Get Inked...Naturally!

Henna for Teens

February 28, 2011

4:00-6:00

Thinking 'bout getting inked? Come join us at the Mission Branch Library for a free organic temporary tattoo! Unravel the mystery of henna and its ancient/traditional uses, learn how to apply it, and have all your questions answered by SF's natural henna artist, Charitie Bolling. All participants will receive a free design for participating. Refreshments will be provided. Bring a friend and get entered into a raffle for a chance to win a gift after the workshop! Space is limited! Don't miss out!!

Ages 12-18~For participants under 18, a signed parent/guardian form must be returned prior to the workshop. To reserve your space and/or request a form contact Nicole at 415.355.5738 or ntermini@sfpl.org

Show Your Love with Buttons!

Who wants to get crafty with buttons on Valentine's Day?

February 14th, 2011 @ 4:00

Draw a picture, cut one out ,or bring one in.

Make a button for your LOVE or yourSELF!

FYI: The buttons are less than 2" around, so think small.

Ages 12-18

For more information contact Nicole at 415.355.5738 or ntermini@sfpl.org

Felt Pin Fun for Teens!

January 24, 2011 @ 4:00
Fashion a felt pin for yourself or a friend!!
Make one based on your favorite Lucha Libre wrestler,Day of the Dead image,or create your own unique design.
All materials provided.
Ages 12-18

For more information contact Nicole at

415.355.5738 or ntermini@sfpl.org

Mission Library: A Space for All

A very nice article about the Mission Branch was published by Mission Loc@l, an online news journal covering the Mission District. But please, finish your coffee before coming into the library ;)

Hispanic Heritage Month photos

We had a lot of fun at our annual Hispanic Heritage Month celebration here at the Mission Branch, as you can see by these photos we took...

Tambores de Colombia...


Red Poppy Art House's Family Art Program (Arte en Familia)...


Diana Gameros sings and plays guitar...

Ghost Hunting for Teens this Thursday at the Mission Branch!

Ever Wonder if ghosts are real? Tommy Netzband, a ghost hunter from the SF Ghost Society, will talk about his experiences investigating ghosts and hauntings. He'll also be sharing ghostly images and sounds he has caught on DVD. Get the info and then you decide what to believe!

Thursday, Oct. 14
3:30-5:30 p.m.
(in the children's room)

Latino Hispanic Heritage in Literature

Latino Hispanic Heritage defines California, the nation, and many parts of the world. A month was designated in 1988 by President Reagan to celebrate this important aspect of the history of the United States. It begins September 15 and ends October 15. September 15 was chosen as the starting point for the celebration because it is the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. They all declared independence in 1821. In addition, Mexico, Chile and Belize celebrate their independence days on September 16, September 18 and September 21, respectively.

Here are a few Latino Interest titles, some in English and some in Spanish (and some bilingual), that we and some of our patrons recommend. They are by authors from North, South, and Central America:
The hummingbird's daughter : a novel / Luis Alberto Urrea.
Chronicle of a death foretold / Gabriel García Márquez
César Vallejo : the complete posthumous poetry (English & Spanish)
In the time of the butterflies / Julia Alvarez
Y una sed de ilusiones infinita / Rubén Darío
El huracán lleva tu nombre / Jaime Bayly.
The devil's highway : a true story / Luis Alberto Urrea.
Daughter of fortune : a novel / Isabel Allende
Veinte poemas de amor y una canción desesperada. (English & Spanish)/ Pablo Neruda

And here are some titles that explore the history of Spain and the Spanish in the Americas:
Conquistador : Hernán Cortés, King Montezuma, and the last stand of the Aztecs / Buddy Levy
El espejo enterrado / Carlos Fuentes
A Traveller's History Of Mexico/ Kenneth Pearce
A land so strange: the epic journey of Cabeza de Vaca: the extraordinary tale of a shipwrecked Spaniard who walked across America in the sixteenth century / Andrés Reséndez
Mission San Francisco de Asís / Kathleen J. Edgar and Susan E. Edgar.

