling family from the award-winning and critically acclaimed author of Music Through the Floor.
Warren Ziller moved his family to California in search of a charmed life and to all appearances, he found it: a gated community not far from the beach, amid the affluent splendor of Southern California in the 80s. But his American dream has been rudely interrupted. Despite their affection for each other, Warren, his wife Camille, and their three children have veered into separate lives, as distant as satellites. Worst of all, Warren has squandered the family’s money on a failing real estate venture.

When tragedy strikes, the Zillers are forced to move to one of the houses in Warren’s abandoned development in the middle of the desert. Marooned in a less-than-model home, each must reckon with what’s led them there and who’s to blame—and whether they can summon the forgiveness needed to hold them together. Subtly ambitious, brimming with the humor and unpredictability of life, Model Home delivers penetrating insights into the American family and into the imperfect ways we try to connect, from a writer “uncannily in tune with the heartbreak and absurdity of domestic life” (Los Angeles Times).

Docent Lecture: Holidays: Christmas, Chanukah & Other Festive Celebrations

Holidays: Christmas, Chanukah & Other Festive Celebrations

Docent Lecture and Slideshow



Wednesday, December 14
6:30pm
Glen Park Library
2825 Diamond Street

This lecture and slideshow focuses on beautiful and intriguing paintings that depict giving, receiving, feasting, and the enjoyment of holidays and other festivities.
Holiday treats will be available!

Cookbooks for Winter

If our cool, wintery weather inspires you to spend more time in the kitchen, be sure to take a look at the hundreds of cookbooks available at the Glen Park Library. You'll find recipes from countries around the world, books that focus on a particular type of food or cooking technique, and books that focus on entertaining and holiday meals. To whet your appetite, here are a few titles that were recently added to the collection:

Williams Sonoma Good Food to Share: Recipes for Entertaining with Family and Friends by Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan offers tips and recipes for uncomplicated, relaxing dinner parties.

Saveur: The New Comfort Food edited by James Oseland, is full of delicious recipes from around the world, all illustrated with color photographs.
The Casserole Queens Cookbook: Put Some Lovin' in Your Oven, with 100 Easy One-Dish Recipes by Crystal Cook and Sandy Pollock is full of ideas for cozy meals at home or for a fun contribution to pot-luck parties.

Houdini and Magic

Friday, Decemeber 2
4:00pm-4:30pm
Glen Park Library

To tie in with the Contemporary Jewish Museum's exhibit on Houdini, we will present a special program. Kids will make a magic craft and share magic tricks. Those who attend will receive free passes to the CJM as well.
School aged programs every 1st Friday. For ages 6 and up.

Film Screening: Bag It

Wednesday, November 30th
6:00pm-7:30pm

FREE!

Glen Park Public Library
2825 Diamond Street


Try going a day without plastic. Plastic is everywhere and infiltrates our lives in unimaginable and frightening ways. In this touching and often flat-out-funny film, we follow “everyman” Jeb Berrier, who is admittedly not a tree hugger, as he embarks on a global tour to unravel the complexities of our plastic world. What starts as a film about plastic bags evolves into a wholesale investigation into plastic and its affect on our waterways, oceans, and even our own bodies. We see how our crazy-for-plastic world has finally caught up to us and what we can do about it.

Bag It has been garnering awards at film festivals across the nation. What started as a documentary about plastic bags evolved into a wholesale investigation into plastics and their effect on our waterways, oceans, and even our bodies.
After the film Alexa Kielty, a representative from SF Environment, will facilitate a discussion and answer questions about the city's recycling programs.

