SFPL News Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 21, 2013

Author Patrick DeWitt : The Sisters Brothers

Tuesday, February 26, 2013 – 6:30pm

San Francisco Main Library, Koret Auditorium

Cover of The Sisters Brothers

Patrick deWitt, author of The Sisters Brothers, San Francisco Public Library’s On the Same Page pick for January/February 2013 will be in conversation with author Joshua Mohr. Dewitt’s bang-up novel is a quirky and stylish revisionist western. When a frontier baron known as the Commodore orders Charlie and Eli Sisters, his hired gunslingers, to track down and kill a prospector named Herman Kermit Warm, the brothers journey from Oregon to San Francisco, and eventually to Warm’s claim in the Sierra foothills, running into a witch, a bear, a dead Indian, a parlor of drunken floozies, and a gang of murderous fur trappers. Eli’s deadpan narration is at times strangely funny (as when he discovers dental hygiene, thanks to a frontier dentist dispensing free samples of “tooth powder that produced a minty foam”) but maintains the power to stir heartbreak, as with Eli’s infatuation with a consumptive hotel bookkeeper. As more of the brothers’ story is teased out, Charlie and Eli explore the human implications of many of the cliches of the old west and come off looking less and less like killers and more like traumatized young men. With nods to Charles Portis and Frank Norris, DeWitt has produced a genre-bending frontier saga that is exciting, funny, and, perhaps unexpectedly, moving.

Book signing follows the talk. Book sales by Readers Books.

There are currently more than 300 copies of this dark and funny western checked out San Francisco Public Library. Don’t miss this lively program!

http://sfpl.org/index.php?pg=1010116201

MEDIA CONTACT: Michelle Jeffers

(415) 557-4282; (415) 608-1593;

mjeffers@sfpl.org

For Immediate Release
Contact: Michelle Jeffers
(415) 557-4282; mjeffers@sfpl.org

February 13, 2013

Grand Opening for Bayview Branch Library

Community Celebration, 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013

San Francisco Public Library will celebrate the grand opening of a neighborhood treasure, the new Bayview Branch Library on Saturday, Feb. 23.

Located at 5075 Third St. at Revere Avenue, the new building is the 23^rd completed project in the City’s voter-approved Branch Library Improvement Program.

The celebration will kick off with a musical procession starting at Mendell Plaza near the Bayview Opera House at 10 a.m. The procession will lead to the new Bayview library where there will be lion dancers and an official ribbon cutting at 11 a.m. Library services will begin at 12 noon.

The new, seismically safe and accessible 9,000-square-foot library is being built to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council and environmental features that include solar panels, two green, living roof gardens, and an innovative air- circulation system.

“I am thrilled to be opening the new Bayview Branch Library which will give this neighborhood the type of 21^st Century library services that it so richly deserves, in a safe, welcoming and innovative building,” said City Librarian Luis Herrera. “There is already a tremendous amount of community excitement around this project, which is second to last in the Branch Library Improvement Program, and I can hardly wait to open the doors and show the neighborhood this amazing new library.”

The new library features a designated teen area, a children’s area with interactive learning spaces, an expanded collection of books and materials with a large Chinese-language collection, more public computers, two quiet study rooms, an interior courtyard and a meeting room with after-hours access for community meetings and events. The library building was designed by THA Architecture and Karin Payson A & D of San Francisco and constructed by KCK Builders, a Bayview-based firm. The overall project was managed by the San Francisco Department of Public Works.

The project required that at least 30 percent of the construction companies and trades building the new branch were certified as Local Business Enterprises (LBE). The City far exceeded that threshold, with more than 68 percent LBE participation — surpassing all other similar projects.

“As a resident of this community for many years, I am very proud to have played a part in bringing a beautiful new branch library to the neighborhood,” said Department of Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru. “The Bayview library is a marvelous example of the City taking the extra step to ensure our neighborhood residents received employment opportunities with this project. The library project is a prime example of how it is possible to truly involve a community, as we should expect with all our projects.”

A key feature of the new library building are photograms created by artist and Bayview resident Ron Saunders. In addition, the building façade features 10 glass panels that depict images from historic photographs of the people and places from the Bayview neighborhood.

The construction of the Bayview Branch Library cost $13.5 million and was funded by a bond measure passed by San Francisco voters in 2000. The Bayview Branch will include new furniture, fixtures and equipment. Friends of the San Francisco Public Library is raising funds from private donations to pay for these items. To get involved in the Bayview neighborhood campaign, please contact tscheulov@friendssfpl.org. For more information about San Francisco Public Library, please call (415) 557-4277, or visit sfpl.org.

