Calendar

Computers with Internet connection are available for independent work creating or updating your resume, preparing job applications and/or searching online for jobs.

Handouts, books and some staff assistance are available during drop in hours. Bring a flash drive to store your work. Be considerate and share computer space with others.

Family Storytime

Join us as we read, sing and play together. Fun for the entire family from infants to grandparents.

Come get help with setting up email accounts, word processing and other basic computer related tasks. 

Ask questions and learn the basics of using a computer!

This film discusses how faith, love, marriage, homosexuality and the Episcopal Church collide in the first openly gay Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire.  An audience discussion with Rev. Jim Mitulski of the Pacific School of Religion  follows the film.

Preschool Films and Videos

Programs at 10 a.m. and 10:45 a.m.

"Weekend with Wendell," "Bugs! Bugs! Bugs!" "All the Colors of the Earth," "No Roses for Harry"

Children ages 5 and younger

Toddler Tales

Books, rhymes, music, movement and more for toddlers 18 to 36 months and their caregivers

Weekly meditation sessions open to all. Meditation will be guided with periods of silence. 20 - 30 minutes followed by some time for discussion.

Come to our drop-in computer help class!

This class is geared towards individuals with intermediate-level computer and internet questions!

The Insect Discovery Lab

The Center for Ecosystem Survival presents The Insect Discovery Lab.  Real live insects for you to learn about and maybe even hold!

Glenn R. Stewart of the Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group and Nick Dunlop, photographer, will discuss falcons in a changing world.  Their presentation will be accompanied by Dunlop's extraordinary photographs and video of wild peregrine falcons in the Bay Area, and a tame falcon on stage. 

Falcons that once nested in remote cliffs are now nesting in cities on man-made structures such as buildings and bridges.  In 1970 there were only two known nesting pairs of peregrines in California; today the population has recovered to over 250 known nesting pairs, including several in the Bay Area.

Sponsored by the the Wallace Stegner Environmental Center and The Friends of the San Francisco Public Library.

Nick Dunlop - photo of young peregrines.  Visit his website at: http://www.nickdunlop.com/

Computer classes in Spanish.

Learn the basics about computers, email and Internet.

Meet at the International Center on the Third Floor.  Info:  (415) 557-4430.

Preschool Films and Videos

Programs at 10 a.m. and 10:45 a.m.

"Weekend with Wendell," "Bugs! Bugs! Bugs!" "All the Colors of the Earth," "No Roses for Harry"

Children ages 5 and younger

De Lovely  (2004, 125 minutes)

Starring  Kevin Kline, Ashley Judd, Jonathan Pryce, and Allan Corduner, De-Lovely is an original musical portrait of American composer Cole Porter, filled with his unforgettable songs. In the film, Porter is looking back on his life as if it was one of his spectacular stage shows, with the people and events of his life becoming the actors and action onstage. Through elaborate production numbers and popular hits like "Anything Goes," "It's De-Lovely," and "Night and Day," Porter's elegant, excessive past comes to light - including his deeply complicated relationship with his wife and muse, Linda Lee Porter.

Baby Rhyme Time

Rollicking rhymes, songs and books for infants to 18 months and their caregivers.

Come and join other visually impaired and blind people for a yoga session developed by instructor Nancy Yates with you in mind. The class is every Thursday from 6 to 7:30 pm in the Library for the Blind and Print Disabled. Perfect for Seniors or beginners who want to move in a quiet, safe and purposeful way. We will infuse positive energy as we ease into stretching, balancing, flexibility and strengthening postures that open our lungs, neck, shoulders arms, hips and especially our Hearts.

Join us for a reading and booksigning with Alysia Abbott, author of Fairyland,  a  vibrant memoir about growing up motherless in 1970s and ’80s San Francisco with an openly gay father.

After his wife dies in a car accident, bisexual writer and activist Steve Abbott moves with his two-year-old daughter to San Francisco. There they discover a city in the midst of revolution, bustling with gay men in search of liberation—few of whom are raising a child.