Library Closed for Thanksgiving Day and Day After Thankgiving

All of the San Francisco Public Libraries will be affected by the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday:

Wednesday, November 23rd- All locations close early at 5:00pm
Thursday, November 24th - All locations are closed.
Friday, November 25th - All locations are closed.
Saturday, November 26th- Glen Park will reopen at 1:00pm

Charity Kahn of the JAMband

Monday, November 21
10:30 am
Glen Park Branch Library

Come sing, dance and play with family musician Charity Kahn of the award-winning Charity and the JAMband. Charity's interactive, magical, joyful and above-all fun music-and-dance show will have the library crowd singing, crooning, shaking, swaying, jumping, laughing and imagining. Charity will touch on themes of gratitude and abundance for this special Thanksgiving-week show. For more info on Charity's concerts and programs, visit www.jamjamjam.com

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

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

We will re-open on Saturdy, November 12 at 1:00pm.

First Friday's: Science

Friday, November 4th

4:00pm

How many colors make black? This month's activity is chromatography, a fun way to explore the separation of color pigments. 

For ages 6 and up.

School aged programs every 1^st Friday.

Monster Make-up Made Easy

Friday, October 28
Glen Park Library
4:00 pm

Hear spooky stories, create monster makeup effects and more at these Halloween-themed events.

It's time to scare your friends and turn your face into a skull, ghoul, zombie, vampire! After this free Halloween make-up (non-toxic) workshop you will be ready to haunt! For ages 12-18.

Author Reading: The Comfort Garden

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Glen Park Branch Library

6:30 pm

Author Laurie Barkin will discuss, "The Comfort Garden," her account of the five years she worked as a psychiatric nurse on the surgical/trauma unit at San Francisco General Hospital.

The Comfort Garden serves as a metaphor for the emotional support caregivers need to do the work they do and illuminates the issues of compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma that may develop in caregivers when exposure to tragedy becomes routine.

An Afternoon of Italian Culture

Saturday, October 22

Glen Park Branch Library
2825 Diamond Street
San Francisco, CA 94131
415-355-2858

3:00pm- 5:oopm

For all ages.

At 3:00 Due Zighi Baci, featuring accordionist Sheri Mignano and tenore lirico Michael Van Why, will entertain with beautiful songs from the streets and cafes of Italia. (Visit their website at www.eurocafemusic.com for more information on these enchanting performers.)

A lecture on Italian opera, complete with film clips, will be offered by Alexandra Amati-Camperi at 4:00. Ms. Amati-Camperi is Department Chair and Professor of Music at the University of San Francisco. She is a professional program annotator and pre-concert lecturer for many Bay Area organizations, including the San Francisco Opera and the San Francisco Symphony.

Light Italian-style refreshments will be available throughout the program.

Library closed for Columbus Day on October 10, 2011

Please note that Glen Park Branch and all San Francisco public libraries will be closed in observance of Columbus Day on Monday, October 10.

First Fridays: Button Making

This month the kids will make their own buttons and get to cut them out with the button maker machine. For ages 6 and up.

School aged programs every 1^st Friday.

Read For the Record 2011

Listen to the book "Llama, Llama Red Pajama," and other stories as we help Jumpstart set a new record for the most children being read the same book on the same day. For children of all ages.

Thursday, October 6 at 4:30pm

Packing for Mars: A Book Discussion

Wednesday, September 21

6:30 pm

Join us for a lively discussion of the One City One Book selection "Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void" by Mary Roach. Refreshments will be served.

Teen Program: Wreck this Journal

Wreck This Journal

Thursday, September 8 at 3:30pm
Thursday, October 13 at 3:30 pm
Thursday, November 10 at 3:30 pm

At this workshop, teens will get a \\\"Wreck this Journal\\\" to keep. Use the journal like a scrapbook, art journal or writing journal. Not sure where to start? Every page has an activity: do it or ignore it. Express brain clutter, a new idea, life noise, a bad day, or whatever you want -- with pictures, words, or just scribbles. Why? Because creativity and literacy come in all flavors.

All materials provided. Ages 13-18 welcomed. Space is limited. For information or to RSVP, contact: Marla at mbergman@sfpl.org or 415-355-2858.

