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
April 1, 2008
Labor Archives and Research Center 22nd Anniversary Evening Program
Featuring Guest Speaker:
Dawn Mabalon
San Francisco State University
“We Must Eat Dust: Filipino Migratory Labor and Labor Organizing on the West Coast and Alaska, 1920s-1970s”
The event will be held at the ILWU, Local 34
4 Berry Street (2nd and King) on the Embarcadero
next to Giant’s Stadium. map
Friday, February 29, 2008 ~ 6 p.m.
Light Refreshments served at 6:00 p.m.,
program begins at 7:00 p.m.
Pinoy Jazz and Blues Music
by Little Brown Brother
Free and Open to the Public
This event is wheelchair accessible
LARC website
February 14, 2008
Do you love music? Then you might want to check out Laura Moody’s new JPLL Music News blog. Laura’s our music Librarian and she’s a great resource for information about new music titles (books, databases, and yes, CDs) in the Library. She also blogs on music news outside of the Library. Recent posts touched on the death of Karlheinz Stockhausen, a new database for classical music scores, a concert by the City College gospel choir, and a new website, A Passion for Jazz. Laura’s wide ranging tastes and in depth knowledge about music make her blog an informative and entertaining addition to the Library.http://jpllmusicnews.wordpress.com/
December 12, 2007
You are invited to attend an opening reception for Spanning the Gate an exhibit of photographs from the Labor Archives and Research Center on display at the J. Paul Leonard Library.
November 7, 2007
5 to 7 p.m.
J. Paul Leonard Library, 6th floor
San Francisco State University, 1630 Holloway Avenue
The reception will feature John van der Zee author of The Gate: The True Story of the Design and Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge, a stupendous feat of engineering and design that has been called one of the seven wonders of the modern world. Spanning the Gate offers a behind-thescenes look at the complex construction process of this amazing landmark.
October 30, 2007
Would you like to know more about the history of San Francisco State University? Take a look at the new book, San Francisco State University by the Library’s own Meredith Eliassen. Just published by Arcadia Publishing, the new book documents how San Francisco State University has promoted educational excellence for more than a century.
Established as a vocational school for teachers, it became the first such institute in the United States to require a high school diploma. As the school expanded its curriculum, it became San Francisco State Teachers College (1921), San Francisco State College (1935), and San Francisco State University (1972). The school’s fascinating history includes complete destruction by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire, as well as a five-month student/faculty strike during the late 1960s, which resulted in the founding of the first School of Ethnic Studies (1969) in the United States.
Meredith works in the archives and special collections department the Library. She describes the book project as a two month, “labor of love.” Using vintage imagery from the library’s archives, she presents San Francisco State University as an educational innovator, serving the diverse, multicultural communities of the San Francisco Bay region since 1899.
The book is available for purchase online and from SF State’s Bookstore, copies will soon be available for check-out from the Library as well.
October 24, 2007
Everyone is invited to celebrate the book release of Meredith Eliassen’s, Reference Specialist for Archives & Special Collections, San Francisco State University from Arcadia Publishing on Tuesday, October 23rd from 10 am to noon, in the 6th Floor Frank V. de Bellis Reading Room. Refreshments will be provided.
San Francisco State University is one of over 100 titles in Arcadia Publishing’s Campus History Series. Meredith Eliassen took on the project as a personal endeavor drawing upon the rich resources in our Archives, entirely on her own time and using her own personal resources to cover expenses. Meredith is also donating a portion of her royalties to a library fund specially earmarked for the Archives needs in the new library building.
Although this book was neither a University-sponsored project nor an authorized history, I think you will find it to be an engaging and professionally presented portrait of the University.
The book will be available for purchase and book-signing at the open house, courtesy of the SF State Bookstore. Also the book is available for purchase online and from SF State’s Bookstore, among other places.
October 23, 2007
The Library Spotlight blog has been live for about a week. We’ll be using it for all manner of Library news and information, including events, exhibits, highlighting new resources and providing updates regarding ongoing projects, such as the Library Renovation & Expansion project. As time goes on, other uses may surface. Let us know if you have any ideas.
October 8, 2007
Banned Books Week
September 29–October 6, 2007
Read a banned or challenged book this Banned Books Week. Below are the “10 Most Challenged Books of 2006″according to the American Library Association. Nine out of the ten titles are either available in our InvestiGator Catalog or through Link+ and can be borrowed by SF State students, faculty, staff and some affiliated users.
- “And Tango Makes Three” by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, for homosexuality, anti-family, and unsuited to age group;
- “Gossip Girls” series by Cecily Von Ziegesar for homosexuality, sexual content, drugs, unsuited to age group, and offensive language;
- “Alice” series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor for sexual content and offensive language;
- “The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things” by Carolyn Mackler for sexual content, anti-family, offensive language, and unsuited to age group;
- “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison for sexual content, offensive language, and unsuited to age group;
- “Scary Stories” series by Alvin Schwartz for occult/Satanism, unsuited to age group, violence, and insensitivity;
- “Athletic Shorts” by Chris Crutcher for homosexuality and offensive language.
- “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky for homosexuality, sexually explicit, offensive language, and unsuited to age group
- “Beloved” by Toni Morrison for offensive language, sexual content, and unsuited to age group;
- “The Chocolate War” by Robert Cormier for sexual content, offensive language, and violence.
Off the list this year, but on for several years past, are the “Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger, “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck and “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain.
For more information on book challenges and censorship, please visit the ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom’s Banned Books Web site at www.ala.org/bbooks
October 2, 2007
Discover other novels about Africa or by African authors; research African history and current events; explore African arts and cultures. Learn More.
September 17, 2007
