Monday, June 29, 2009

RINCóN LATINO: PELíCULAS EN ESPAñOL


"Fuga" dirigida por Pablo Larrain

,,Tengo una orquestra en mi cabeza." exclama Eliseo Montalbán, el protagonista de la producción chilena titulada ,,Fuga." Eliseo Montalbán (Benjamín Vicuña) es un brillante compositor que sufre de la recurrente experiencia de revivir la violación de su hermana sobre un piano. Para no enfrentar ésta tortura continua, Eliseo trata de fugarse y recluirse en la música ... pero sin éxito. Esta película se estrenó en marzo de 2006 en Chile, Argentina y España y recibió mucha atención y fué aclamada por muchos críticos de cine.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

What's It Worth?

Here's a fun little Library Value Calculator demo that may put a new spin on what library services are worth in the community. How much would you have to pay for services your library provides for free? Fill in the blanks and prepare to be truly surprised! (note: the demo is not customized for Sacramento prices ...)

California's budget, and by extension, the City's, County's and your personal budget, are being dissected hourly by the press and by government employees faced with the possibility of losing their jobs. In the library, we are also facing severe budget cuts, and are seeing more people using our services to find jobs and seek aid, matching a national trend.

If you are in jobsearch mode, here are some free library resources you can use:

  • Books: Career information and practice tests - Some of these titles describe occupations; others are practice tests to help you pass employment exams.

  • Knowledge Center Databases: Look at the databases in the College and Careers section for help with practice tests, resume building, preparing for interviews, and much more. For example, Learning Express Library also includes math tutorials and computer skills. (If you want to use these databases at home, you will need to enter your library card number for access. A library card is not needed if you use these databases in one of our branches.)

  • The library provides free computer use. With your library card you can use Microsoft Office programs to type resumes and cover letters, and also also have Internet access. Visitors can check their e-mail and fill out online job applications. A library card or e-card is required.

  • All branches also have free wireless Internet access - if you bring your laptop, you can connect for free, without a library card.

  • Free programs at our branches for all ages, and the Get Money Smart programs are continuing through the fall.
﴾͡๏̯͡๏﴿ /streetart#+_♥.tk's photo used with permission.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Michael Jackson, 1958-2009

Usually I don't do library work at home (okay, that's a lie) but I couldn't wait two days to discuss the passing of Michael Jackson.



I wasn't born during the time of Farrah Fawcett's heyday (though I do think I may have sported that hairdo when it came back in style, and we were upset about her passing). I was too young to stay up to watch Ed McMahon (though I've mentioned him in this blog before). But Michael Jackson...

I remember the first time he did the Moonwalk. I'm certain somewhere in my garage is the tape of it on Beta Max. The crowd went completely nuts. There was an encounter with him in the early 80s in which I could have sworn my sister April actually tapped him on the shoulder. Then there was Thriller. I was both fascinated and terrified of that video. I remember watching the making of it, with John Landis and Michael going over choreography and camera angles. When I went to Chicago for summer vacation there were tons of people sporting the red and black jacket. I even used to have this poster of him up on my wall. He was in a white shirt with a soft yellow vest, and, of course, he had on the glove. I had the little glove charm I wore around my neck. Sometimes I thought Michael Jackson was a little nutty. Sometimes I knew it as a fact. But something I never doubted was his talent. He could sing, he could dance, he could entertain. He was a true showman, whether he was performing at sold out concerts or in front of the world at halftime for the Super Bowl.

He was truly the King of Pop.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

RINCON LATINO : PELíCULAS EN ESPAñOL


,,Jews in Space" dirigido por Gabriel Lichtman

,,Judíos en el Espacio" es una película argentina ( ¡no todas las películas que yo reseño son argentinas!) dirigida por el director Gabriel Lichtman que se trata de una familia judía en Buenos Aires celebrando esa noche trascendental del Pesaj, o sea la Pascua judía. Ésta pícara y abrumadora película también se trata de una noche en donde el pasado y el presente se reúnan para la única vez cuando después de dieciséis años Santiago y Luciana se reencuentran, reviviendo ese beso fenomenal cuán ambos declararon su amor por primera vez. Pero en el trasfondo de esta despabilante noche, hay tres hermanas super competitivas y un par de primos incestuosos. ¡Esta familia es un microcosmos del mundo en el que vivimos, entonces búsquenla y aprecien la normalidad de sus entornos!



Monday, June 8, 2009

RINCON LATINO : PERFILES MUSICALES


,,Buenos Aires Report" con Pablo Ziegler, Quique Sinesi y Walter Castro.

Pablo Ziegler, compositor argentino de renombre internacional actualmente comparte su tiempo entre su ciudad natal de Buenos Aires y su ciudad adoptiva de Nueva York colaborando con otros compositores y músicos de todas partes del mundo.
En este álbum comparte su talento, pasión y calibre intelectual con los músicos Quique Sinesi y Walter Castro luciendo la inagotable capacidad no solamente de la música sino del tango ... es decir, del nuevo tango. Este movimiento musical tomó raíz en Buenos Aires pero su afabilidad a los cambios que la música moderna como el jazz, ambiental y electrónica le ha brindado nuevos caminos para destacarse en el foro internacional. El nuevo tango se escucha en países como el Uruguay, Paraguay, Brasil, Europa, y los Estados Unidos. ¡Escuchen éste CD y disfruten el son del alma criollo!

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Sacramento History Photo of the Week: Issue No. 18!


Serious but beguiling eyes look toward the camera in this 1914 photo from McKinley School at Seventh and “G.” The school replaced the venerable Union School which was closed down just a decade earlier. With the growth of industry within and around the Alkali in the teens and twenties, the school’s enrollment, by 1921, swelled to being one of the largest in the city at nearly 700 pupils, necessitating the annexation of the old Southern Pacific Hospital and Crocker home as a playground, clubhouse and “amusement building.” However, with the deepening economic depression, Southern Pacific Company’s purchase of residential units to the west of the school, the closing of a nearby cannery, and the allure of nearby St. Joseph’s School, by 1932, numbers had dropped to 306 and the school had been abandoned as a teaching place, saving the school district $16,000, annually.

This photo and many more like it can be found in the Sacramento Public Library’s Sacramento Room which is open to the public Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday 1 to 5, and Thursday 1 to 8.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Sacramento Area Authors

It wouldn't be hard to deduce that libraries in, say, California might have a fairly good collection of Californiana, and that Nevada libraries might have a similar collection about that state. But what happens if the connection to the location is more tenuous – not necessarily about the state; not necessarily set in the state, but written by someone who lives in the area? Enter the Sacramento Area Authors collection! Single copies of titles in this special collection reside in the Sacramento Room, where such works are actively collected, but additional copies of the works may be borrowed from Central Library and other branches in our library system.

Who are Sacramento Area Authors? What do they write? You might recognize these luminaries who lived in Sacramento County when their books were published: Sharon Davis (wife of former Governor Gray Davis), Herb Caen, Biba Caggiano, Joan Didion, and Ernesto Galarza. There are many other authors, both old and new, represented in the collection, with titles ranging from the sublime through the everyday to the fringe, such as Historic Photos of Sacramento, Last chance for justice, Midlife Bible: a woman's survival guide, and Deluxe transitive vampire.

To find and explore this collection of over 2000 titles, go to the library's catalog and click the Subject tab, and then type Sacramento area authors. Come and visit during the Sacramento Room's service hours – prepare to be delighted!