Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Holiday 2014-2015 schedule

The Research Center's winter holiday 2014-2015 schedule will be:

Monday, December 22:  regular services
Tuesday-Friday, December 23-26:  closed

Monday-Tuesday, December 29-30:  regular services
Wednesday-Thursday, December 31-January 1:  closed
Friday, January 2, 2015:  regular services

Questions?  Contact us!

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Research Center closed, Thursday Dec. 11, 2014

Due to severe weather and power outages, the Research Center, along with all Park facilities, has had to close today.

We will resume normal service tomorrow, Friday, December 12, 2014.

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Panama-Pacific International Exposition, 1915

(by Heather Hernandez, Technical Services Librarian)

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Panama-Pacific Exposition in 1915, we're digitizing and making freely available online some related items from our collections.  We're thankful for our intern Ellen Mizuhara's hard work on this project, ranging from researching relevant items and resources to the long hours spent scanning this scarce and fragile items.

Cliff House and Seal Rocks from Beach
From "Souvenir of San Francisco"

But wait--what does this have to do with maritime history?  A lot!  From images of the waterfront contained in publications to sponsored races, the Exposition was rich in maritime interactions.

Ocean Boulevard and Bathing Beach from Cliff House
From "Souvenir of San Francisco"
So we're proud to announce that with Ellen's assistance, our first offerings to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Exposition:

Mechanical Engineering at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition by G.W. Dickie: read the online copy or locate the hardcopy book in the Research Center

New York to San Francisco Power Boat Race Under the Auspices of the Panama-Pacific Exposition:  read the online copy or locate the hardcopy book in the Research Center

Official Souvenir view book of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition at San Francisco 1915: read the online copy or locate the hardcopy book in the Research Center

Seeing San Francisco, California: read the online copy or locate the hardcopy book in the Research Center

Souvenir of San Francisco, California, the "Queen City:"  read the online copy or locate the hardcopy book in the Research Center

Want to learn more?  Search the Keys Catalog for materials related to the Exposition, check out an online map of the Exposition from the Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco, explore online titles about the Exposition from Project Gutenberg, from the Internet Archive, and from Books About California, and stay tuned--we'll be digitizing more items related to the Exposition in 2015!

February 4, 2015 update:  New PPIE Centennial website from the California Historical Society.

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Now available online: Cooking and Baking on Shipboard

(by Heather Hernandez, Technical Services Librarian)

Illustration of man in chef's hat ringing a dinner bell
Illustration from page 7

Have you ever wondered how to make cake for one hundred people?  Or have you wanted some simple, visual instructions for carving meat?  You can find all this and more in Cooking and Baking on Shipboard : Official War Administration Manual from 1945, which we've digitized and made available for free in multiple, searchable formats on the Internet Archive.

Over 358 pages, the book is richly illustrated with how-to photographs as well as clear drawings of everything from the basics to advanced techniques.  Definitions of cooking terms, advice on caring for equipment and for proper sanitation, and dozens of recipes and recommended menus are included.  We've made the book keyword searchable, but an extensive index at the end makes browsing easy.

So be sure to check it out online, or stop by the Research Center to see the hardcopy book.