Women & Wealth Workshop

Women and Wealth Workshop: Leading the Family's Finances
Wednesday, September 7th
6:30 pm

Renée Richard, mother of three, community leader and Financial Adviser with Merrill Lynch presents a discussion on managing an entire household and ensuring that plans for children, parents and your retirement are in place.

This Seminar has been designed to help you:

• Understand how to live for today while being prepared for tomorrow
• Understand your investment portfolio and the right mix of stocks, bonds and cash
• Consider your tolerance, both financial and emotional, for investment risk
• Position your investments to meet your financial objectives in the long term.

Library closed, Monday, September 5 for Labor Day

All San Francisco Public Libraries will be closed on , Monday, September 5 for Labor Day. The Glen Park Library will reopen at 10:00am on Tuesday, September 6th.

Back-to-School Tools for Educators

With school starting soon, I wanted to draw attention to a page on our website that can be used as resource for Educators.

The page is called, "Cool Back-to-school tools for educators." It highlights what the library has to offer in assisting educators like what databases we have to local history items.

Docent Lecture : Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris

August 10

6:30 pm

By turns shocking and serene, Pablo Picasso's paintings and sculpture are both highly personal and deeply emblematic of the era in which he lived. This lecture is designed to complement the de Young Museum exhibition, which includes more than 150 objects.

The exhibition will be at the de Young through October 9, 2011.

Looking for a good book to read?

The Library’s website offers several tools to help you find books you’ll enjoy.

On the Library main page (sfpl.org) you’ll find the Books & Materials tab. Click on this and then on Reader’s Corner for lots of ideas on what to read next.

The book icon labeled On the Same Page provides a description of a featured title. These books are selected bi-monthly for their wide appeal and good reviews. The books are almost always out in paperback and there are usually lots of brand new copies available. If the current selection is not of interest, click on the Previous Selections link on the right of the screen to see On the Same Page titles for the current and previous years.

If you’ve enjoyed an On the Same Page title view the Read Alikes, also on the right side of the screen, to find books that are similar in theme or tone.

Click on the One City One Book icon to learn all about the annually selected title and about programs related to the book, such as author visits.

The Lit Databases icon will take you to all of the Library’s subscription databases that deal with Books and Literature. To access these databases from outside the Library you’ll need your Library card number and your Library PIN. If you don’t have a PIN just stop by any of the service desks at any San Francisco Library. It only takes a few seconds to create a PIN.

The first database listed, BookBrowse, provides recommendations for fiction and non-fiction titles, reading guides and advice for book clubs and previews of soon to be released items. You can also use this database to search for recommendations based on setting, theme or time period. The read-alikes feature allows you to search for books similar to titles you’ve enjoyed in the past. BookBrowse also offers subscription e-mail newsletters so you can stay up to date on new books and all the great BookBrowse recommendations.

Further down the list of databases you’ll find Fiction Connection and Non-fiction Connection. Using this database you can search by topic, genre, setting, time period and type of character. You can also enter a favorite title, search for read-alikes and then limit the results by various aspects of the book, such as setting and genre.

The fourth book icon links to lists of items recently acquired by the Library. New lists appear at the beginning of each month.

For more recommendations check out the box labeled Next Reads. Here you can select newsletters by genre or non-fiction topic and have recommendations delivered straight to your e-mail address.

Finally, visit our new SF Bay Reads blog with recommendations and reviews by Library staff. From the Library’s home page click on the last tab, About, and then on Blogs. SF Bay Reads is the first blog listed.

Overdrive & e-readers training

Wednesday, July 27
6:30 pm

Learn how to use Overdrive to download ebooks to your computer and how to transfer them onto portable players - including Sony Readers, Nooks and iPads. To register stop by the library or call 415-355-2858.

Mad Science: Magnetic Magic

Thursday July 21, 2011
1:00 pm

Magnetic Magic teaches the kids to levitate "cool objects" and gives them their own floating magnet set to take home. For ages 5 and up. Please sign up with the librarian for this program or call 355-2858 to register.