In Alysia’s teens, Steve’s friends—several of whom she has befriended—fall ill as AIDS starts its rampage through their community. While Alysia is studying in New York and then in France, her father tells her it’s time to come home; he’s sick with AIDS. Alysia must choose whether to take on the responsibility of caring for her father or continue the independent life she has worked so hard to create.

Reconstructing their life together from a remarkable cache of her father’s journals, letters, and writings, Alysia Abbott gives us an unforgettable portrait of a tumultuous, historic time in San Francisco as well as an exquisitely moving account of a father’s legacy and a daughter’s love.

This event is co-sponsored by the Hormel Gay and Lesbian Center and the San Francisco History Center.

Sponsored by Teen Services, SFPL

Learn how to configure “Language and Regional” setting on your PC, add handwriting input method to your computer and practice composing words and sentences in Chinese characters simply by using your mouse.

We will also learn how to use the handwriting input method to search information on the internet.

First come first served.  No pre-registration required.

Come join us and have fun learning!

To learn how to use iPad, its features, Apps in English and Chinese, etc.

talk and demo of Chinese & English E-books

If you have never used a computer keyboard or a mouse, volunteers are available to help acquaint you with these basic skills.

Preschool Films and Videos

"Weekend with Wendell," "Bugs! Bugs! Bugs!" "All the Colors of the Earth," "No Roses for Harry"

Children ages 5 and younger

The event includes talk and demo :  how to find and download Chinese eBooks.   Websites & APPs.
Hands-on  :  Varieties of eReaders and tablets are available for the public to experience Chinese eBooks.
Authors eBook talk & Chinese eBook class.

Are you a fiction reader looking for a good book to read? With all of the millions of books out there, how can you find one you will enjoy? Do you prefer short stories to novels? Mystery to science fiction? Whatever your preferences, you can learn how to easily find books that you are sure to love. Among the long list of the library’s online databases, there are several geared to finding fiction books based on your reading interests.

Bilingual Storytime

Families, come join us for songs, rhymes and more in Spanish and English!

To learn Chinese eBooks features, websites, download the Library OverDrive eBooks, etc.

BGLT(Black Gay, Lesbian and Transgender) Historical Society sponsors a day of recognition of Black LGBT presence in history.

Poets, films, Black LGBT book sell, community oral history.

Toddler Tales

Book, rhymes, music, movement and more for toddlers 18 to 36 months and their caregivers.

Computers with Internet connection are available for independent work creating or updating your resume, preparing job applications and/or searching online for jobs.

Handouts, books and some staff assistance are available during drop in hours. Bring a flash drive to store your work. Be considerate and share computer space with others.

Where have you been? Where are you now? Where are you going?

This class is a chance to:

• Sharpen your memories;
• Learn more about the meaning of your life;
• Share your story with others.

As one ages, life review becomes a key element in finding the meaning of life by looking back and examining events, accomplishments, significant relationships, and other important aspects of ones life journey. We will use enlightening and engaging approaches to reminiscing and life review. There will be many opportunities to be creative and to learn about yourself and others, in a supportive environment. Through discussion, novel exercises and readings this course provides a unique, structured opportunity to examine themes that run through your life, seek answers to some of life’s big questions, affirm what’s good about your life, and explore your future self.  

• Where: Main Library - Latino Hispanic A&B
• When: Mondays, June 3 -- July 22, 2013

The instructor, Hope Levy has more than twenty years teaching experience, and is formerly the Acting Chairperson of the Older Adults Department at City College of San Francisco.  She holds an MA in Gerontology and an MA in Special Education from San Francisco State University. Through her work, Hope promotes positive aging through her passion for lifelong learning.

San Francisco Public Library and the City College Older Adults Program have partnered bring free, high-quality educational opportunities to older adults.

San Francisco Public Library now has free conversational language groups.

The Conversational English Language Group is for adults who wish to strengthen their English conversational language skills. We focus on practical, everyday topics. If you are a non-native speaker who wants to practice your spoken English, then this group is the place for you!

The English Language Group meets from 3p-4:30p on Thursdays, beginning January 31, 2013. Classes will meet for a 10-week period and pre-registration is strongly recommended to ensure you have a space.