February 8, 2012

Contact: Lucie Faulknor

415-572-5912

Contact: Michelle Jeffers

(415) 557-4282

Award-Winning Documentary Filmmakers Launch

Public Library Storytelling Booth Project at SFPL Main

San Francisco, CA – When Director/Editor Dawn Logsdon (Faubourg Treme, Big Joy, Paragraph 175, Weather Underground) tells someone that she’s working on Free for All, a documentary and new media project about public libraries, invariably they begin to tell her a story about a personal library experience. Logsdon and her team have decided to capture those stories on film during three days of filming at the San Francisco Public Library Main branch, February 21-23^rd. The public is invited to schedule a 15-minute appointment (email: info@ free4allfilms.org) or walk-in during normal library hours on those days to tell their story. The crew, including Academy Award-nominated local cinematographer Vicente Franco (Most Dangerous Man in America, Daughter from Danang) will set up the library storytelling “booth” inside the Jewett Gallery on the lower level of the Main Library, 100 Larkin Street.

Below are excerpts from preliminary interviews:

• Gloria Cowert, SFPL Security Guard: “People think when you say library, it’s all quiet all the time. I say ‘you’d be surprised!’”
• Eddie Fung, born and raised in Chinatown, WWII POW, Metallurgist, age 90: “Growing up in Chinatown, I wasn’t interested in things Chinese, I was interested in things other than Chinese, like the Plains Indians. Through reading I discovered I could ride a horse and shoot a bow and arrow… and when I was 16 I went to Texas to be a cowboy…That’s what the library did for me, expanded my restricted view of life.” 
• Gray Brechin, Geographic Historian and Author: “I was a latchkey kid, my parents were divorced, and I was gay and just learning that…and libraries saved my life”
• Charles Houston, Drug Counselor, formerly homeless: “A few years ago I was living on the sidewalk across the street from the library.  I was a drug addict and a drunk. I went to the library to be safe and not be afraid of someone stealing the shoes off my feet.”
• Maria Tamara, Lithuanian immigrant, age 96: “We could not afford to buy books. It was library, library, library all the time and it didn’t cost anything. That is the treasure we discovered in the United States.”
• Sam Cormier, Claire Lilienthal student, age 13: “For me the public library is a place to be away from normal life and be in your own world.”

The stories will be edited down and presented during National Library Week in SFPL’s Koret Auditorium on Saturday April 20, 2013 at 2 pm, along with excerpts of the Free for All documentary-in-progress and a talk by preeminent library historian, Wayne Wiegand, discussing his upcoming book: Part of Our Lives: A People’s History of the American Public Library.

For more information, go to www.freeforallfilms.org or call 415.824.4910.

This storytelling project is in collaboration with the SFPL and Serendipity Films, and is funded in part by the Creative Work Fund (a program of the Walter and Elise Haas Fund supported by grants from ArtPlace, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and The James Irvine Foundation).

News Update 2/11/13: See San Francisco City Librarian Luis Herrera Make Good on the SuperBowl bet:   http://youtu.be/5P-4Scgg_hQ

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                              MEDIA CONTACT:  Michelle Jeffers

Jan. 31, 2013                                                               (415) 557-4282; mjeffers@sfpl.org

 Super Bowl XLVII

SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC LIBRARY VS. ENOCH PRATT FREE LIBRARY

Two Great Libraries, One Super Bowl Bet

San Francisco – San Francisco Public Library has 49er Fever! As the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens get ready to battle it out on the gridiron this Sunday at Super Bowl XLVII, SFPL is standing tall with the 49er faithful and waging a Super Bowl-Library bet with the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore.

We’re calling it a cross-country battle of the libraries.

Here’s the bet:

If (when) the 49ers win on Sunday, Pratt Library CEO Carla Hayden will have to recite George Sterling’s iconic San Francisco poem, “The Cool, Grey City of Love” in Baltimore’s Central Library Main Hall wearing a 49ers jersey.

If, by slim chance, the Ravens win, San Francisco City Librarian Luis Herrera will have to recite Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” in the atrium of the San Francisco Main Library wearing a Ravens jersey.

Whoever loses will also have to video their director reciting the poem and post on YouTube.

“We are confident about the Niners victory on Sunday and we sure hope Dr. Hayden looks good in red and gold,” said Herrera. “As a huge sports fan, I am thrilled to support our football team while spotlighting two great library systems and two great literary cities.”