Recent Newsmakers:
Mario Vargas Llosa: born in 1936, novelist, journalist and essayist, winner of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature.
Sonia Sotomayor: Appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States in August 2009. She is the Court's 111th justice, its first Hispanic justice, and its third female justice.

Links:
Info on Mario Vargas Llosa found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Vargas_Llosa
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/2010/
Info on Justice Sotomayor: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonia_Sotomayor
Hispanic Heritage Month: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hispanic_Heritage_Month

Find us on Facebook

The Mission Branch now has a Facebook page. You can either "like" us on our organization page, or "friend" us on our main account page...

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at the Mission Branch Library

Saturday, Oct. 2
1-4 p.m.

Featuring...

The Family Art Program 1:00 pm
As part of the Mission Arts Performing Project (MAPP), the Red Poppy Art House presents the Family Art Program, a free form space for youth and parents to explore their creative impulses with no limitations.

And musical performances by…

Tambores de Colombia 1:00 pm
Traditional music from Colombia's Pacific and Atlantic coasts.

Diana Gameros 2:00 pm
Singer-guitarist whose music travels the Spanish and Mexican landscapes, recounting stories of love, movement, and borders, accompanied by the beat of the Cajon.

Colibri 3:00 pm
Children and families are invited to enjoy lively music from Latin America with Colibri. This performance will take place in the children’s room.

Celebra el Mes de la Herencia Hispana en la Biblioteca de la Misión

Sábado, 2 de octubre del 2010
1–4 p.m.

El Programa de Arte en Familia 1pm
Como parte del Mission Arts Performing Project (MAPP), el Red Poppy Art House presenta el Programa de Arte en Familia, un espacio libre en donde los jóvenes y los padres pueden explorar sus instintos creativos sin ningún límite

Interpretaciones musicales por…

Tambores de Colombia 1pm
Una agrupación musical dedicada a presentar la música tradicional de la costa Atlántica Colombiana como también un poco de nuestra música del litoral Pacífico Colombiano

Diana Gameros 2pm
Cantante-guitarrista cuya música recorre los paisajes latinoamericanos, contando historias de amor, movimientos y fronteras, acompañadas al compás del Cajón.

Colibrí 3pm
Niños y sus familias son invitados a disfrutar de música de Latino América con el grupo musical Colibrí. La presentación será en la sala de niños.

Staff recommended reading: Alias Grace

Margaret Atwood is at the top of her form, superb indeed, as wordsmith, story designer, social critic, and humanitarian in her re-inhabitation of the legendary Canadian folk case of Grace Marks, 19th century indentured immigrant housemaid tried and convicted for abetting the murder of her abusive male employer and his housekeeper/lover. Bringing the feminism, empathy, class consciousness, and artistry of A Handmaid's Tale to this very different material, spinning it from multiple viewpoints, Atwood adroitly manages to leave Marks' guilt or innocence ambiguous while vividly illuminating class and gender provocations which could have righteously driven her to participate in the crime. The period recreation is impeccable, relevant, and undistracting – not precious at all. You just can't get better than Margaret Atwood at her best.

See if Mission Branch's copies of Alias Grace are available.

Judy

Print is not dead - libraries booming!

Well, it's no surprise to us that there are a lot of people using the Mission Branch and other San Francisco Public Library branches, but apparently it was to Carl Nolte, writer of the SF Chronicle column "Native Son." He's written a nice article about how well used the public library is, and it seems to be inspired by his visit to the Mission Branch...

Print is not dead - libraries booming

Question of the week: "Can I donate books to the library?"

The Mission Branch Library receives many generous materials donations such as books, DVDs, CDs, and more. Some of these items we're able to add to our collection here at the Mission Branch (and we have an area where we display some of the book donations on our Staff Picks table), and we're very grateful to those of you who think of us when donating such items. The items we can't use in the branch get sent on to the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library, a "nonprofit organization that advocates, fundraises, and provides critical support for the San Francisco Public Library" (http://www.friendssfpl.org/?About_Friends). The Friends organization has a couple locations where they sell the donated items that are forwarded to them from the branches as well as those that are donated directly to them: Book Bay Main at the Main library, and Book Bay Fort Mason. Additionally the Friends organization raises money through book sales, including their bimonthly Steps Sales at the Larkin Street entrance of the Main Library on the first and third Wednesday of every month (April through October), and the annual Big Book Sale which occurs every fall and is the largest book sale on the West Coast.

