J. Paul Leonard Library Spotlight

Printing is available from most Library computers. All you need is a valid SF State ID (OneCard) or Guest Card with sufficient value. Standard 8.5″ x 11″ black and white laser prints cost 7¢ a sheet. 8.5″x 11″ color copies are available in the MAC computer lab and Rapid Copy for 65¢. more

A USB flash drive is a good method for file delivery to library computers. You can also use email to access your files from some computers. Printing help is available from service desks in the Library.

Rapid Copy offers a full printing service. more

In order to accommodate the construction schedule for the Library Building project, we had to close the faculty / graduate reading room in Library 426C as of Friday April 25th. The closure was necessary to allow us to move the Library Administrative offices and Government Publications staff off of the 5th and 6th floors.

We understand that closing this very popular study space, just before finals, will have a huge impact on the campus, particularly for Grad students. Some frequent users of the reading room have let us know how much they valued the room, and how upset they are to loose it, which has been great. Keep the comments coming. This is the beginning of a project scheduled to last for three years and the impacts on campus will be far reaching. A lot of planning has gone into how all of the units in the library building–Academic Technology, CTFD and the Leonard Library–will continue to provide services during this period. We hope that you will continue to let us know, via the Spotlight Blog and through other channels, when the changes we put in place don’t work for you, as well as when they do.

What’s happening to the Library?

A three-year project to expand and renovate the J. Paul Leonard Library building is underway.

Construction will begin with the demolition of the Franciscan Building on the site of the new addition at the end of spring semester.

The current Library building will close by October 1, 2008.

The expanded and renovated library building will open for Fall 2011.

How will I use library services and collections during the three year construction period?

Library, Academic Technology and Center for Teaching and Faculty Development services will be available from other on-campus locations by October 1, 2008.

The Library web site, and online catalog, databases and journals will be unaffected.

Study space and computer access will be available in Library Annex I, a new temporary building near the Lot 20 parking garage.

Books and media will be available by online request for pickup within 24 hours at a distribution desk in the HSS building.

Research assistance will be available at both locations and by phone, instant messaging or e-mail.

Friends of Library Annual Meeting

Monday, May 5, 2:00 - 4:00 PM

Humanities Bldg Room 587, 5th Floor

The Friends of the Library annual meeting will begin at 2 PM with the annual business meeting, including approval of the nominating committee’s slate of oficers for 2008-09. Following the business meeting at around 2:15 or 2:30–

Micheal Krasny, Host of KQED’s Forum,

Will Speak ABout His New Book,

Off Mike:

A memoir of the Talk Radio and Literary Life

(Stanford University Press, 2007)

Mike Krasny has been a member of the English faculty at SF State since 1970. He is also on the the country’s leading interviewers of literary luminaries and has been called “a maestro for educated listeners who prefer their discorse high and civil.” His new book is a memoir in which he recounts his early desire to become a novelist and then his discovery of his talent as a communicator. He says, “Trying to meld life into art as I read and interpreted and taught and wrote about writers, I went on to talk and talk and talk with writers until I had interviewed more writers perhaps than anyone ever has or will or should. I was on the road. My own road to literary Damascus. More than ever, I wanted to live a life that could answer Bellow’s primary question: How should a good man live.”

All members of the Friends are encouraged to attend.

All members of the faculty are invited.

Krasny’s book will be available for purchases

during the reception following the presentation.

For more information, call 415 338-2408 or email <fol@sfsu.edu>

There are over 9,000 full text electronic books currently in the Library collections.

Many of these e-books are available through deals negotiated by the CSU with companies such as NetLibrary and Safari Tech Books Online. These e-books have come as packaged “collections” and the Library has only had limited input on what titles were included. Browse the SF State NetLibrary site or Safari Tech Books Online to get a feel for the variety and depth of these collections. You can also find all of these titles in the Library Catalog.

Recently the Library has started to work with book provider Blackwell North America, and e-book publisher Ebrary so that Subject Librarians can order e-books on a title-by-title basis. Since the Library has started to do this there have been nearly 700 new e-book titles added to the collection covering a variety of subject areas. Library users who are interested in looking at these titles can go to the Library Catalog and perform a “keyword” search on the term “ebrary”.

In addition to providing the complete full text, e-books contain a number of useful electronic enhancements. These include searching, highlighting passages, attaching notes to texts and looking up words in a dictionary or encyclopedia. It is our hope in that in the near future the Library can add other e-book providers to this project as we continue to expand our electronic collections.

Let us know how you feel about e-books. Do you enjoy reading them? Do you think they enhance your, or your students, educational experience?

The Library building project is underway and will affect some Library services. This will be the first of many changes the Library will undergo over the coming months.

.

The Graduate Faculty Reading Room in 426C
will be permanently CLOSED on Friday, April 25, 2008 at 5:00 p.m.

The Silent Study area in Library 438 will remain open through the Spring semester. The room was kept open as long as possible, but the building project is now underway.

Government Publications (5th Floor)
is CLOSED to public access effective Friday, April 25, 2008 at 5:00PM

Access to Government Publications, microforms, and most maps will still be available. Go to the Research Assistance Desk (1st floor) to request these materials and get assistance.

Library Administration
will MOVE from the 6th floor to 426C on the 4th floor, the week of April 28 - May 2.

We are sorry for the inconvenience.

CSU libraries needs students’ help!

Please take a 5 minute survey
to let us know a little bit about how you use the library and if you use online tutorials.

Thanks!

Survey

JPL Library’s own Shawn Heiser and Thomas Iwatsubo worked as film extras in the new Gus Van Sant film “Milk” starring Sean Penn as Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official. Milk was assassinated in 1978 by fellow San Francisco city supervisor Dan White, a former policeman. Dan White is played by Josh Brolin.

Heiser and Iwatsubo, who work in the Library, were surprised to run into each other on the film set. Dressed in period “hippie” fashion, Heiser was filmed as an audience member in the re-enactment of Milk’s speech following the 1978 Gay Freedom Day Parade. Heiser, in his first major feature film appearance, participated in eight days of shooting. “I jumped at the opportunity to be in the film and work with Gus Van Sant. When I first came to San Francisco I read The Mayor of Castro Street about Harvey Milk’s history. Being involved with the film was a very positive experience.”

Iwatsubo, an experienced film actor, played a politician/ city hall employee who attends Milk’s memorial service. “The story has come full circle for me. I was a student at SFSU when Harvey Milk was assassinated, now I’m acting a politician of that time while working at SFSU.” Iwatsubo’s character shows up in several scenes; he describes the production as a very collaborative environment, “I found myself in a room discussing the next shot with Gus Van Sant, Sean Penn, Josh Brolin and the cinematographer Harris Savides. I’m not used to the lead players and directors mixing so freely.”

The film is scheduled for national release in Fall, 2008.

The Library has resources to research Harvey Milk and LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) studies:

“Harvey Milk” InvestiGator Keyword Search
“Harvey Milk” Link+ Keyword Search
LBGT Life w/ Full Text database
Research Guide on Human Sexuality

Instant Messaging (IM) can now be used for general library questions as well as research assistance. The service now uses a pop-up browser so you can continue your Library website session without losing your IM session helper. Find the IM button on pages where you are likely to have questions like the Find Articles and Databases page. The service is available only during library hours. All you need is a computer connected to the internet. Try it.

The Media Access Center has a large and growing collection of music and audio recordings available for check-out. Students can check-out CDs and LPs for 7 days, see details. Listening booths are also available for on-site listening. Make an InvestiGator music search.