Congress on Your Corner

Friday, July 8th
2pm- 5pm

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 Friday July 8^th from 2pm to 5pm at the Glen Park Branch.

Pelosi 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.

July 4 - Library Closed for Independence Day

All the San Francisco Public Libraries will be closed on Monday, July 4th for Independence Day.

Museum of Craft & Folk Arts presents: Mud, Dirt, Sand, & Clay

Museum of Craft & Folk Arts presents: Mud, Dirt, Sand, & Clay

Friday, July 1st

3:00 pm

Where does CLAY come from? Do you know DIRT comes in every color of the RAINBOW? How long have people been making things from MUD? COME see the amazing and awe-inspiring things that regular folks do with Mud, Dirt, Sand, & Clay during a workshop at the Library. Roll up YOUR sleeves and get ready to play with CLAY and make something to take home.

Ages 5 and older. Space limited, call 355-2858 for reservations.

Teen Gaming

Friday, June 24

4:00 pm

Video gaming for teens and tweens! We will have video games here, but feel free to bring your own PS3 and Wii games (rated E or T only please). For more information, contact Marla at mbergman@sfpl.org or 415-355-2858.

Jazz, Jail & God : Mel Clay reads from his book

Wednesday, June 22
6:30pm

Mel Clay will read from his book, Jazz, Jail and God: An Impressionistic Biography of Bob Kaufman. A question and answer session will follow.

Hula Hooping with Cherry Hoops for Kids

Saturday, June 18

2:00 pm

Cherry Hoops brings a fun hoopdance class to the Library. Her high-quality instruction and professional hoops make it easy to learn this mesmerizing art form. Play, laugh, and get fit with Cherry Hoops!

This program is best for kids 6 and up. Limited space! Please call 415-355-2858 to reserve your spot.

Gerald the Magician for kids!

Friday, June 17
4:00pm

Witness and participate in Gerald Joseph's amazing tricks and slight of hand magic. For children 5 and older.

The Great Teen Book Swap

Thursday, June 16

3:00pm

FREE BOOK! Just swap us a review! Here’s how it works: The Teen Librarian will bring out free books and hand them out to the first people who want them (or until the books run out). You will, in turn, swap us a bookmark review by the next bookswap. The books available may include: advance readers’ copies, new or old titles, nonfiction, or graphic novels/manga.

For more information, contact Marla, Teen Librarian, at mbergman@sfpl.org or 415-355-2858 415-355-2858

Travel Books for Your Summer Vacation

Planning a vacation? Come to the library for guidebooks on a variety of destinations. You'll find books from Frommer's, Fodor's, Rick Steves and other popular travel series. If we don't have the book you need, remember that you can request items from other San Francisco Public Library locations and they'll be delivered to Glen Park branch for you to pick up.

To search for travel books, go to the library catalog at www.sfpl.org. Enter the name of your destination and "guidebooks", for example, "spain guidebooks". If you see a book that interests you, click on "Is it available?" If it's at another location, click on "Request" and enter your library card number and PIN.

Don't forget that we also have language learning materials on CD and online in the Articles and Databases section of sfpl.org.

If you'd like more tips for searching the library catalog, our librarians will be happy to assist you.

Healthy Living to 100

Saturday,
June 4
4:00 pm

The same program repeats on:

Wednesday, June 8th at 6:30

Dr. Harris Meyer will share insight that can not only help you identify the keys to reaching the century mark but also have a great quality of life during those years.

Learn about the cost of ill health and the top offenders. Learn what you can do to turn the clock back or at least slow it down. More importantly, learn what it takes to get the most out of your journey, regardless of the number of years.

One free one hour massage will be raffled off at the conclusion of the talk.

Mark Bunnell, the Juggling Tornado

Friday, June 3
4:30 pm

Mark Bunnell, the Juggling Tornado, bring a fast-paced prop comedy show with hilarious stunts and audience participation. For children of all ages.

Summer Reading Begins!

