AAU Library Blog

Welcome back to the Spring 2010 semester at the Academy of Art University Library. We have recently subscribed to several new online resources. All of these resources can be found on our Online Articles & Reference page, which can be found by going to the Library Homepage | Find Resources | Online Articles & Reference.

WGSN
WGSN is a fashion resource that provides access to information on current and future trends, images and videos from the fashion shows, fashion news (over 40 news stories each day), photos and info from trade shows, as well as information on interiors.

This database requires a password to access it.

For on-campus access you will be asked for the University’s username and password. For off-campus access you will be asked to enter your name and student (or faculty) id, followed by the University’s username and password.

You can email library@academyart.edu to request the University’s WGSN username and password.

When connecting to WGSN you may encounter a Security Warning, view our Connecting to WGSN page to learn more about accessing WGSN.

IMDbPro
IMDb is an online database of information related to movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel and more. IMDB is a freely accessible database. The library can provide you with access to IMDbPro, which contains additional information including showbiz contacts, films currently in production, actor and movie rankings and industry news.

You will need to email library@academyart.edu to receive a password to access IMDbPro.

Material ConneXion
Material ConneXion is an online collection of over 1,400 materials and processes. The online materials database allows you to discover the latest and most exciting materials originating from a large spectrum of industries.

You can connect directly to Material ConneXion on campus. If you are off campus you will be asked to first enter your name and student (or faculty) id.

Don’t miss this exhibit of Sebastiao Salgado’s photographs at the David Brower Center in Berkeley located at 2150 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA 94704. The show will be up until January 31, 2010. According to the website:

“This exhibition presents a selection of images spanning a career in documentary photography by renowned Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado.”

Go here to learn more:

The David Brower Center

We have several books of Salgado’s work here in the Academy of Art Library. Follow these links or search his name from the library home page.

The children : refugees and migrants

Migrations : humanity in transition

Terra : struggle of the landless

On Wednesday and Thursday evenings of this week (November 25th and 26th) Coit Tower Productions is projecting a film about the American Indians’ two year occupation of Alcatraz that began in 1969. This sounds like an interesting project and should be visible from many areas of the city. You can find more information here:

http://www.coitlive.com/

or read the article in Monday’s San Francisco Chronicle here:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/23/BA9F1ALI3I.DTL

We have been working with WWD to resolve the problems we have had accessing their website.  WWD has fixed these issues.  You must use the WWD link on the library website to ensure that you have access to their website.

From the library website go to Find Resources -> Online Articles & Reference

Scroll down to WWD or click the Fashion Databases link at the top of the page.

The WWD link will take you to an intermediary page on the WWD website. Click the Step 1 button, click the Step 2 button and you will be connected.

See this page for more information.

The San Francisco Film Society is screening the 4th annual international animation festival starting today, November 11th and running through this weekend. You can find more information at:

http://www.sffs.org/screenings-and-events/fall-season/sf-intl-animation-festival.aspx

After years of conducting hundreds of interviews, collaborators Jack Boulware and Silke Tudor have put together an incredible history of Bay Area punk in one volume!

Look for it on the Library’s New Book Shelf: Call Number ML3534 .G55 2009

Can’t make it over to the Library? Check out the official Gimme Something Better Website.

Don’t miss APE, the Alternative Press Expo, taking place at The Concourse Exhibition Center in San Francisco this weekend, 10/17 & 10/18!

Produced by Comic-Con International, this yearly event is an awesome way to discover and meet alternative and underground comic authors, artists, and publishers.

Check out the official APE Website for a full list of exhibitors, special guests and events, and directions to the venue.

See you there!

The brand new season of the amazing contemporary art series, Art:21 – Art in the 21^st Century, starts this Wednesday, October 7^th at 10 p.m. on PBS! The first episode entitled Compassion features the artists William Kentridge, Doris Salcedo, and Carrie Mae Weems.

Please check out the Art:21 blog for more information, including previews from the first episode and an interview with William Kentridge.

And, did you know:

The  library has Art:21 Seasons 1-4 on DVD, available for checkout from the Slide/Video Desk. All copies are under the call number VIDEO-FA ART TWENTY ONE.

Also available for checkout are the following titles for William Kentridge and Doris Salcedo, two of the artists highlighted in Wednesday’s episode, which can be found in the following locations:

William Kentridge: Five Themes – New Book Shelf, Call Number N7396.K46 A4 2009 (ask for accompanying DVD-ROM at the Circulation Desk)

William Kentridge: Black Box/Chambre Noire – Exhibition Catalogs, Call Number  N7396.K456 A4 2005

William Kentridge – Exhibition Catalogs, Call Number N7396.K45 A4 2001

Doris Salcedo – Circulating Stacks, Call Number NB379.S25 A4 2000

The following titles for William Kentridge and the third artist, Carrie Mae Weems, are Library Use Only and can all be found in the Reference stacks:

William Kentridge – Call Number N7396.K47 A4 1999

Carrie Mae Weems: Recent Work, 1992-1998 – Call Number TR647 .W382 1998

Carrie Mae Weems – Call Number TR647.W383 .K57 1993

If you have any questions about where to find these items, please contact the Circulation Desk.  If you would like more information about these and other contemporary artists, please contact the Reference Desk.

Starting this Friday, October 9th, Litquake is celebrating it’s 10th anniversary and it is sure to be better than ever! What is Litquake you ask? It is a San Francisco style independent literary/book festival with tons of author readings, events, and parties! There is a great write up in the San Francisco  Chronicle today about the event. You can read it here, or read it in print in the library.

You can also check out the Litquake website for more information, including a schedule of events here.

This is no ordinary book fest folks! Do be sure to check out the schedule of events as there is something for everyone and every taste.

CELEBRATE FREADOM!

Banned Books Week is a national event held annually during the last week of September, which celebrates the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. According to the American Library Association (ALA) Website, the purpose of Banned Books Week is to “celebrate the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one’s opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them.”

This yearly event not only reminds us of the importance of ensuring the availability of all viewpoints through free and open access to information, but also draws attention to the dangers of censorship by highlighting the banning and challenging of books within the United States.

What is the difference between a challenge and a banning?

A challenge is an actual attempt to remove or restrict materials with the intention to protect others, frequently children, from particular ideas and information, while a banning is the physical removal of those materials.

The following are the top three reasons cited for challenging materials as reported to ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom:

1. The material was considered to be “sexually explicit”
2. The material contained “offensive language”
3. The material was “unsuited to any age group”

Challenges are not just an expression of a point of view; they are a formal attempt to prohibit the free access of information.  When challenged books are not banned, it is a direct result of the actions and commitment of concerned members of every community.

Want to get involved? Check out the Banned Books Week Website for ideas and resources:

http://bannedbooksweek.org/support.html

Please also visit the following links to learn more about Banned Books Week and intellectual freedom:

ALA’s Banned Books Week Webpage

http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek/index.cfm

ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom Webpage

http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/index.cfm