For more information, visit sfpl.org. Also look for SFPL on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Sergio Suarez of All the Way Live Foundation will impart his knowledge of street dance history. Each event  also will feature dance demonstrations by Beatz n Pieces, Agatron, Fluidgirl, and Too Wet. Beatz N Pieces has performed breakdance locally and globally, earning numerous championship titles. Agatha “Agatron” Rupniewski is a veteran popper/robot/mime who has performed with Bay Area stepping Crew “the Robonati.” She put together the first local all female street dance battle and showcase. Her street dance classes feature popping, robotting, tutting, waving, and fancy footwork. Too Wet has been street performing for over 10 years and teaches gospel mime dance at churches. Fluidgirl dances with Medea Sirkas, the legendary San Francisco/Oakland based pioneers of strutting, boogaloo, and the Fillmore dance styles.

This program is for ages 7-18. All programs at the Library are fee.

For more information, visit SFPL.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 17, 2013

San Francisco Poet Laureate Alejandro Murguía Gives His Inaugural Address

The Parallel Literary Histories of San Francisco: Poetry in Times of Hope and Resistance

San Francisco Public Library is honored to present San Francisco Poet Laureate Alejandro Murguía, who will give his inaugural address as the City’s Sixth Poet Laureate on January 27, 2013, 1-3 p.m. at the San Francisco Main Library, 100 Larkin St., Koret Auditorium. The title of his address is The Parallel Literary Histories of San Francisco: Poetry in Times of Hope and Resistance.

Murguía will speak about the intersection of Latino and San Francisco literary history, particularly the influence of each on the other. He will also talk about how poetry has helped raise awareness about Latin America and Latin Americans here in San Francisco, and the role that poetry has had in shaping the community’s approach to struggle, resistance and community. Interspersed with his comments, he will read selected poems he has written, as well as read from poems he has translated.

“In the 1970s and to the present, the contributions of Latino poetic voices to the history and poetic-literary movements of San Francisco cannot be underestimated,” Murguía said. “Latino poets have enriched and enhanced the poetry of San Francisco with their bilingual writings, their political perspectives and their approach—to quote the Salvadoran poet Roque Dalton—that poetry like bread is for everyone. At the same time the people of San Francisco … have been and continue to be a source of solidarity without which this most recent flowering of Latino poetic voices could not have bloomed so brilliantly.”

Schedule

1 p.m. – Inaugural Address, San Francisco Main Library, Koret Auditorium

Opening Ceremony: Jorge Molina, Shaman of the Mission

Native American Invocation: Dr. José Cuellar, Professor Emeritus, San Francisco State University

Welcome: San Francisco City Librarian Luis Herrera

Introduction: Byron Spooner, Friends of the San Francisco Public Library and Poet Roberto Vargas

Inaugural Address: Alejandro Murguía

2 p.m. Reception – San Francisco Main Library, Latino/Hispanic Community Meeting Room

Entertainment by La Familia Pena-Govea

This event is presented by San Francisco Public Library and Friends of the San Francisco Public Library. There will be a book sale by Readers Bookstore. All programs at the Library are free.

MEDIA CONTACT:  Michelle Jeffers

(415) 557-4282; (415) 608-1593

mjeffers@sfpl.org

Check out a What’s Your Watt metering device today!

San Francisco Public Library to Offer Home Metering Devices

To Measure Home Appliance Energy Use

Adds to list of services for city residents

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 15, 2013 – The San Francisco Public Library today launched a new program to offer library patrons What’s Your Watt home electric metering devices as a tool to measure energy usage in home electronic appliances.

Sponsored by Wells Fargo and Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), What’s Your Watt is a collaborative effort by the San Francisco Public Library’s Green Stacks program, the Department of the Environment (SF Environment), and the Business Council on Climate Change (BC3). Wells Fargo presented the idea for the program and a seed grant to purchase meters, which are now available for check out at all 28 San Francisco public libraries. PG&E provided the home metering devices. Borrowers may take the devices home to determine wattage, associated costs and C02 emissions information for all electrical appliances, including computers, refrigerators and hair dryers.

“Thanks to the generous support of Wells Fargo and PG&E, San Francisco library users can now check out a home energy metering device along with their books,” said Melanie Nutter, director of SF Environment.  ”We are delighted that our libraries and local businesses are so committed to helping San Franciscans reduce their energy use, save money and lower their carbon emissions.”

Standard library borrowing rules apply for the home metering devices, which can be checked out for three weeks. Each branch library and the SFPL Green Bookmobile will have two devices and the Main Library will have six devices.

The What’s Your Watt home metering devices are simple to use and come with instructions in English, Spanish, Chinese and Russian. Additional information can be found at: www.sfenvironment.org/whatsyourwatt.

“It is our hope that San Franciscans will take advantage of this program so they can reduce their energy consumption to lower their energy bills, while benefitting the environment as well—both great goals to start in the new year,” said Tracy Curtis, president of Wells Fargo’s San Francisco market.

