Gleeson Gleanings

Check out the library’s display of books and online guide relating to organic food, healthy eating, local agriculture, etc.

This display coincides with USF’s Summer Reading and Book Club pick Harvest for Hope: A Guide to Mindful Eating, by Jane Goodall.

In Harvest for Hope, Jane Goodall examines the way our food is made and argues that the existing food industry must be changed in order to address environmental, health and ethical problems. Organic farming, community supported agriculture, vegetarianism, and water conservation are some of the strategies recommended by Goodall for creating a more sustainable food industry.

Updated with new Saturday tour date. See Joe’s comment below.

In conjunction with USF’s Summer Reading Program, the book club will discuss Jane Goodall’s Harvest for Hope on Tuesday September 15, 2009 from 12 – 1 pm in the Community Garden. The Community Garden is located on the side of Lone Mountain, next to the School of Education parking lot.

How do I get a copy?

All of Gleeson Library’s copies are checked out, but you can request the book through Link+ by clicking here, or you can purchase it at the USF Book Store for 25% off.

All members of the USF Community are welcome at the book club. We hope to see you there!

Publisher’s Weekly says, “Goodall, best known for her decades of work with chimpanzees and baboons, turns to the social significance of the food people eat and of how it reaches our tables. In a style that’s both persuasive and Pollyannaish, her guide glides through a quick history of early agriculture, despairs of “death by monoculture” (single-crop farming), warns of the hazards of genetically modified foods and of the disappearance of seed diversity, and bemoans the existence of inhumane animal factories and unclean fish farms-the macro concerns of the environmentally conscious. On a more micro level, she focuses on what individuals can do for themselves. In a grab bag of well-intentioned bromides, Goodall counsels her readers to become vegetarians, celebrates restaurants and grocery stores that seek out locally grown produce, frets about the quality of school lunches and the pervasiveness of fast food-fueled obesity, honors small farmers and warns of a looming water crisis. Most chapters conclude with “what you can do” sections: demand that modified foods be labeled; turn off the tap while brushing your teeth. This book about making healthy choices breaks no new ground, but its jargon-free and anecdote-rich approach makes it a useful primer for grassroots activists, while the Goodall imprimatur could broaden its reach.”

Natalie Abbott, a Gleeson Library | Geschke Center intern, wrote this post.

Whether you are new to San Francisco or just want to become better acquainted with the city, here are some useful resources for exploring the area:

Streets of San Francisco: The Origins of Street and Place Names

Louis K. Loewenstein

Reference Stacks: F869.67 S9 L6 1996

This book describes the origins of many street names in San Francisco.  Some of the more interesting names include:

• -Maiden Lane: contrary to popular belief, this street was not in fact named for the brothels that used to line it but was instead named for the New York street of the same name in the heart of the jewelry district.
• -Mark Twain Lane: At this site, now bordering the Transamerica Pyramid, Twain supposedly met a man named Tom Sawyer whose name he would use in his most famous work.
• -Nob Hill: derived from the British slang term “nabob” which refers to the area’s wealthy residents of the 1870s and 1880s.

A Checklist of San Francisco murals, 1914-1986

Tim Drescher and Victoria Scarlett

Reference Stacks: F869.145 .C54 1986

This booklet includes a listing of murals created in San Francisco between 1914 and 1986, and provides descriptions and detailed area maps of mural locations.  The list of murals is organized by area, and an index allows you to search for murals by artist name.

San Francisco Almanac: everything you want to know about everyone’s favorite city

by Gladys Hansen

Reference Stacks: F869.S3 H32 1995

The 47 chapters in this text cover a myriad of facts and anecdotes about the city, ranging from accolades (famous and not-so-famous references to San Francisco), to fairs, legends, panoramic views, songs and weather.  Within these chapters, you will find interesting facts, tables and photographs relating to San Francisco.

Museums & galleries of San Francisco and the Bay Area

by Kristine M. Carber

Reference Stacks: F869.14 .C37 1996

A guidebook to museums and galleries in San Francisco, the East Bay, Marin County and the Peninsula.  This book provides basic descriptions of the institutions, along with brief discussions of the scope and history of their collections.  Although some specifics such as the price of admission and hours may have changed, this is still a valuable resource for becoming acquainted with the San Francisco Bay Area art scene.

The Library’s hours for Fall 2009 are now posted on our website here: http://www.usfca.edu/library/hours.html.  Welcome back to school!