Power Your Mind: READ!

This year's Summer Read is one program for all ages! Join online or at the library, read and win prizes!

SIGN UP beginning June 1st at any neighborhood San Francisco Public Library or bookmobile or online from home by visiting sfpl.org. Sign up your whole family or group but please note that each person may only sign up once.

VISIT YOUR LIBRARY often to check out books and other materials and to attend the many programs and events for all ages.

READ! Record the time you spend reading on your online record or at your library. There will be one grand prize for children who read for 10 hours; teens who read for 30 hours and adults who read for 40 hours. And everybody who reads for 40 hours from June 1 to July 31 has a chance to enter our citywide Super Raffle!

For more information, ask your librarians or visit the Summer Reading page on sfpl.org.

Library closed on Monday, May 31, 2011, for Memorial Day

Please note that the Glen Park Branch and all San Francisco Public Libraries will be closed on Monday, May 31, 2011, for Memorial Day.

Cartooning Workshop with Morgan Taylor

Tuesday, May 24

4:00 pm- 5:30 pm

Meet Morgan Taylor, creator of “Gustafer Yellowgold,” and learn cartooning tips from a master illustrator. In this hour long workshop, children and teens will learn step-by-step character building, sequential panel art, and plot theory. Space is limited. Please call 355-2858 to sign up. For ages 6 and up.

Estate Planning Basics

Wednesday, May 11
6:30 pm

Estate Planning Basics and Recent Changes in the Law

Learn the basic tools for protecting your assets and providing for your loved ones in light of the recent changes Congress has made.

This program is Free.

Balenciaga and Spain

Balenciaga and Spain: A Docent lecutre

Wednesday, May 4
6:30

Cristóbal Balenciaga, one of fashion’s most noted couturiers, utilized the romance, drama, and majesty of Spain to stimulate his imagination and develop his designs. Drawing on Spanish cultural influences—such as the art of Goya, Velásquez, and Picasso; religious ceremony; the bullfight; flamenco dance; and the regional garb of Basque fishermen—he created clothing that was spectacular to look at and fabulous to wear.

This lecture is a companion to the exhibit that will be at the de Young Museum March 26–July 4, 2011

Spring Crafts and Cookies

Saturday, April 30
2:00pm - 4:00pm

In celebration of spring craft experts from Urban Fauna will assist participants in creating miniature terrariums and mushroom ornaments. Yarn and recycled materials will be provided for the ornaments. Ingredients for the terrariums, including soil and moss, will also be provided. We will have a variety of jars available but if you'd like to bring your own glass jar or vase, feel free.

This program is for all ages.

Refreshments will be available throughout the program.

Space is limited. Please sign up at the Information Desk or call 355-2858

String Creatures for Teens

Thursday, April 21
4:00 pm

Learn how to make an adorable, string creature from one piece of string. All materials provided. For teens, ages 12-18.

For more information or to register, contact Marla Bergman, Teen Librarian, at mbergman@sfpl.org or 415-355-2858.

BLOG TIP - It's Tax Time

April 18 is fast approaching (The traditional tax return filing deadline is April 15 of each year, but this year the IRS has approved April 18 as the deadline for Federal 2010 Tax Returns and extension requests in observation of Emancipation Day in the District of Columbia.)
However, April 15 is still the deadline for filing State IncomeTax returns.

A few basic tax forms from the IRS are available to pick up or photocopy at the Main Library and some branches. If the library does not have the form you need, additional forms can be ordered by phone. Librarians can also point you the IRS and Franchise Tax Board websites for downloading forms and instructions, but cannot provide tax assistance or advice.

The Government information Center of SFPL has put together a page with general tax information (http://sfpl.org/index.php?pg=2000177201) so that you can find where to get forms, information on organizations providing tax preparation assistance, and other basic information. One of the best resources for finding tax preparation assistance in the SF Bay Area is the United Way’s Earn It! Keep It! Save It! Program, which can be reached by calling 211.