We definitely encourage you to drop items off at the Mission branch if you have a single box or stack of books. If you have multiple boxes there is a Friends of the San Francisco Public Library Donation Center nearby at 438 Treat Avenue (between 17th and 18th Streets). Also, you can take donations directly to their store locations at Book Bay Main and Book Bay Fort Mason. Something to keep in mind is that we here at the Mission Branch as well as the Friends organization cannot use books that are damp, moldy or otherwise badly damaged; sets of encyclopedias like World Book, Britannica, etc.; legal statutes and casebooks; or magazines of any sort. Those items you can take to Goodwill or Salvation Army, except maybe for the books that are damp, moldy or otherwise badly damaged -- not sure if they want those.

Staff Picks Table

If you've been in the branch in the last few months, perhaps you've noticed that we now have a new Staff Picks table. This table was donated to us by a patron who wanted to see, in one place, books we've read and recommend others to read. We couldn't have been happier about this generous gift. Soon we'll be including notecards on the table with our reviews of the books. But until then, you can always check this blog, on which we post staff recommended reading reviews. And if you're in the branch, have a look at the titles on the table, which is located next to the New Books section on the far west wall of the 2nd floor.

Staff Recommended Reading: Roads to Quoz

Roads to Quoz: An American Mosey by William Least Heat-Moon is as attractive for the folksy erudition and cantilevered but thoroughly sound architecture of its prose as for the odd, whimsical, provocative thoughts, themes, and facts ("quozzes") it traces through the byways and waterways of our nation. William Least Heat-Moon, whose name alone is enough to invite readership, came to fame exploring vanishing small-town America via his Blue Highways. Still a traveling man but now experience-ripened and learned, he lets us in on the series of side-road trips he and his wife took questing rare, curious, place-related discoveries. The travel counterpart to a Slow Food meal is this local, organic, satisfying read of many courses with a full palate of flavors.

Judy

Carnaval 2010

We're finally posting some photos from Carnaval! The Mission Branch had the pleasure of taking part in the annual Carnaval parade here in the Mission. Staffmembers walked along with the San Francisco Public Library Bookmobile to promote the library and the Mission Branch. The theme was "Where the Wild Things Are..."

Staff recommended reading: Market Day

Beautifully and simply told, this wonderfully illustrated graphic novel tells the story of Mendleman, a Jewish rug maker, who goes into town on "market day" in an attempt to sell his rugs. But when he finds out that the owner of the store where he usually sells his rugs is no longer there, and that the new owner doesn't care to buy his rugs, Mendleman's world is thrown into chaos as he begins to question his profession, his life, and all of existence. James Sturm, author of the great graphic novel collection James Sturm's America: God, Gold and Golems, elegantly brings to life through words and pictures the hustle and bustle of an early 1900s Eastern European village marketplace. Additionally, Sturm effectively incorporates Jewish beliefs and spirituality into the tale. For instance, Mendleman talks about how, after a debate over the exact time of the setting sun signaling the beginning of the Sabbath, he made a rug with the colors purple and black so that when dawn comes and the light of day fades, you can no longer tell the difference between the colors, and you know then that Sabbath has begun and prayers can be made. I highly recommend this book, especially for those who have never read a graphic novel before. This is a great one to begin with.

Check to see if the Mission Branch's copy is available, or, if not, reserve a copy from another branch...

Market Day by James Sturm

Brian

Summer Reading at the Library!

Here at the Mission Branch (and at many other San Francisco Public Library branches) there will be three summer reading programs happening, covering all age groups. You'll notice the common theme this summer is water!

Adult Summer Reading
The summer reading program isn't just for kids this year. The Adult Summer Reading Program is a competition between the two sides of the city -- Oceanside branches and Bayside branches -- to see which side of town reads the most this summer! Adults can sign up for the Adult Summer Reading Program here at the Mission Branch beginning Friday, June 4th. As participants read books or listen to audiobooks, they can check off the number of books read in the sign-up binder at their library. Watch the water gauge at your local library rise for each book read. More info here.

