An online magazine for Bay Area classical music lovers

The Library subscribes to several titles, such as American Record Guide, Opera News, The Gramophone, and BBC Music Magazine, that cover classical music events from all over the world.

However, one of the best sources for those interested in the local classical music scene is available only on the web. It is called the San Francisco Classical Voice and it is published every Tuesday. These "issues" can be received by signing up for e-mail delivery or by RSS feed.

From the San Francisco Classical Voice's About page:

"SFCV is an online magazine that offers reviews and previews of the Bay Area's wide range of classical music performances; insightful features from leading writers; news about the music scene; and the most complete calendar of events. With arts coverage shrinking in most media outlets, SFCV has become a leading source of information to the Bay Area community and a model for other cities around the country."

"Since September 1, 1998, SFCV has published, in addition to our weekly features, Music News, and Listening Ahead columns, over 2,700 reviews of Bay Area performances by symphony orchestras, recital presenters, opera companies, chamber groups, new-music ensembles and programs, early-music ensembles, choral groups, music festivals, chamber orchestras, musical theater groups, world music groups, youth music ensembles, and other organizations."

The Future How?

Good design used to require creative talent, but now it involves a wide range of skills that include visual skills, collaboration and project management skills, technical and programming skills, and ultimately the ability to synthesize these capabilities into a coherent and engaging design.

How magazine showcases articles on all these factors to help you both understand good design in the networked and wireless age as well as how to implement them in your own design work.

Today, everyone is a writer, designer, and media producer. Everyone is part of the global audience using a variety of media and devices. Take a look at How magazine and see how the world of information and design is converging.

To learn more about How magazine, go to http://www.howdesign.com/.

To find out about SFPL holdings for this magazine, click here.

American Bungalow

What is a bungalow?
Where does the term “bungalow" come from?
How does a bungalow’s architectural style differ?
Can you name various bungalow types?
Did you know all these questions can be answered at the San Francisco Public Library’s Magazines and Newspapers Center which has issues of American Bungalow back to 2001?

American Bungalow focuses on the preservation and restoration of 20th century homes called bungalows. This lavish, glossy quarterly provides insight to design ideas for restoring, remodeling, and even building new and updated bungalows. Colorful photographs illustrate the interiors and exteriors of featured houses. The magazine covers such topics as antiques and accessories; history; furnishings; events; the arts and crafts movement; landscaping; books and more. You will become thoroughly educated about these unique homes!

Chile Pepper magazine

Do elephants eat chiles? Need a chile peanut butter pie recipe? Looking for a fiery hot chocolate mix? Want to make your own home-grown hot sauce? Grow the world’s hottest chile pepper? Read about the first company to bottle jerk seasoning? Chile Pepper magazine has the answer to these questions and more.

Chile Pepper caters to people who have a taste for hot foods from all over the world. With a wealth of recipes, this bimonthly magazine will guide the reader through Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean, as well as the Cajun, Texan, and Southwestern cuisine of the U.S. in search of the spiciest of spicy foods. Dedicated to the spicy side of life, each issue brings you restaurants and reviews, chef and celebrity profiles, travel, tips and techniques, and more than 50 recipes. "From hot sauce to haute cuisine, from Baton Rouge to Bali," Chile Pepper covers it.

Although the online version of this magazine requires a subscription fee, you can read it for free in the Magazines and Newspapers Center. We have issues back to last year.

40th Anniversary of the Summer of Love

What was life like in San Francisco during the summer of 1967, the “Summer of Love”? Some of us were around to remember it, others have forgotten and many weren’t even here yet. Refresh your memories or learn about it first hand (well, second hand) with articles from the Underground Newspaper Microfilm Collection. This collection contains several Bay Area publications such as the Black Panther Newspaper, the Oracle and the Berkeley Barb.

You can even go further afield to other locations as it also includes hundreds of alternative newspapers from all over the United States and around the world. Available only on microfilm, not online, you will need to come to the Magazines and Newspapers Center to read the newspapers.

Researching Your Family History

The Magazines and Newspapers Center presents "Researching Your Family History."

How do you begin researching your family history? In this presentation, learn basic research strategies and explore resources from the Internet and the San Francisco Public Library to gather genealogical and historical information to trace your family roots.

When: Saturday, July 28, 2007 (10:30 a.m. to noon)

Where: San Francisco Main Library, Latino/Hispanic Community Meeting Room

Presenters: Ron Filion and Pamela Storm, co-founders of the San Francisco Genealogy Web site

Cost: Free! This program is funded by the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library.

Using RSS Feeds for Real-Time Research on the Web

On Monday, July 23, 2007 at noon, the Magazines and Newspapers Center will present a workshop on RSS feeds--“Using RSS Feeds for Real-Time Research on the Web.” Learn about RSS feeds and how they can help you access the latest, cutting-edge news and dynamically shifting information on the Web to monitor your favorite news sources, Web sites, blogs and podcasts. This hands-on workshop takes place in the 5th floor Main Library Training Center.

Baseball All-Star Game

The 78th Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be played in San Francisco on July 10, 2007 at AT&T Park. Perhaps you might wish to read about the first time San Francisco hosted the All-Star Game in 1961 at Candlestick Park.

The Magazines and Newspapers Center has the San Francisco Chronicle Index, 1950-1980 on microfiche. In the index, under the topic “Baseball, Major League – All-star Game…," you will find citations to San Francisco Chronicle articles on July 11, 1961 (day of the game) and on July 12. The Center has a complete set of the San Francisco Chronicle on microfilm.

The Chronicle Sporting Green headline for July 11, 1961 announced “Ford and Spahn to Start Today In ‘Dream Game’ at Candlestick." Additional articles, “Ol’ Casey Banquet Hit” and Art Rosenbaum’s “Why the All-Star Players Really Care," provided even more pregame color for the event.

The San Francisco Chronicle front page headline for July 12, 1961 stated with chagrin “How Wind Conquered Mighty All-Stars." The front page of the Chronicle Sporting Green for the same day continued the feeling with the headline “The Wind Howled and Stars Cried."

The Chronicle Sporting Green recapped the game in a July 12 article “Mays’ Hit Ties It, Run Clinches It” by Bill Leiser. The opening sentence poetically described the end of the game: “Sharp, sudden, crackling hits by Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Roberto Clemente gave the National League a 5-4, 10-inning victory over the American League in the 30th All-Star Game yesterday after the contest had all but exploded in struggling Stu Miller’s face.”

Photograph of Candlestick Park courtesy of San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library.

Fourth of July

With the Fourth of July coming up soon, dazzling displays of fireworks and firecrackers will herald the arrival of our nation’s Independence Day. To explore some brief historical facts about firecrackers, try this search in one of our magazine databases:

1. Go to the SFPL Home Page and click on Articles & Databases. You will need a San Francisco Public Library card to get into the databases from outside the Library.
2. Click on the EBSCOHost Magazines database.
3. In the Advanced Search mode, enter the keywords Fourth of July AND firecrackers.
4. Here is the citation: The Big Bang. By: Lee, R. V.American History, Aug 2005, Vol. 40 Issue 3, p68-69, 2p, 2c.

Here is an excerpt:

“Fireworks and firecrackers were delighting people long before the discovery of the New World, and in Colonial America they continued to mark special occasions. John Adams had proclaimed that the nation's birthday "Ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward for evermore."