What We're Reading: March 2024

As usual we've been grazing through periodically produced media this March, delighting in and puzzling over the many ways to access some articles. Enjoy some of the highlights below!

40-Story Blemish Raises A City’s Blood Pressure As Owner Shirks Blame [Print Version] 

The Abandoned Luxury Towers That Graffiti Exposed [Web Version]

New York Times, March 3, 2024

While we've been following this story ever since the mesmerizing drone footage of the graffiti tags went viral on Instagram a few months ago, we're including this New York Times article as a subtle way to promote the many different methods you can use to access the newspaper through SFPL resources. The newest method is viewing the paper replica in PressReader, which gives you digital access to the paper the exact way it appears in print. You can also use the 72-hour access method to read this story on the NYT website, which features a lot of that mesmerizing drone footage. 

What do you think about the graffiti on the towers--is it capitvatingly cool, or vandalism? 

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We Tried Oscar Mayer’s New Vegan Hot Dogs

Bon Appétit, March 22, 2024

All the vegans in the house: are fake meats WIRED or TIRED? Would you take a chance to chomp the Oscar Mayer vegan dog? What if we told you Jeff Bezos was involved? (p.s. SFPL offers Bon Appétit magazine in print and online, but this article is web-only content.)

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A Chronicle reporter went undercover in high school. Everyone is still weighing the fallout

San Francisco Chronicle, March 26, 2024

Chronicle writer Peter Hartlaub revisits the time a 26 year old Chronicle reporter went undercover at George Washington High School in the Richmond District, a unique event that happened in 1992 and will probably never happen again. The archival photos from the original report make us nostalgic for High School... makes us almost want to go back, except for the part where the school was making due with the absolute minimum of funding due to prop 13 passing some fifteen years before and the rats that were running through the halls. 

Did you go to Washington High? What memories does the piece espouse in you?

Note, the title links to the unlocked article on the SF Chronicle website. The piece also ran in the March 31 Sunday edition which you can access through SFPL.

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A Beautiful Mind

In an age of conformity, Solange is the rare artist who relishes following her own creative intuition

Harper's Bazaar, March 2024 

Solange graces the cover of this month's Harper's Bazaar, and through the interview we learn she loves history, archives, and libraries, finding inspiration for her varied projects in these vaults of information. She even directed the journalist profiling her to meet at the local public library for their interview. We love this sound byte from Solange in the piece: "'I love the internet,' she says, then adds slyly, 'I be on that bitch too much.'" We feel you, Solange. Us too.

Snapshots from 150 years of Women's Magazines

Following up on the success of all the women's magazines activities last week, we're sharing snapshots of ads, covers, and features from the spread of magazines we had out for browsing. The content represented in these photos was identified as interesting by the activity participants. Seeing all the photos together gives you an idea of the fun we had engaging with apparel how-tos, fashion and cigarette ads, cartoon advice, interior decorating, and personal essays. It gives you an idea of the variety of what can be called "women's magazines." 

Tutorial: Consumer Reports

 

 

Tutorial: Consumer Reports

Thursday, March 21, 2024
12:00 - 1:00 p.m.

Virtual Library

Register on Zoom

 

Learn how to access and search Consumer Reports and the Buying Guide online with your library card. 

Presented by a Magazines & Newspapers Center librarian. 

This tutorial will be recorded. Register on Zoom to receive a link to the recording if you cannot come to the live presentation.  

See event listing on the SFPL master calendar.

View other Magazines and Newspapers Center programs on the SFPL event calendar under the What's News heading. 

 

UPDATE 3/22/24:

Video Recording 

Access the recording of the tutorial by clicking the screenshot below. 

 

 

PDF Handout

View and download the handout from the tutorial:

 

PDF Slides

View and download the slides from the tutorial:

Women's Magazines for Women's History Month

Around these parts we call it HERstory--the SFPL term used to describe Women's History Month. This week the Magazines and Newspapers Center hosted two in-person programs inviting patrons to come together to read women's magazines spanning 150 years. 

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Pssst... the magazine spread included Playgirl, which was no small fact. Instagram audiences went wild for the big reveal, and the San Francisco Standard, a local news website, sent their culture reporters to paw through the volumes. 

SF Standard article about Women's Magazines and Playgirl at SFPL

 

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We hope you can join us on Friday, March 15 for the final installment of the women's magazines and feminism program, but if you can't, see below for the title list, access options, and a short bibliography.

 

There's also a pop-up exhibit of Playgirl magazines by the 5th floor elevators. Check it out before the end of March when it will be de-installed.