Learn about Gleeson Library

Want to learn more about the Gleeson Library | Geschke Center? Join us for a library tour. A library staff person will take you around the library, show you the building, and tell you about some of the library’s services.

The tours last about 30 minutes and meet in the lobby. No need to sign up, just join us!

Tours are being given on:

Friday January 18th at 4:30pm

Saturday January 19th at 1pm

Tuesday January 22nd at 2pm

Wednesday January 23rd at 10am

Thursday January 24th at 12 noon

If you can’t make any of these times, we also give tours on the first Monday of each month at 3pm.

USF Book Club February Selection

The Book club selected, “Pigs in Heaven,” by Barbara Kingsolver for our February meeting. We will meet on February 1st at noon in room 209 in the Gleeson Library.  If you are unable to get a copy from Gleeson Library, you may request it from Link+ or get it at SFPL.

 

When six-year-old Turtle Greer witnesses a freak accident at the Hoover Dam, her insistence on what she has seen and her mother’s belief in her lead to a man’s dramatic rescue. But Turtle’s moment of celebrity draws her into a conflict of historic proportions.” [Back cover]

 

I left my ‘cart’ in San Francisco

I left my ‘cart’ in San Francisco

Student assistants (with a little help from their staff friends) in the Access Services Department of Gleeson Library are participating in the 2010 “Unshelved: Pimp my Bookcart” contest.  They created the cable car[t] which represents their love for this city.  It reminds us of a little song by Tony Bennett:

“I left my heart in San Francisco
High on a hill, it calls to me.
To be where little cable cars
Climb halfway to the stars!
The morning fog may chill the air
I don’t care….”

UFOs and Government Documents

In honor of Halloween, take a look at some of Gleeson’s more unusual, “spooky” government documents.

In addition to the pamphlet pictured here, in which the United States Air Force put together Aids to Identification of Flying Objects, Gleeson Government Documents Print Collection also has materials on the Roswell Report.   This document concerns a series of mysterious incidents in Roswell New Mexico in the Summer of 1947.   Several people reported sighting unidentified flying objects and the alleged debris of extra-terrestrial beings.  After the military claimed the debris was from a high-altitude surveillance balloon from a top-secret project and closed the case with its report, many people claimed it was just a government cover-up.   What do you think?  Take a closer look at the documents for more details!

Staff Book Review

Local by Brian Wood; illustrated by Ryan Kelly
Stacks PN6727.W65 L6 2008

As a huge fan of both Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly’s work, I highly recommend Local to any graphic novel fan. The story consists of 12 cinematic vignettes that follow young Megan Mckeenan across 12 years, 12 cities and two countries. The reader looks in as Megan reinvents herself in each new location and deals with a crazy boyfriend, a stalker, an obnoxious roommate, and a hostage situation. Wood’s enigmatic character and Kelly’s alluring illustrations make Local a must read. Each city, from Portland to Austin to Brooklyn, becomes a character in the story complete with its own charms, flaws and famous haunts.

Local is the perfect distraction for any college student.

Janine Gericke
Library Assistant IV/Stacks Coordinator

Temporary Atrium Closure

This June, USF will be hosting Western Association of College Admission Counselors (WACAC).  Among other locations, some events will be held in  the Gleeson Library’s Monihan Atrium.  To accommodate this event, the Atrium and the 4th floor reading lounge will be inaccessible from Monday June 7th through Friday June 11th.  Access to the elevator, stairwells and the Adjunct Faculty area on the 4th floor will remain open.

USF Gleeson Library contributes to earthquake relief for the people of Haiti

“To the people of Haiti, we say clearly, and with conviction, you will not be forsaken; you will not be forgotten. In this, your hour of greatest need, America stands with you. The world stands with you. We know that you are a strong and resilient people. You have endured a history of slavery and struggle, of natural disaster and recovery. And through it all, your spirit has been unbroken and your faith has been unwavering. So today, you must know that help is arriving — much, much more help is on the way.”

– President Barack Obama, January 2010

Four weeks of Library fines and fees collected at the Gleeson Library in conjunction with generous donations from Library patrons  netted $4,144.00 which is being donated to the people of Haiti (via Jesuit Refugee Service:  http://www.jrsusa.org/).

Voter registration forms & info at the library – updated

Mail-in voter registration forms are available at Gleeson Library for voting in San Francisco County.

(update: thanks to David Silver’s media studies classes’ fabulous installation in the library we have registration forms for any county in California – mail or take to your county elections office.)

College students may legally register either at their college residence (on or off campus) or permanent home address, but not at both.

To register for voting in San Francisco, just fill out a form and put it in the mail. They’re already postage-paid so you don’t even need a stamp!

California’s registration deadline for the November 4 election is October 20, 2008. Some other states have earlier deadlines.

Get info for other states and register online at RocktheVote.com or JustVote.org.

It’s easy to make sure you’re registered (and register if you’re not) at IvoteYouvote.com.

To help figure out the issues and candidates, our Government Information Librarian Carol Spector has prepared a helpful guide to the 2008 election, including links to non-partisan voter education websites and the official sites of six political parties on the California ballot — find it on the library website.