Please contact 415.557.4251 or kaiwilson@sfpl.org to sign up.

Makers Monday!

Crafts program for children & teens

Computers with Internet connection are available for independent work creating or updating your resume, preparing job applications and/or searching online for jobs.

Handouts, books and some staff assistance are available during drop in hours. Bring a flash drive to store your work. Be considerate and share computer space with others.

Get the job you want! Come learn how to write a résumé or improve your existing résumé with lots of tips and advice from experienced résumé consultants. An overview presentation will be followed by time for individual consultations.

Family Storytime

Join us as we read, sing and play together. Fun for the entire family from infants to grandparents.

Come get help with setting up email accounts, word processing and other basic computer related tasks. 

Ask questions and learn the basics of using a computer!

Come learn the ancient art of jewelry making!!!

Jeweler Extraordinaire Chelsee Robinson will guide you in learning the latest techniques & applications. Work with real stones, crystals, beads and more to create a beautiful necklace, bracelet or earrings!!! All materials provided. Space is limited. To reserve a spot please contact Eric Hannan at 415-557-4426 or ehannan@sfpl.org

LinkedIn is the biggest professional network on the Internet—and whether you’re currently looking for a job, or are looking to grow in one you already have, having an active account on LinkedIn can be a big help. In this workshop, business and social media experts will take you step by step through the process of creating a LinkedIn account and filling in your profile. We’ll also give you special tips for how to connect with people on LinkedIn and use it for your professional development.

The presenters are all employees of VolunteerMatch. VolunteerMatch has been using technology to connect good people and good causes since 1998.

California Dreaming: poems from California poets selected by Library staff.    
Join us for an exhibition of poems by California poets, lining the atrium on the third floor of the Main Library.  The 15 poems were selected by Library staff and represent some of our favorite poetry.  The exhibit will be up from April 1 (National Poetry Month) to December 1, 2013.  The poets are both well-known (Alejandro Murguia and Al Young) and new to the scene (Stewart Shaw and Monica Xu).  We're sure you will find something to love in this exhibit. 

Make your next trip to the Library a literary one with these wonderful poets.

Andy Diaz Hope and Laurel Roth are San Francisco artists who often collaborate in addition to their solo careers. Their most recent work together is a triptych of tapestries inspired by the Unicorn Tapestries and structured on the three fundamental conflicts in literature - Human vs Nature, Human vs Him/Herself, and Human vs Human. The first tapestry, Allegory of the Monoceros, illustrates the end of Darwinian natural selection and the growth of human-centric evolution. The second, Allegory of the Infinite Mortal, portrays a garden for contemplation of the scientific and philosophical structures humans have used throughout history to explore the concepts of infinity and immortality and our place therein. The third tapestry was created during their fellowship at the de Young Museum and explores how cooperation and conflict have shaped human evolution. Each tapestry began with extensive research at the San Francisco Public Library.

Born in Berkeley, California, artist and photographer Ronald Hirano, a Deaf Nisei, was "adopted" by Miss Delight Rice, who founded the Philippine School for the Deaf in 1907, when his entire family was interned to relocation camps with 120,000 Japanese-Americans during World War II.

This exhibition of his works includes photography, linoleum-engraved and designed covers of the California News (the newspaper from the California School for the Deaf), linoleum-engraved cards and pen and ink cards.

From the first obscure titles published by a feminist publishing cooperative in the 1970s through to titles published in last year, Randall Tarpey-Schwed brings to the San Francisco Public Library his unique collection of books that portray gay or lesbian parents. Here is the opportunity to view over seventy books which illustrate how this unique genre evolved despite political controversy. The exhibition also shows how society’s view of the LGBT community has changed.

Related Event: Book talk and discussion with Randall Tarpey-Schwed

Tuesday, May 14
6 PM
Main Library, Latino/Hispanic Meeting Room, Lower Level

Afro-Futurism:  Envisioning the Year 2070 and Beyond uses art to create a future for us to aspire to.  It comes from an African American perspective.  Runaway slave and heroine Harriet Tubman once said, "I freed a thousand slaves; I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves."  

