Anime and Manga for Grown-Ups

They occupy the shelves of libraries and bookstores. The film industry has adpated them into feature length movies and TV series appearing in theaters and on DVD. Fans ranging from children and teens to adults and seniors often find themselves indulging in their magical realism conjured up by creative writers and artists from all genres. Anime and manga have swept through the United States like a whirlwind, creating a pop culture phenomenon that continues to proliferate at an astounding rate.

There is a strong cultural assumption in the U.S. that all animation and comic books are juvenile forms of entertainment. The mediums are actually far richer than that, and nowhere else is this truer than in Japan. The Japanese have developed a rich industry producing thousands of titles both in print and animated. Any genre you are familiar with has been mined and combined with visuals to help tell the story. Don't assume everything is family entertainment or sitcoms. Join us to explore works that range from respectable literature to delightful trash, and everything in between.

Gilles Poitras, the Access Services Librarian at Golden Gate University in San Francisco, is best known for his three books: The Anime Companion, Anime Essentials, and Anime Companion 2, as well as writing for the magazines Newtype USA and Otaku USA. He also sits on the senior board of Mechademia, an annual scholarly anthology of essays on anime, manga, and fan culture.

Mr. Poitras has delivered presentations on anime for Japan for U.S. friendship groups, public libraries, the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, conventions, all-day workshops for librarians, introduced anime films at the Smithsonian, and even taught a course on the subject for Pixar staff.

- Address: 100 Larkin Street (at Grove)
- Location: Main Library, Latino/Hispanic Community Meeting Room B
- Event Date & Time: Tuesday, June 7, 2011 (6-7:30 p.m.)

Crossing the Pacific with Cross Currents

May heralds the arrival of Asian Pacific American Heritage month. From the collection of the Magazines & Newspapers Center, we are highlighting Cross Currents, a quarterly newsletter that features news from the Asian American Studies Center at the University of California at Los Angeles. This newsletter introduces members of the faculty as well as the students--highlighting their achievements, publications, and research on the Asian American community. New books, symposia, cultural performances, and other related topic populate the pages of Cross Currents.

Throughout May, you can also check out Our Road - A Journey that Goes On Forever--one of the exhibits at the Main Library, featuring works by local Chinese American authors and artists. And on Saturday, May 21, come visit our booth at the annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration by the Main Library.

Journey back in time to the archives of the of the mid-19th century and early 20th century with the Magazines & Newspapers Center on Wednesday, April 20. Learn how to search for and access articles from the San Francisco Chronicle with one of our most popular electronic resources for historical researching--the San Francisco Chronicle Historical. For a sneak peek at how to search and navigate this this database, check out our previous blog posting.

-Address: 100 Larkin Street (at Grove)
-Location: Main Library, Fifth Floor Training Center
-Event Date & Time: Wednesday, April 20, 2011 (2 to 3 p.m.)

Fasten Your Seatbelts for Power Googling

On Saturday, April 9, 2011, from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., fasten your seat belts and learn some of the advanced search features of Google. Program is presented by the Magazines & Newspapers Center:

When researching for information on the Web, many people simply “Google it,” but rarely tap into Google’s advanced search options. In this presentation, go beyond the basic search box and learn how to use special operators to fine-tune your search strategies and customize your search results. Unlock some of the hidden features and shortcuts in this popular search engine. Search more precisely, smarter, and faster to unleash the full power of Google.

- Address: 100 Larkin Street (at Grove)

- Location: Main Library, Latino/Hispanic Community Meeting Room

- Event Date & Time: Saturday, April 9, 2011 (10:30 a.m. to noon)

ABCs of Digital Scanning Photographs

The Magazines and Newspapers Center once again hosts an introductory hands-on demonstration workshop featuring digital scanning techniques for photographs, film, slides, negatives and more. Beginners are encouraged to attend and learn how to scan, capture, edit and save photographic images. Our workshop will meet in the Fifth Floor Magazines Center microfilm room.


- Address: 100 Larkin Street (at Grove)
- Location: Main Library, Magazines & Newspapers Center, 5th Floor, Microfilm Room
- Event Date & Time: Monday, March 21, 2011 (Noon to 1 p.m.)

Get Ready to Party at the Mardi Gras

Do you know Mardi Gras 2011 falls on Tuesday, March 8? “Fat Tuesday,” as it is known, is the last day of the Carnival season, and it always falls on the day before Ash Wednesday which is the first day of Lent.

Want to explore what life is like in New Orleans, Louisiana, be ‘in the know’ on local issues, traditions, social trends, and fashion, home and garden? Well, you’re in luck because the San Francisco Public library’s Magazines & Newspapers Center has been subscribing to New Orleans Magazine for the past three years--a magazine rich in culture yet somehow fuses its past, present, and future into a history of constant evolvement.

New Orleans, a monthly lifestyle magazine with features and columns on the city of New Orleans, highlights Creole, Cajun, French and multicultural cuisine and dining. Readers will experience the exciting rebirth of this city since the devastating tragedy of Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans provides information on arts and entertainment (especially music, education, theatre, and its nightlife scene). For the fashion-savvy person, find a guide to tips on what’s hot and where to shop, especially for the ‘quintessential’ Mardi Gras attire.

The magazine is divided into three major sections:

• Features - An article about Five Star Hospitals


• In Every Issue - Read & Spin – latest books


• Special Section - In this issue, Steppin’ Out: It’s Carnival Time

A special page titled “On The Web,” showcases other Web sites offering valuable information to readers. If you can’t travel to “The Big Easy” then why not journey through the colorful pages of New Orleans Magazine or surf to their Web site: http://www.myneworleans.com