Saturday, January 26, 2008

Election 2008

California will be participating in the primary elections very soon. Are you curious about the backgrounds of the presidential candidates? Would you like to research more information on these potential leaders for our nation? To find more information and updated news articles, check out the Biography Resource Center:

1. Go to the SFPL Home Page and select “Articles & Databases.” You will need a San Francisco Public Library card to access the databases from outside the Library.

2. Under the Categories side bar on the left, select “People” then “Biography Resource Center+Marquis Whos Who (Gale).”

3. In the “Search by Name” box, enter a candidate of your choice.

4. Select any of the links from the list of results.

The Biography Resource Center contains biographical profiles of prominent historical and contemporary figures worldwide. You can search by an individual’s nationality, ethnicity, occupation, and birth/death years as well as browse through topical categories. Articles are drawn from general and specialized biographical dictionaries, encyclopedias, directories, magazines, and selected Web sites.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Martin Luther King, Jr.


He has become a national and heroic symbol of the civil rights movement in the United States. He used nonviolent strategies to advance his cause for social justice and equality. He served as a minister and also earned the Nobel Peace prize in 1964. On January 21, we will honor Martin Luther King, Jr. and his laudable achievements for social equality among people of all color. To learn more about this historical leader, check out the Biographical Resource Center:

1. Go to the SFPL Home Page and select “Articles & Databases.” You will need a San Francisco Public Library card to access the databases from outside the Library.

2. Under the Categories side bar on the left, select “People” then “Biography Resource Center+Marquis Whos Who (Gale).”

3. In the “Search by Name” box, enter “Martin Luther King.”

4. Select the link for “King, Martin Luther, Jr. (American civil rights activist, 1929-1968).”

Below is a citation and excerpt from one of the many links:

"Martin Luther King, Jr.," in American Decades. Gale Research, 1998.

“In the years since his assassination on 4 April 1968, as he stood on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, Martin Luther King Jr. has evolved from a prominent civil rights leader into the symbol for the civil rights movement in the United States. He is studied by schoolchildren of all backgrounds; his words are quoted by the powerless and the powerful, by anyone who has a dream to make her or his life better, to better the nation, or the world.”

The Biography Resource Center contains biographical profiles of prominent historical and contemporary figures worldwide. You can search an individual’s nationality, ethnicity, occupation, and birth/death years as well as browse through topical categories. Articles are drawn from general and specialized biographical dictionaries, encyclopedias, directories, magazines, and selected Web sites.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

A History of San Francisco's Tenderloin District


The Magazines and Newspapers Center will present a program—A History of San Francisco’s Tenderloin District--hosted by Peter Field, City Guide leader of many popular walking tours through the Tenderloin.

Known to early San Franciscans as St. Ann’s Valley, this once-placid piece of real estate provides us with a fascinating microcosm of urban history as we follow its turbulent passage from quiet respectability to entertainment center to vice-ridden “mean streets,” to its present partial reinvention as “Little Saigon.”

Mr. Field worked in the Tenderloin as a community mental health worker for more than a decade, and has spent several years researching its history and volunteering with San Francisco City Guides.

- Address: 100 Larkin St. (at Grove)
- Location: Main Library, Latino/Hispanic Community Room
- Event Date and Time: Saturday, January 19 (10:30 a.m. to noon)

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Introduction To Genealogical Research

New to genealogy and wanting to find your connection to the people who brought you into this world? Interested in knowing your parents, their parents, the people they loved, and the people whom they shared their lives with?

Researching into your genealogy is more than a detective story that grows and flowers. It is a story you write backwards, and it includes the struggles, victories, and defeats of the people closest to you.

The Magazines and Newspapers Center holds a variety of helpful resources, but so many tools can be overwhelming. To help guide your research, the Center will offer an introductory class on genealogical research including a brief introduction to genealogical research and a demonstration of the library’s relevant databases. The class will conclude with a short tour of the print and microfilm resources in the Magazines and Newspapers Center.

- Address: 100 Larkin St. (at Grove)
- Location: Main Library Training Center (5th Fl.)
- Event Date and Time: Wednesday, January 16 (6 - 7 p.m.)