Teen Summer Read 2010: Go with the Flow!
Register at your local library starting June 5th (you must be 13 years of age or older). You will receive a Go With the Flow gameboard. Complete 6 tasks on the gameboard. Activities include reading, visiting environmental places in San Francisco, getting friends to sign up, or going to library events! When you complete your 6 activities, come back to the library by July 31, 2010, to claim your prize: a flash drive and raffle ticket, the latter of which makes you eligible to win a MacBook, iPod Nano, Nintendo Wii or MP3 players! You must be present to win grand prizes on August 4, 2010, from 4:00pm - 6:00pm at the Main Library. Get your game board signed off by the librarian (anywhere on the form) and keep it - this is your party invitation to the Teen Summer Read Party and the Grand Prize Raffle! More info here.

Water Your Imagination: Children's Summer Reading Club
Beginning June 4, children through age 13 can up in the children's room to keep track of the books they read and win prizes. The more you read, the more prizes you can win! When you complete your eight-hour summer reading log you will earn a grand prize. AND while your are earning your grand prize check out our awesome free summer programs happening at our branches. The program ends July 31. More info here.

Annual Mission Branch Open House/Cinco de Mayo

If you missed out on our annual open house/Cinco de Mayo event on May 1, you're in luck, because we took some pictures.

Diana Gameros with Cajon accompaniment...
























Maria Luna prepares for her presentation of traditional dance and music of Mexico...



ABADA Capoeira performs...

Staff recommended reading: Django: The Life and Music of a Gypsy Legend

In this centennial year of the birth of Django Reinhardt, by all means go out to hear and dance at the many Bay Area celebrations and tributes to the incomparable French Gypsy jazz guitarist who invented the string-band style of Le Hot Club of 20's, 30's and 40's Paris, but also treat yourself to this biography written with the grace of a novel, the research of a master journalist, and the passion of a musician. Michael Dregni, guitarist and frequent Vintage Guitar magazine writer, performs a feat of scholarship, tracing the life of a nearly non-literate genius who left exactly two paper documents in his own hand. This lively book will redouble your admiration for the colorful, charming, at times vexatious early jazz innovator who struggled out of the music "industry's" straightjackets to follow his own vanguard heart.

See if the book is on the shelf at the Mission Branch...

Django: The Life and Music of a Gypsy Legend

Also, check out these Django Reinhardt CDs from the Mission Branch...

The Best of Django Reinhardt

The complete Django Reinhardt and Quintet of the Hot Club of France swing/HMV sessions 1936-1948

Judy

Como Encontrar Trabajo y Carreras

En este taller los alumnos aprenderán dónde localizar y cómo utilizar los recursos de empleo y de carrera en la Biblioteca Pública de San Francisco y el City College of San Francisco. Además, los estudiantes serán introducidos a una serie de búsqueda de empleo y orientación profesional en los sitios de la red. Se requiere la capacidad básica para navegar por la Red. No es necesario registrarse.

Jueves 20 de Mayo de 2010
3:30–5:30 p.m.

Atención: La clase se dará en la Biblioteca del Mission Campus
del City College de San Francisco
1125 Calle Valencia, Salón 408

The Mission Branch Annual Open House & Cinco de Mayo Celebration

Saturday, May 1, 2010
1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Second Floor

Featuring...

1:00 p.m. Diana Gameros
Singer-guitarist whose music travels the Spanish and Mexican landscapes, recounting stories of love, movement and borders, accompanied by the beat of the Cajon.

2:00 p.m. Charitie Bolling/Le Petit Jolie Henna Workshop
Demonstrating the ancient and mysterious art of Mehndi body art design.

2:30 p.m. De Colores with Maria Luna
Celebrate with dance and music from Mexico. Dress in traditional costume, play instruments, learn about Mexican culture and dance! (For children of all ages.)

3:15 p.m. ABADÁ-Capoeira
Performing the traditional art of capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian martial art form that incorporates acrobatics, dance, percussion, and songs.