About SFPL Green Stacks

San Francisco Public Library’s Green Stacks is dedicated to helping the City go green. Libraries have always been dedicated to free, renewable resources and this new, citywide program highlights the environmental initiatives, programs, exhibitions and information created and supported by today’s library system. In partnership with SF Environment and Friends of the San Francisco Public Library, Green Stacks empowers all library users to live a more eco-friendly life.

About SF Environment

The San Francisco Department of the Environment (SF Environment) creates visionary policies and innovative programs that promote social equity, protect human health, and lead the way toward a sustainable future. We put our mission into action by mobilizing communities and providing the resources needed to safeguard our homes, our city, and ultimately our planet. For more information on SF Environment, visit: www.sfenvironment.org

About the Business Council on Climate Change

The Business Council on Climate Change (BC3) is a public-private partnership between local government and the business community that works to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in San Francisco through collaboration and direct action. For more information on BC3, visit: www.bc3sfbay.org

About Wells Fargo

In April 2012, Wells Fargo released a set of environmental commitments to be achieved by 2020; including reducing the company’s environmental impact, financing the transition to a greener economy and encouraging stronger and more sustainable communities. A leader in reducing its own greenhouse gas emissions and building sustainably, Wells Fargo has been recognized by the Carbon Disclosure Project and the U.S. Green Building Council. Since 2006, Wells Fargo has provided more than $11.7 billion in environmental finance, supporting sustainable buildings and renewable energy projects nationwide. This includes investments in more than 260 solar projects and 34 wind projects that generate enough clean renewable energy to power hundreds of thousands of American homes each year. For more information, please visit: www.wellsfargo.com/environment.

Wells Fargo & Company is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.4 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, it provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 9,000 stores, 12,000 ATMs, the Internet (wellsfargo.com), and has offices in more than 35 countries to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With more than 265,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the US.

About PG&E

Pacific Gas and Electric Company is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric utilities in the US. Based in San Francisco, with 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation’s cleanest energy to 15 million people in Northern and Central California.

Funding for What’s Your Watt was provided through a partnership with the City and County of San Francisco. Through the partnership, PG&E offers comprehensive energy efficiency services and technical assistance to residential, small commercial, large commercial and municipal customers.  This program is funded in part by California utility customers and administered by PG&E under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission.

For more information visit http://www.pge.com/about/newsroom/.

January 16, 2013

MEDIA CONTACT:

Michelle Jeffers

415-557-4282; mjeffers@sfpl.org

For Immediate Release
Contact: Michelle Jeffers
(415) 557-4282; mjeffers@sfpl.org

November 27, 2012

Dancing in the Dragon’s Jaws: Gay San Francisco, 1985-1988

Exhibition on View in the San Francisco Main Library, Jewett Gallery,

December 1, 2012 – February 10, 2013

An exhibition of photographs by Thomas Alleman that celebrate San Francisco’s gay community in the mid-1980s, will be on view on the San Francisco Main Library’s Jewett Gallery, beginning Saturday, Dec. 1.  The Library is located at 100 Larkin St. in San Francisco’s Civic Center.

Alleman’s photographs show a moment in San Francisco’s social history when the first wave of the AIDS epidemic crashed onto the Castro, one of the country’s most vibrant neighborhoods. While the community convulsed with well-earned fear, heartbreak and anger, some people still found the courage and the will to celebrate the dream of a life they’d come to find in San Francisco.

This exhibition, Dancing in the Dragon’s Jaws: Gay San Francisco, 1985-1988, chronicles a blizzard of protests, demonstrations, vigils, marches and sit-ins, as the community struggled for social and political recognition of the AIDS crisis. Alleman photographed groundbreaking gay candidates for public office who sought change from inside “the system,” as well as street-level activists whose proud, queer anger drove them to hector that system from the outside.

The exhibition also shows people who embraced life in the Castro with a shimmy and a bounce and with life-affirming joy in bars, discos and on street corners. Alleman photographed parties and bar scenes, drag shows and Halloween evenings, and the artists who were creating a home-grown, alternate gay culture. Here are intimate portraits of writers, dancers, directors, painters, and actors as they danced in the “dragon’s jaws.”

Related programs:

Meet the Artist: Thomas Alleman – Dec. 1, 2 p.m., Main Library, Lower Level, Latino/Hispanic Community Room

Dancing in the Dragon’s Jaws: SF Gay Culture in the 1980s – Panel Discussion. Jan. 23, 6 pm., Main Library, Lower Level, Latino/Hispanic Community Room.