Power Googling

On Saturday, November 7, 2009 from 2 to 3:30 p.m., the Magazines and Newspapers Center will offer a workshop--"Power Googling"--where you can explore and unlock some of the hidden features inside Google.

Many people use Google to conduct basic searches on the Web, but rarely tap into its advanced search options. In this workshop, prepare to explore and unlock some of Google’s hidden features and resources, fine-tune your searches with prefix operators and “hacks,” manipulate search results, and unleash the full power of Google.

- Address: 100 Larkin St. (at Grove)
- Location: Main Library, Fifth Floor Training Center
- Event Date and Time: Saturday, November 7, 2009 (2 to 3:30 p.m.)

San Francisco Pioneer Cemeteries

The Magazines and Newspapers Center will present a program on Saturday, October 31, from 10:30 a.m. to noon—San Francisco Pioneer Cemeteries.

In association with One City One Book: San Francisco Reads, Ron Filion, co-manager of the SF Genealogy web site, will take you on a historical tour of the earliest cemeteries in San Francisco. He will show their locations, discuss how the City’s growth affected them, and share stories about their relocations. This presentation will not be for the faint of heart.

- Address: 100 Larkin St. (at Grove)
- Location: Main Library, Latino/Hispanic Community Meeting Room
- Event Date and Time: Saturday, October 31 (10:30 a.m. to noon)

ABCs of Digital Microfilm Scanning -- Hands-on

Explore and capture digital images from the archival microfilm periodicals collection on the Fifth Floor, Magazines and Newspapers Center! Join us as we read, scan, and reproduce historical print images using the high resolution digital scanners here in the Main Library.

- Address: 100 Larkin St. (at Grove)

- Location: Main Library, Fifth Floor, Magazines & Newspapers Center, Microfilm Room
- Event Date and Time: Monday, October 19 (Noon - 1 p.m.)

Please meet in the Magazines and Newspapers Center Microfilm Room.

5:04 PM

It happened 20 years ago on a quiet evening just like any other. At 5:00 p.m., people were either getting off of work or wrapping up their projects for the day, preparing to go home or out to dinner. At Candlestick Park, the Oakland A's and San Francisco Giants were just about to launch the third game of the 1989 World Series. Within the next 5 minutes, a tremor ripped right across the San Francisco Bay Area and almost immediately, confusion and chaos erupted: Car alarms blared, traffic lights lost power, and buses and cars in the streets came to a stop.

On the evening of October 17, 1989, the Loma Prieta earthquake struck the San Francisco Bay Area. Take a trip down memory lane by accessing photographs of this event through the San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection--one of many SFPL-Created Research Tools:

1. Go to the SFPL Home Page and select “SFPL-Created Research Tools.”
2. Under the “San Francisco Resources” category, select "SF Historical Photograph Collection."

3. Enter "loma prieta earthquake" into the search box to pull up photographs of the earthquake.

4. Select "View image" to see these photos and "View Record" to get more information.

Last but not least, prepare for the Big Rumble at the San Francisco Public Library: Learn more about earthquake preparedness and watch a documentary narrating a first-person account of the 1989 World Series Earthquake Game on Wednesday, October 14, at 6:30 p.m. at the Main Library.

Photo courtesy of San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library