Teen Gaming: Guitar Hero and more!

Thursday, April 16 at 4:00pm

Try your hand at Guitar Hero. Challenge your friends. Non-electronic games too: chess, cards, Uno, checkers, backgammon. Or bring your own game.

For ages 11-18. For more information, contact Marla at (415) 355-2858 or mbergman@sfpl.org

NextReads

Have you ever been stumped on what to read next?

Do you love Mystery books but need to discover a new author?

The San Francisco Public Library is happy to offer a new electronic service to fulfill those "I need a good book" needs. It is called NextReads, which is a newsletter you receive via e-mail that you customized to the type of books you want to get suggestions about. It is free and easy to edit if you need to make changes.

Or, perhaps you don't want more email in your in-box but still think this sounds like a neat feature. You can click on any of the categories listed on the page to instantly be able to read the latest newsletter.

Adult Computer Class

Computer Training: Basic Mouse and Keyboard Skills.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009
2pm - 3pm

Join us for this introductory class on mouse and keyboard skills. After the instruction you will have time to ask questions and to practice what you have learned. Please sign up at the Information Desk or call 355-2858 to register.

Portola Branch- New Location!

A few weeks ago, the Portola Branch Library open in a new location:

Portola Branch Library at 380 Bacon St. at Goettingen

The 6,300-square-foot space occupies a site acquired from the San Francisco Unified School District on a corner of the Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School facility. The light and airy new branch features a new, view garden, an expanded children’s section that will be able to accommodate school visits, a designated teen space and a program room that will allow after-hours access for the community. The branch also includes new furniture and shelving, an expanded collection of books, CDs, DVDS and other materials, a prominent reading area, more computers, Wi-Fi access to the Internet and more functional staff work spaces.

A beautiful public art display of four handmade glass and metal shutters by Dana Zed will welcome patrons into the branch. Inspired by the many nurseries once located in the Portola neighborhood, Zed created a colorful set of 20 individual and unique glass panels depicting California’s indigenous wildflowers. The designs provide a translucent artwork that can be viewed from both the exterior and interior of the branch.

Architecture firm Stoner Meek/Noll & Tam designed the new branch library, drawing from a range of inspiration - the form of books themselves, open to the public, and the rhythm and scale of traditional San Francisco neighborhood bay windows. At the library entrance, the public is welcomed by an airy art-filled Periodical Room. The porch-like quality of this entry continues along the full southern edge of the building, with reading chairs in each of the bay windows. The Department of Public Works managed the project.

Portola is the ninth library project to be completed under the Branch Library Improvement Program, which is funded by a $105.9 million bond measure passed by voters in November 2000.

Click here for a map and the buildings hours.

Puppet Show!!

Magical Moonshine Theatre

Saturday, March 7, 1:30 pm

Join Michael and Valerie Nelson, founders of this popular locally based, internationally acclaimed troupe presenting innovative puppet, mask and musical performances since 1979. They will bring one of their new shows: The Grasshopper and the Ant, which goes far beyond the simple Aesop's fable to create a green-man cycle tale of olden times, a story that takes the audience on a journey through the seasons, leading them to a new understanding of their own place in the cycle of nature. The show is presented as a Victorian paper theatre recreation, complete with fairies, gnomes, and bugs. The Grasshopper and the Ant will be performed.

This is part of the Puppet Festival that is going on in March. For other shows and locations, please click here.

Adult Program: How to Bury a Goldfish

Please join us for:

How to Bury a Goldfish: Creating Family Rituals

Saturday, February 28, 2009

3:00 pm

Louise Nayer, co-author of How to Bury a Goldfish: and Other Ceremonies & Celebrations for Everyday Life, will discuss unique rituals for life transitions, holidays and everyday events that can deepen our bonds with our families, our friends and our communities.

Closed on Monday, February 16

All the San Francisco Public Libraries will be closed on Monday, February 16 for President's Day. We will resume our normal hours on Tuesday the 17 when we open at 10am.