With the move away from paper, e-filing is increasingly popular.
Franchise Tax Board e-filing.
IRS e-filing.

How to Travel Better, Cheaper and Smarter

Wednesday, April 6
6:30- 7:30 pm
Free

Presenter, Nick Maffei, will discuss how computer technology has changed today’s travel landscape. He'll illustrate how to use the Internet to travel better and smarter; which travel web sites can provide you with free information that you once paid for; which online sites are virtually useless and which ones can enrich your travel experience.

We will examine web sites that can direct you to affordable travel for seniors, singles and learning vacations for brainy tours. We will also discuss travel and lodging tips that can save you time and money. This presentation is based in part on Arthur Frommer's budget guide "How to Travel Better, Cheaper and Smarter."

Henna Workshop for Teens

Want a free, safe, temporary tattoo? Choose your own design and learn how to apply it with natural henna. Henna artist Rachel-Anne Palacios will show you how and she’ll apply a design on participants.

Program limited to 20 teens. For ages 12-18.

For participants under 18, a signed parent/guardian permission form must be returned prior to the workshop. To reserve your space and/or request a form, contact Marla at 415.355.2858 or mbergman@sfpl.org

Puppet Art Theater

Wednesday, March 30
4:00 pm

Will be performing, "The Three Billy Goats Gruff" and "The Tortoise and the Hare." For children of all ages. *Note the flyer had the day wrong, the correct day is Wednesday.

Free SAT Workshop for Teens

The Glen Park Library will be offering the 3-hour SAT INTENSIVE Class for Teens for Free.

Tuesdays: April 12 & 19
4:00 - 5:30PM

The learn more about it or other classes click here.
To register for this class click here.

3-hour SAT INTENSIVE
This is the quick fix for the student who is too busy to commit to a month-long workshop, but still wants to review the strategies and techniques to improve her or his scores on the writing, critical reading and math sections of the SAT.

• Workshops are free and are intended for high school students, with priority registration to juniors. There is a limit of 25 students per class. Additional information is available directly from the library branches.
• Space permitting, students can join a two or four class series at any point, but we do ask that you make a commitment to attend all of the classes in a series.
• The workshops are intensive and we move quickly through the material, so we ask that every student ensure at least basic familiarity with the SAT by reviewing some of the practice questions on the CollegeBoard website prior to the first day of class. That way, students who have not previously taken the SAT or PSAT will have hands-on experience with the test.
• Please expect an average of 2 hours of homework between classes. Students who complete the homework and participate in class achieve noticeably higher score improvements.

How to access Consumer Reports

Did you know you can use your Library card and PIN to access thousands of articles at any time from any computer? Just go to the Library’s homepage and cursor over to Articles and Databases under the eLibrary tab. If you are accessing from outside the library you will need to enter your library card and pin number.














Use the pull down menu to view the databases by category or select one by clicking on the first letter of the database’s title. The second database on the list, Academic Search Complete, is a great choice for researching general interest magazines as well as scholarly journals. Click on the title.














Consumer Reports is one of the many publications included in Academic Search Complete. To search for articles only within Consumer Reports click on the link labeled Publications.
















Type Consumer Reports into the search box.














Click on the magazine title. Now you have a choice of browsing issues or searching within the publication. To browse issues click on the years on the right side of your screen.















To search within the publication click on the link on the top right of the screen. Type your search term (microwave ovens, clothes dryers, etc.) into the search box next to the magazine title. Make sure to leave the magazine title in the box and put "and" in the search box.















Use the PDF Full Text link to view the article and its associated images. You can limit your results to recent articles by using the features under Refine your Results on the left of your screen.

The Tempest

Saturday, March 19
3:00 pm

The San Francisco Shakespeare Festival players present one of Shakespeare's best loved comedies ~ The Tempest! This 55 minute version of the play, performed with beautiful costumes and sets, is a great introduction to the Bard's work and is suitable for all ages.