Como Encontrar Trabajo y Carreras

En este taller los alumnos aprenderán dónde localizar y cómo utilizar los recursos de empleo y de carrera en la Biblioteca Pública de San Francisco y el City College of San Francisco. Además, los estudiantes serán introducidos a una serie de búsqueda de empleo y orientación profesional en los sitios de la red. Se requiere la capacidad básica para navegar por la Red. No es necesario registrarse.

Jueves 29 de Abril de 2010
3:30–5:30 p.m.

Atención: La clase se dará en la Biblioteca del Mission Campus
del City College de San Francisco
1125 Calle Valencia, Salón 408

"Poets 11 2010" at the Mission Branch

Friends of the San Francisco Public Library and their Poet-in-Residence Jack Hirschman, together with the San Francisco Public Library, present Poets 11, the annual citywide poetry contest and reading series that features select poets from each of the City’s 11 districts. We here at the Mission Branch are excited to represent the District 9 poets selected to read their poems for the Poets 11 2010 event, which will be held...

Tuesday, April 6
7pm
2nd Floor

Women's History Month Wrap-Up, March 2010

When I think of women's history, I think of books and stories -- personal stories and family stories, of sewing and cooking, of gardening, of childraising, of wars and protests and uprisings, of voyages and emigrating, and of striving for education and relationships and human rights.

Here is a list of a few authors whose works have illustrated -- through fiction and nonfiction -- some part of women's history everywhere...



Margaret Atwood: The Handmaid's tale
Colm Toibin: Brooklyn
Emma Goldman: Living my life
Isabel Allende: Daughter of Fortune
Toni Morrison: Tar Baby
Marguerite Duras: Wartime Writings
Alice Walker: In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens
Christa Wolf: A Model Childhood (or Patterns of Childhood)
Edwidge Danticat: The Farming of Bones
Elizabeth Cady Stanton: Eighty Years and More: Reminiscences, 1815-1897
Simone de Beauvoir: The Second Sex
Maxine Hong Kingston: The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts
Barbara Kingsolver: The Bean Trees
Tracy Chevalier: The Virgin Blue
Marilyn French: The Women's Room & From Eve to Dawn: A History of Women

-Anonymous Mission Branch librarian

Are you confused about Medicare?

If you are confused about Medicare or you have questions about your Prescription Drug Plan and costs(Part D), come the this presentation to find out more information about what services are offered by SF HICAP (San Francisco Health Insurance Counseling & Advocacy Program).

Tuesday, March 30
7:00pm - 8:30pm
in the children's room

Esta confundido sobre su Medicare?

Si usted confudido sobre su Medicare o tiene preguntas acerca de su plan de medicina o costos de prescripción (Parte D), venga a la presentación para averiguar más información acerca de los servicios que ofrece SF HICAP (San Francisco Health Insurance Counseling & Advocacy Program).

Martes, 30 de Marzo
7:00pm - 8:30pm
en la sala de niños

Organic Container Herb Gardening

Learn how to grow a variety of organic herbs in containers from seeds/starter plants using organic gardening supplies and methods. Create your own kitchen garden in containers! This is a Green Stacks program. For more information go to the Green Stacks page on the SFPL Web site.

Wednesday, March 24
6:30pm
Mission Branch Library

Staff recommended reading: The Shack

In The Shack by William P. Young, Mac, the main character, loses his daughter in a terrible tragedy, which (understandably so) leaves him bitter and depressed. One day he receives a letter asking him to go to the shack where he lost his daughter. It is right here that he finds the answers he's been searching for. He finds a God who talks to him and surprises him. The God he finds at the shack is the opposite of what he had been taught, and this makes him understand himself better and reconcile with what happened. This book makes you see and reflect on the relationship we all have with God. It may be a little too religious for some, but no matter—it's touching and makes you think. I highly recommend it! The Shack is available in both English (at the Mission Branch and other branches) and in Spanish as an eBook (titled La cabaña: donde la tragedia se encuentra con la eternidad).

We introduce to you, our new children's librarian!

