The Wrecking Crew

SPC’s Music Industry/Recording Arts Program presents The Wrecking Crew: an Evening with Filmmaker Denny Tedesco.

What the Funk Brothers did for Motown …The Wrecking Crew did, only bigger, for the West Coast Sound. Six years in a row in the 1960’s and early 1970’s, the Grammy for “Record of the Year” went to Wrecking Crew recordings. And now, THE WRECKING CREW tells the story in pictures and that oh, so glorious sound. The favorite songs of a generation are all here, presented by the people who made them for you. THE WRECKING CREW is a documentary film produced and directed by Denny Tedesco, son of legendary late Wrecking Crew guitarist Tommy Tedesco. The film tells the story of the unsung musicians that provided the backbeat, the bottom and the swinging melody that drove many of the number one hits of the 1960’s. It didn’t matter if it was Nat “King” Cole, Frank Sinatra, Nancy Sinatra, The Monkees, The Byrds or The Beach Boys, these dedicated musicians brought the flair and musicianship that made the American “west coast sound” a dominant cultural force around the world. The film is a fun and moving tribute from Denny to his father and to the music, the times and to the secret star-making machine known only as “The Wrecking Crew”. On Friday April 24^th gain a behind-the-scenes view of the making of the film by the director himself before and after the screening of this award-winning film. Watch the trailer and learn more about the film at: http://wreckingcrewfilm.com/.

The Music Industry/Recording Arts (MIRA) program helps students develop “real world” skills that artists need to thrive in a diverse and competitive music industry. The program offers a well-rounded, technology-based educational experience to student musicians, composers, producers, DJs, live-sound reinforcement enthusiasts, broadcast audio engineers, and post-production technologists. The program emphasizes creative processes, technical training, business practices and entrepreneurial skills in a collaborative environment. More information at: http://www.spcollege.edu/mira/

Date: Friday April 24, 2015     

Time: Film screening at 6:15pm.  (Film length: 101 minutes)

Location: Muvico Sundial 19 + IMAX, 151 2nd Ave N, St Petersburg, FL 33701

Time: Reception and Q&A with Denny Tedesco from 9-11pm 

Location: Palladium’s Side Door Cabaret, 253 5th Ave N, St Petersburg, FL 33701      

Admission: Free for SPC students with ID. For non-students, a suggested $10 donation goes towards Music Industry/Recording Arts scholarships at SPC. Limited theater seating, so get there early!
Contact: Chad Mairn, mairn.chad@spcollege.edu; 727-394-6917

Jazz in the Stacks!

In honor of Jazz Appreciation Month, St. Petersburg College will host Jazz in the Stacks, a free concert featuring O Som Do Jazz, on April 22, 2015, at 7:30 p.m. at its Seminole Community Library, 9200 113th St. Seminole, FL 33772.

O Som Do Jazz recaptures the spirit of 1960-80s Brazilian Bossa Nova, samba-jazz, and Música Popular Brasileira (MPB). Based in St. Petersburg, Florida, the band features Rio de Janeiro singer Andrea Moraes Manson and musicians experienced in Brazilian music. Visit http://osomdojazz.com for more information.

The flyer is available here.

Date: Wednesday April 22, 2015
Time: 7:30pm
Location: Seminole Community Library, 9200 113th St. Seminole, FL 33772
Admission: Free
Phone: 727-394-6917

The M. M. Bennett Library of St. Petersburg College in its support of the philosophy and objectives of the College provides comprehensive library and information services to meet the curricular, research, cultural and recreational needs of the college community. For more information, visit http://www.spcollege.edu/libraries.

Comic Con was huge success!

Mid-Pinellas Comic Con

More than 3,000 fans packed the halls of the St. Petersburg College, Seminole campus library and conference center for the inaugural Mid-Pinellas Comic Con and Maker Con on Saturday, 9 August 2014.  Planned in just six weeks by Seminole campus librarian Chad Mairn, Greg Plantamura of the TARDIS Riders in Pinellas, Mike Bryan and Jill Storm of the Seminole Community Library with the support of campus provost Dr. James Olliver, this free event brought together fans from the comic, horror, science fiction, maker, and gaming communities in Tampa Bay. The college was on hand to showcase the Digital Arts program at SPC, and the Seminole campus Innovation Lab. Fans loved the big convention events, like panels, costume contests, and a charity gaming tournament in a local convention atmosphere.

