Podcast from KQED Radio: Newspapers in Trouble

The increasingly bleak state of newspapers, both globally and locally, is the topic of this July 31, 2007 broadcast of KQED's radio show Forum. Some key topics include the decreasing number of newsroom staff due to layoffs, the effect of the Internet on the public's newspaper reading habits, and the consolidation of ownership of formerly separate newspapers.

Hosted by Spencer Michels, the panel includes Louis Freedberg, editorial writer and columnist at the San Francisco Chronicle, Neil Henry, professor and interim dean at UC Berkeley's School of Journalism, John McManus, director of Grade the News.org at San Jose State University, and Stephanie Martin, reporter and anchor for KQED radio news.

To listen to this show in Realmedia or to download it as a MP3, click this link to the Forum archive.

Research Your Roots!

Learn how to research your family history by using two genealogy databases: HeritageQuest Online and Ancestry Library Edition. Each database complements the other by combining thousands of digital, searchable historical census records, key genealogy resources, and local history collections.

Heritage Quest features a search utility for genealogical books and magazines plus an index to a Revolutionary War database about individuals who served in the war and the Freedman’s Bank database which includes information about freed slaves from the Civil War. Both databases include information about the US Census. Ancestry Library includes thousands of databases on everything from the California Birth Index to a list of Japanese Americans who were relocated during World War II. In addition, Ancestry Library offers a variety of charts and forms that patrons can download to print out.

Familiarize yourself with these two resources during this one-hour demonstration.

Address: 100 Larkin St. (at Grove)

Location: Main Library Training Center (5th Fl.)

Event Date and Time: Wednesday, September 12 (noon to 1 p.m.)

Football

Where will the NFL play its first regular-season game overseas? Who will be the Oakland Raiders’ starting quarterback? Who’s tops in the Pac-10? Will the 49ers’ defense show improvement this year? Which California Golden Bears wide receiver was recently named an ESPN Preseason All-American? Who is the NFL’s youngest head coach?

Whether your interest is NFL or college football or both, the following magazines will keep you informed during the upcoming football season: ESPN, Sporting News, USA Today Sports Weekly, and Sports Illustrated. The Magazines and Newspapers Center subscribes to all of these titles.

These magazines will “fire up” fans with predictions; game coverage and analysis; and interviews of the famous, up-and-coming, and not-so-famous players. Read articles and feature stories about your favorite players. Get information on various professional and college football leagues. Check out the Preseason All-American picks. See high-quality, color action photos.

The online versions of ESPN and Sports Illustrated give the most up-to-the-minute breaking news. Enthusiasts who want to stay “in-the-know” about football stats and world-wide leagues will enjoy examining digital viewing and real-time scores by signing up through the magazines online membership programs. If this isn’t enough, watch highlights and playbacks from selected games on the NFL virtual highlights front pages. It’s sure to keep you entertained for days on end. Sooo!…“Are You Ready For Some Football?”!

Labor Day

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

Labor Day represents a special day in the U.S. and Canada to recognize and honor workers all over the nation. To learn more about the historical origins of this holiday:

1. Go to the SFPL Home Page and select Articles & Databases. You will need a San Francisco Public Library card to access the databases from outside the Library.

2. Under the Categories side bar on the left, select “Encyclopedias & Dictionaries,” then select “Encyclopaedia Britannica Online.”

3. From the search box, enter the keywords “labor day” and select the “Go” button.

4. From the search results, select the first link (“Labor Day”).

Here’s an excerpt:

“In the United States, Peter J. McGuire, a union leader who had founded the United Brotherhood of Carpenters in 1881, is generally given credit for the idea of Labor Day. In 1882 he suggested to the Central Labor Union of New York that there be a celebration honouring American workers.”

The Encyclopaedia Britannica Online (Academic Edition) contains a wealth of information on a variety of topics drawn from several encyclopedias as well as video clips, atlases, selected articles from the New York Times and BBC News, historical timelines, quotations, and more.

Celestial Objects

I’m no astronomer but when I see the names of galaxies, constellations and other celestial objects, they sound so beautiful I want to rush out, buy a telescope and start star gazing. If you’re like me, you might want to begin your star gazing education with Sky and Telescope magazine which we carry back to 1985. This astronomy magazine includes a star chart for each month, lots of news about observing and exploring the sky, product reviews and a marketplace section in the back where you can not only buy a telescope and a pair of binoculars but also eclipse shades! You never know, these shades could be the next big fashion accessory.

The Sky and Telescope Web site includes observing highlights for the week, lots of blogs about observing, and many articles for beginners such as "How to Start Right in Astronomy" by Alan M. Mac Robert.

While you’re at it, check out the latest version of Google Earth which now includes images of the sky.

Lastly, if you love the mention of Cassiopeia, Andromeda, Perseus and other celestial objects, check out the mythology magazine, Parabola, which the library owns back to 1985. This way you can discover the origin of these beautiful Greek names. Their Web site is at: http://www.parabola.org/

867-5309...Using a Reverse Directory

Have you ever had a phone number but not a name?

There are two kinds of phone directories, ones with the entries ordered by name alphabetically or by subject and ones with entries ordered by number or by location. These are called "reverse directories" and can be very useful when you want to find the information attached to a number or an address.

The Magazines and Newspapers Center holds two kinds of "reverse directory" reference sources. The first are print resources called the Polk's Directory, 1953-1982, and The Haines Directory, 1976 - Current, and the AT&T Street Addresss Telephone Directory. All of these directories are available at the Center's Reference Desk. These directories are extremely helpful--and sometimes full of surprises-- to genealogical researchers.

The second kind of reverse directory is the Reference USA database where you can enter a ten digit number and perform a search. Reference USA comprises the library's largest telephone reference source and holds over 14 million business numbers and 210 million residential numbers in the United States.