Over 100 years later, writer James Baldwin praised Black revolutionaries for daring to break down barriers.  He wrote in a 1970 letter to activist Angela Davis:  "The enormous revolution in black consciousness which has occurred in your generation, my dear sister, means the beginning or the end of America. Some of us, white and Black, know how great a price has been paid to bring into existence a new consciousness, a new people, an unprecedented nation." 

What will be the Black consciousness in the year 2070, one hundred years after James Baldwin's letter?  

Curated by  Kheven LaGrone

Contributing Artist:

James Phillip Anderson

Nyame O. Brown

James M. Kennedy

Ajuan Mance

Karen Oyekanmi

Sara Marie Prada

Michael Ross

Malik Senefru

Safety First ©

Tomyé

Related Event: In commemoration of Juneteenth, an artists reception/talk will take place on Sunday, June 16, 2013

Main Library, Lower Level, Koret Auditorium, 2 PM

In this Year of the Bay, San Francisco is all about what happens in and on its eponymous  waters.  From the 150th anniversary of the Port to the arrival of the America's Cup races this summer, this exhibit celebrates all things aquatic in San Francisco history: its vibrant shipping and fishing industries, its recreational swimming and boating clubs, and other aspects of San Franciscan life as defined by the City's relationship to its watery location.

Sponsored by the San Francisco History Center

As part of Pride Month 2013, the Main Library Fisher Chidren's Center will feature an exhibit on the groundbreaking children's book:  10,000 Dresses, by local author Marcus Ewert and local illustrator Rex Ray, the first transgender book ever written for children.

A modern fairy tale about becoming the person you feel you are inside, this beautiful book from Seven Stories Press was a 2008 Lambda Literary Awards finalist, a 2009 Rainbow List Book, and a 2010 Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Literature Award Honor Book.

This exhibit showcases artwork by various students enrolled in the SF Sheriff's Department Five Keys Charter School. These schools are high schools for adults inside county jails, at post-release sites, and at community programs throughout San Francisco. The goal is to show that the artists are more than students, more than incarcerated persons, and more than just disenfranchised people.  The Five Keys Art exhibit illustrates how this program provides a path to embracing students as whole people with dreams and aspirations, as well as re-introduces the students to the community, and the community to the students.

Despite the harsh life inside prison, art allows some of the inmates to develop skills and ideas that help them learn, grow and ultimately change. The featured work in this exhibition includes paintings, prints, and dioramas. Paintings range from landscapes to renaissance-style portraits in oils, to beautiful detailed renderings of boats and architectural images of the inside of the prison. 3D artworks include a zen garden, an imaginary city, and a San Quentin cell to scale created from posterboard, cardboard and homemade ‘clay.’

Related exhibit: Book Arts from the Arts-in-Corrections Program.
Handmade books and prints from the former statewide Arts-in-Corrections Program will be on display in the Skylight Gallery, Main Library, June 15 - September 1, 2013.
Supported by the William James Association.

This exhibit features hand made books and prints from the former statewide Arts-in-Corrections program. The artwork includes both intaglio and linocut prints and inmate poetry. 
Related exhibit: On the Line: Artwork from the San Quentin Prison Arts Project, Main Library, Jewett Gallery, June 15 - September 1.

The Hand Bookbinders of California celebrate their 41st anniversary with an exhibition of members’ hand-bound books in the Skylight Gallery, on the sixth floor of the San Francisco Public Library, Civic Center. The exhibition is presented by the Marjorie G. and Carl W. Stern Book Arts & Special Collections Center, and is on view June 18 through September 6, 2013.

Gallery talks by members of the Hand Bookbinders of California will take place on Thursdays at 2:00pm: June 27, July 18, August 1 and 15.

Don't miss these wonderful jewels of bookbinding design that inspire appreciation of the art and craft of hand bookbinding.

Image: Das Handwerk des Buchbindens in Vergangenheit und Gegenwart by Hanna Egger (1980); decorated paper from Japanese Paper “Wagami Inden” by Seikichiro-Goto (1957) . Grabhorn Collection on the History of Printing & the Development of the Book, San Francisco Public Library.