Darth Vader loves Mid-Pinellas Comic Con (& Maker Con)!

On the convention floor, the 501st Legion, a troop of actors who portray star wars characters, brought Imperial Stormtroopers, droids and even Darth Vader himself to campus. The Real Tampa Bay Ghostbusters roved between their booth on the convention floor and the library surprising and entertaining guests. Fans had the opportunity to pose for pictures with  their favorite characters. The Gamers on the Edge booth was one of the show’s most popular exhibits where attendees played Injustice: Gods Among Us on the big screen, and took part in a Super Smash Brothers Melee tournament to raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network. The tournament raised $115, putting Gamers on the Edge at $2,088 of their $2,218 goal for 2014, one dollar for every child that Children’s Miracle Network treats for cancer every day. The winner of the tournament took home a Kirby plush. The fun stretched out into the parking lot with sliding demo from “Shinobi” with the Busch Gardens Howl-O-Scream team and, the Downtown Lakeland Zombiefest brought their zombie response vehicle out to protect the food trucks in the library parking lot.

Engine 53 Pizza

Hungry convention attendees had the opportunity to try pizza from the Engine 53 Pizza truck, a fire truck with a brick oven in the back, or tacos from the St. Pete Taco Lady in her new food truck. Deserts were available from the Enjoi Sweets truck. The samples in the convention green room were delicious.

Monolith 3D Printer, FreeFab3D

Back on the convention floor, the campus Innovation Lab, the St. Pete Makers, and Free Fab 3D were demonstrating the latest in high technology at their booths. Free Fab 3D had their latest model Monolith 3D printer on display, and showing off the complex builds that the printer is capable of. The St. Pete Makers, a non-profit dedicated to bringing a makerspace to St. Petersburg, was there to talk about their plans and what happens when creativity and technology meet. The Innovation Lab table, staffed by volunteers Josh, Henry and Derek were demonstrating the lab’s Korg Little Bits synthesizer kit, a Lego Mindstorm robot, and showing off the lab’s Monolith 3D printer.

Gaming fun!

The gaming community was represented by M & M video games who had classic video games available at their table for convention attendees to play, downtown St. Petersburg’s Serenity Games displayed tabletop games and demonstrated the Warhammer 40k miniatures game. Critical Hit Games was also demoing tabletop games and spreading the word about their new store, Emerald City Comics was taking comics for artists to sign. The convention the costume contest celebrated the craft and creativity of the audience. Among the winners in the age thirteen and up were Ironman, The Shadow, Dr. Who as played by David Tennant and his companion Rose, and the card princess. The winners received gift cards to the Olive Garden. In the childrens contest, the winners included a young Altair from the video game Assassins Creed, a Dr. Who as played by Matt Smith with sonic screwdriver, and an adorable Adipose, one of the most memorable creatures from the television series Dr. Who. The winners of the kids costume contest took home tickets to Legoland Florida. The convention floor was only half the story, in the library program rooms, guests packed the halls to hear from experts on their favorite fandom.

Howl-O-Scream Panel

The panels included a behind the scenes look at Busch Gardens Howl-O-Scream event. The panel showed how they create the event, provided a sneak peek at their upcoming haunted house Deadfall, and held an Instagram contest for free tickets to the event. The TARDIS Riders in Pinellas held a panel on the future of Dr. Who, a panel on why we love to be scared. The Morean Arts Center held a panel on creating a graphic novel which was followed by a panel on costume creation. The day’s panels ended with Faces of the Feminine in Comics, hosted by St. Petersburg College Professor Brandy Stark. The Friends of the Library had a special comic display in front of their store, and costumed characters were available for photos in front of the childrens castle.

At the end of the day the Mid-Pinellas Comic Con was one of the most successful events in Seminole campus history, drawing record crowds and raves from both exhibitors and fans, The Real Tampa Bay Ghostbusters said in a post on Facebook.com, “. . .  this has to have been the best local Pinellas county comic convention I have ever been a part of.”

– Written by Chris Demmons, Sandbox News

SPC Library Hosting Comic Con!