Hello Mission Community!

I would like to introduce myself. I’m Ricardo Antoni and I just started working as a Children’s Librarian here at the Mission Branch! I feel really fortunate for the opportunity to work in such a wonderful, vibrant, and diverse community like the Mission. As a librarian, I feel that to serve children and young people is one of the most important things that we can do. Children are our future and the library is a welcoming place where children can learn about the world and develop their reading skills. Reading skills that later will translate into academic, work, and life success!

Something about myself: when I was young, I used to steal books from my parents’ bedroom to read. I remember that sometimes I would get into a lot of trouble as some of the books were not appropriate for my age! Luckily, my parents realized that I loved reading and therefore started to regularly bring books home for me to read (and that were more appropriate for my age!). Because of their encouragement, it did not take long for me to become an avid reader and to discover all the benefits that reading at an early age can bring into our lives.

So, I’m looking forward to serving the children, the parents and the teachers, and everyone in this great Mission community. Stop by and say hello sometime!

Until then,

Ricardo Antoni
Children’s Librarian
Mission Branch
San Francisco Public Library
rantoni@sfpl.org

Amigos de la Communidad de la Misión,
Quería saludarlos. Mi nombre es Ricardo Antoni y acabo de comenzar a trabajar como Bibliotecario para Niños en la Biblioteca Pública de la Misión. Es un privilegio poder trabajar en una comunidad tan vibrante y diversa como esta.

Pienso que no hay nada más importante que servir a los niños y jóvenes de nuestra comunidad porque ellos son nuestro futuro. La biblioteca es un lugar en donde todos los niños están bienvenidos y en donde ellos pueden empezar a desarrollar el hábito de la lectura. Un hábito que ayuda al éxito en la escuela, en la universidad, y en la vida.

Acerca de mi, les puedo decir que cuando era un niño y estaba aprendiendo a leer, me metía en problemas porque me gustaba robarme libros de la habitación de mi padres para leer. ¡Libros que a veces no eran apropiados para un niño de mi edad! Cuando mis padres se dieron cuenta de que me gustaba leer, me empezaron a traer libros a la casa más apropiados para mi edad. Gracias a ellos, no pasó mucho tiempo antes de que me convirtiera en un ávido lector y me diera cuenta de todos los beneficios que trae la lectura.

Bueno, eso es todo por ahora. ¡Espero servirlos muy pronto en la Biblioteca de la Misión!

Hasta pronto,

Ricardo Antoni
Bibliotecario para Niños
Biblioteca de la Misión
San Francisco Public Library
rantoni@sfpl.org

Come to the "Finding Jobs & Careers" Workshop

In this workshop students will learn where to locate and how to use job and career resources at both the San Francisco Public Library and City College of San Francisco. Additionally students will be introduced to a number of job search and career guidance Web sites. Basic ability to navigate the Web is required. No registration required.

Next class:
Thursday, Mar. 4, 2010
3:30 - 5:30pm

*Please note*: This class will be held at City College of San Francisco Mission Campus Library, 1125 Valencia St., Room 408

Como Encontrar Trabajo y Carreras

En este taller los alumnos aprenderán dónde localizar y cómo utilizar los recursos de empleo y de carrera en la Biblioteca Pública de San Francisco y el City College of San Francisco. Además, los estudiantes serán introducidos a una serie de búsqueda de empleo y orientación profesional en los sitios de la red. Se requiere la capacidad básica para navegar por la Red. No es necesario registrarse.

Jueves 25 de Febrero de 2010
3:30–5:30 p.m.

Atención: La clase se dará en la Biblioteca del Mission Campus
del City College de San Francisco
1125 Calle Valencia, Salón 408

Urban Fiction Writing Workshops

The Mission Branch & WritersCorps Present:

Urban Fiction Writing Workshops

Do you like to read stories about young people dealing with life in the ghettos & barrios of urban America?

Have you ever thought about writing your own urban fiction story?

In these workshops we will learn from our favorite urban fiction stories and then write our own.

Ages 14-22

Contact Nicole with any questions at 415-355-5738 or ntermini@sfpl.org