Ireland of the Welcomes

With the coming of St. Patrick’s Day and all its festivities, parades, parties and the celebrating of Irish descent and non-Irish people around the world, it is only befitting to feature an Irish magazine.

• Would you like to know the meaning of St. Patrick’s Day and how it’s celebrated in Dublin, Ireland?

• What are the next steps for Michael Flatley, (known as The Lord of the Dance)?

• How do the Irish honor their patron saint at home and abroad?
  


• Where is the presumed resting place of Ireland’s patron saint?

• What is meant by “Kissing the Blarney Stone"?
  


• Did you know that by spending 24 hours in the town of Cobh, you can experience everything from heritage sites to its wild side adventures?
  

Are you excited yet? Is your curiosity piquing? Well, look no further! The Magazines and Newspapers Center has a magazine that offers a glimpse into Ireland’s past, present, and future. Ireland of the Welcomes, a bi-monthly magazine, showcases "the best of Ireland’s history, scenery, culture, traditions and lifestyles to the world at large.” Each issue features captivating photographs. You will also find articles about Irish celebrities, historical Ireland, and Irish food and wine.

So the next time you drop by the Magazines & Newspapers Center and have a curiosity about Irish culture, history, and society, check out Ireland of the Welcomes--a "valuable friend for many people with Irish ancestry who look to Ireland for their roots and cultural heritage."

Academic Search Complete

A few months ago, we highlighted the Academic OneFile database as a resource for researching high-quality, scholarly information from different journals in various academic disciplines. Joining our family of article databases is Ebsco's Academic Search Complete. Through this database, you will have access to even more full-text articles from peer-reviewed and scholarly journals covering a wide range of multidisciplinary subject areas. To give this database a test run, follow these steps:

1. Go to the SFPL Home Page and under the eLibrary tab, select "Articles and Databases." You will need a San Francisco library card to access the databases from outside of the library.

2. Scroll down the list and select EbscoHost Magazines MasterFILE Premier.

3. Next click "Choose Databases" and then select Academic Search Complete:

4. In the search box, enter a topic such as "health care reform":

5. After running your search, you'll find a list of articles from an assortment of journals, magazines, newspapers, books, and conference reports. Notice that you can modify your search terms by clicking the terms on the left panel or adjust date ranges by using the slider on the right panel.

Academic Search Complete represents one of many electronic database you can access with your library card. This database contains over "7,100 full-text articles, including nearly 6,100 peer-reviewed journals." Subject areas include, but are not limited to astronomy, biology, engineering and technology, ethnic studies, psychology, women's studies, and more. As an added bonus, many articles come in PDF format dating back as far as 1887.

Multicultural Review

February is a month full of wonderful historic holidays, celebrations, cultural events, and let’s not forget Black History Month. In keeping with this month’s theme, the San Francisco Public Library’s Magazines & Newspapers Center wishes to share one of its newest journals, MultiCultural Review.


MultiCultural Review is a quarterly journal known in the education and library communities as MC Review and MCR. “Dedicated to a better understanding of Ethnic, Racial, and Religious Diversity,” MCR prides itself as one of the leading voices advocating the integration of acculturation, transculturalism and biracialism through a literary medium. Each issue offers news notes, an editorial shelf, staff notes, features, columns and greetings from the editor which, in itself, is of informative value to readers.

This journal will appeal to “teachers at all grade levels, college professors, librarians, administrators, and anyone else who's interested in learning new developments and trends about cultural diversity.” One can find:

• the best reviews of new print and non-print resources

• articles on multicultural topics

• interviews with ethnic authors

• film reports and book reviews

• articles exploring current topics such as transcultural materials and approaches for working with children and adolescents

• informative and multiracial materials reflecting positive cultural views of today’s families and our changing world
  

MultiCultural Review offers its readers diverse perspectives on spirituality, disability, language, and much more.

SF City Directories available online through Internet Archive

A number of San Francisco city directories are now available online through the Internet Archive website. This means you can browse through directories from as early as 1850 up to 1953 from anywhere with Internet access.

As you may know, these directories can be a source of great genealogical information such as helping establish residency dates, residential property status, and providing spouse and employment/profession information.

To see a list of these directories and other content scanned from the San Francisco Public Library, please follow this link: http://www.archive.org/details/sfpl

Hint: To find the directories, use the "browse by title" list and select "T" (for "The San Fran..." roughly for the years 1850-1879), "C" (for Crocker-Langley 1891-1929), or "P" (for Polk's 1931-1953).

Information about the Internet Archive and its mission is available here: http://www.archive.org/about/about.php

ABCs of Digital Scanning Photographs - Hands-on Training

This is a demonstration session designed to introduce our patrons to the digital scanning of photographs, negatives, slides, and film. Together, we will scan, capture, and edit images in the microfilm room on the fifth floor. Come to the Magazines and Newspapers Center and let's get started!

-Address: 100 Larkin St. (at Grove)

- Location: Main Library, Fifth Floor, Magazines & Newspapers Center, Microfilm Room
- Event Date and Time: Monday, February 22, 2010 (Noon - 1 p.m.)

Gourmet Alternatives

When Conde Naste ceased publication of Gourmet in late 2009, many readers had to resort to other magazines to satisfy their culinary fix. A recent article highlighted some alternative titles to fill the void Gourmet left behind. The Magazines & Newspapers Center holds many titles mentioned in this article including Bon Appetit, Cook's Illustrated, Everyday Food, Fine Cooking, Food and Wine, and Saveur.

In addition, check out some of our past postings on indulging in the culinary arts: For time-tested recipes, look no further than Cook's Illustrated. Need recipes for different occasions? Go find your inner chef. Want to spice up your cooking? Try the Chile Pepper magazine. Planning to take the organic route and go green? Glean ideas from Vegetarian Times. Got some extra food from the holidays or a party? Explore what culinary magic you can conjure up from those leftovers.

The Magazines & Newspapers Center has plenty of Gourmet alternatives to satisfy your culinary interests, so come on by and let us help you find a magazine that suits your taste.