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Archive for August, 2009

Reference Books of the Month: Exploring San Francisco

August 12th, 2009

Natalie Abbott, a Gleeson Library | Geschke Center intern, wrote this post.

Whether you are new to San Francisco or just want to become better acquainted with the city, here are some useful resources for exploring the area:

Streets of San Francisco: The Origins of Street and Place Names

streets Louis K. Loewenstein

Reference Stacks: F869.67 S9 L6 1996

This book describes the origins of many street names in San Francisco. Some of the more interesting names include:

-Maiden Lane: contrary to popular belief, this street was not in fact named for the brothels that used to line it but was instead named for the New York street of the same name in the heart of the jewelry district.
-Mark Twain Lane: At this site, now bordering the Transamerica Pyramid, Twain supposedly met a man named Tom Sawyer whose name he would use in his most famous work.
-Nob Hill: derived from the British slang term “nabob” which refers to the area’s wealthy residents of the 1870s and 1880s.

A Checklist of San Francisco murals, 1914-1986

murals Tim Drescher and Victoria Scarlett

Reference Stacks: F869.145 .C54 1986

This booklet includes a listing of murals created in San Francisco between 1914 and 1986, and provides descriptions and detailed area maps of mural locations. The list of murals is organized by area, and an index allows you to search for murals by artist name.

San Francisco Almanac: everything you want to know about everyone’s favorite city

almanac by Gladys Hansen

Reference Stacks: F869.S3 H32 1995

The 47 chapters in this text cover a myriad of facts and anecdotes about the city, ranging from accolades (famous and not-so-famous references to San Francisco), to fairs, legends, panoramic views, songs and weather. Within these chapters, you will find interesting facts, tables and photographs relating to San Francisco.

Museums & galleries of San Francisco and the Bay Area

museums by Kristine M. Carber

Reference Stacks: F869.14 .C37 1996

A guidebook to museums and galleries in San Francisco, the East Bay, Marin County and the Peninsula. This book provides basic descriptions of the institutions, along with brief discussions of the scope and history of their collections. Although some specifics such as the price of admission and hours may have changed, this is still a valuable resource for becoming acquainted with the San Francisco Bay Area art scene.

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NYPL Postcards

August 11th, 2009

I have discussed the collecting of postcards that depict libraries previously on this blog. As I noted in that post, one collector managed to collect over 25,000 library postcards. There are several other collectors who have put together collections exceeding 10,000 examples. Because of the large number of library postcards it is probably prudent to specialize to some degree. I collect Wisconsin library postcards, ALA WWI postcards, postcards depicting bookmobiles and traveling libraries, and others that just happen to come my way. For some libraries no picture postcard exists, but for many of our larger libraries such as the Library of Congress, the Boston Public Library, and the New York Public Library a large number of examples/varieties have been published over the years. The picture side of the postcard of the New York Public Library shown above which is in my collection is nothing special. What makes the card unusual is the address side of the postcard which shows that it was carried on the Graf Zeppelin air ship in 1928 from New York to Friedrichshafen, Germany before being delivered to Herrn Hartmann in Stuttgart. This make the card far more valuable to a philatelist than a deltiologist, and it is, of course, a nice item for a collector of postal librariana. Harvey Lynch is a library postcard collector who specializes in postcards depicting the New York Public Library building on 5th Avenue and 42nd Street. He has developed an excellent website that displays his collection. The postcard which is on the home page of his website is exceptional. It was sent in 1907 and as the message on the picture side indicates, the building was not yet complete (it did not open until 1911). I also like the postcard which shows the reservoir of the Croton Water Supply in 1850 which later became the site of the New York Public Library. Links to other collections of library postcards can be found here.

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Library Hours for Fall 2009

August 11th, 2009

The Library’s hours for Fall 2009 are now posted on our website here: http://www.usfca.edu/library/hours.html. Welcome back to school!

booktree

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designing a course syllabus (step 3 of 9) – learning goals

August 5th, 2009

if you boil down a syllabus to its most core ingredient you are left with its learning goals.

on the first day of classes, learning goals signal to students what they can and should expect to learn from your course. on the last day of classes, learning goals help students assess what they did or should have learned from your course.

although your learning goals will take up a relatively small space of real estate on your syllabus, they should take up a large chunk of your thinking. think hard about what you are trying to accomplish in your course and work even harder to articulate these goals in clear and comprehensible terms. if you have taught the course before, look back on older versions of the syllabus and assess whether or not the learning goals are still relevant. if you have not taught the course before, look at your colleagues' syllabi and think about which, if any, of the learning goals you would like to continue, replace, and extend.

try to craft learning goals that engage students who enroll in your course with significant knowledge of the topic and students who arrive with zero experience - and, perhaps, zero interest - in the topic. in general, consider including 3-5 learning goals in your syllabus.

so, for example, here are the learning goals for digital media production, a course i am teaching this fall:

once finished, add the learning goals to your syllabus, save the document, shut down your computer, and celebrate your progress.

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Carnegie Library Bed & Breakfasts

August 4th, 2009

Library buildings built with funds from Andrew Carnegie which are no longer in use as libraries have been converted to a variety of purposes. Two of these buildings have a new life as a bed and breakfast. One of these is located in Sterling, Colorado and the other is in Ladysmith, Wisconsin. On trips this summer I have had the opportunity to stop by and see these two former Carnegie libraries. I have included pictures of the Old Library Inn in Sterling above. Note that in addition to serving as a bed and breakfast, the building also houses a counseling service. Pictures of the Library Hall Bed and Breakfast in Ladysmith, WI are located here. There is also a Carnegie library building in Olean, NY that is used as a restaurant in conjunction with a bed and breakfast