St. Petersburg College is teaming up with the Seminole Community Library to host the Mid-Pinellas Comic Con (and Maker Con), a comic book and popular culture convention at the Seminole Community Library on Saturday, Aug. 9. The inaugural event is free and open to the public from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

From superheroes and gaming to technology demonstrations, there is a little something to bring out everyone’s inner geek. The fun-filled event features activities, discussion panels and displays that center around comics, gaming, costume and cosplay competitions, sci-fi, anime, technology and more.

“This event will be especially attractive to Pinellas residents who may not attend other fan conventions because of the distance or cost,” said Chad Mairn, librarian and new Innovation Lab Manager at the SPC Seminole Campus who has been working closely with Library Director Mike Bryan and college officials to help plan and coordinate the event. He also has worked with Greg Plantamura from the TARDIS Riders in Pinellas group, who assisted with planning the successful Clearwater Library Comic Con last year.

Although this event is being held the weekend after the popular Tampa Bay Comic Con has taken place in Tampa, Mairn said that the Mid-Pinellas Comic Con (and Maker Con) will help serve the community by providing more visibility to a variety of popular culture interests.

Representatives from SPC’s pre-admissions department and digital media program will be at the event to talk about the college and its digital media classes. The college offers classes that encompass a variety of topics including video game development and animation, digital imaging, storyboarding and other related topics.

Science and technology fans will get a chance to experience SPC’s new Innovation Lab, which houses a 3-D printer, robotic kits, littleBits synthesizer modules, Pro Tools, Raspberry Pi/Arduino kits, and other technologies. The lab is free and open to the public with a valid library or SPC student ID.

Discussion panels about costuming, horror entertainment, Doctor Who, feminism in comics and other favorite fan topics will be held throughout the day. Busch Gardens® Tampa will join in the fun with a Howl-O-Scream discussion panel from 11 a.m. to noon. The Howl-O-Scream team will discuss the Florida’s top-rated Halloween event’s history and provide a behind-the-scenes look at how they make a terrorizing event so successful each year.

Gamers on the Edge, an organization of gamers who help raise money for good causes, has organized two gaming tournaments throughout the day to benefit All Children’s Hospital.


The Seminole Community Library at the St. Petersburg College Seminole Campus is located at 9200 113th St., Seminole. For more information, contact Chad Mairn at 727-394-6917.

Innovation Lab's 1st Workshop: LibraryBox!

TP-Link 3G/4G Wireless Router

Today was the Innovation Lab's first workshop! We built an Online File Distribution System using LibraryBox. According to the project's website, LibraryBox v2.0 is a combination of a router, USB drive, and open source software that, when combined, gives you a small, low powered webserver. This webserver will distribute files (e.g., .STL files for 3D printing, open access e-books/articles, project blueprints, videos, apps, and more) that are stored on a 32 Gb USB drive, which is connected to the TP-Link 3G/4G wireless router.

Building LibraryBox

3 people, including me, worked together today to build a LibaryBox, which will store/distribute files for the Innovation Lab. We followed the well-written instructions at the LibraryBox website and it took us about an hour to have a working web server! During the workshop, we were asked why we wanted to build this instead of buying one ready-to-go out of the box and we said that this is the whole purpose of the lab. We had a few issues come up while building LibraryBox and as a group we solved them. It was a great collaborative learning experience, which is one of the main tenets of the Innovation Lab!

Using PuTTY to securely connect to the router via SSH.

The group had to enable telnet in Windows and later learn the basics of SSH in order to password protect the router.

  

Connect to LibraryBox Wi-Fi Network

To use LibraryBox, a user would connect to the "LibraryBox - Free Content!" Wi-Fi network and then launch a web browser, which will automatically redirect the user to the LibraryBox homepage on any device.

LibraryBox home page with menu option

The LibraryBox homepage embedded on the TP-Link router now includes information about the project, and links on the menu for downloading a variety of file types. You can browse the contents of the Shared folder, and download any files you'd like.  There is an integrated chat feature on the homepage and the group working on building this today plans on exploring its potential. Stay tuned!

 The Innovation Lab's LibraryBox is on the map!

We are now on the LibraryBox map!

Visit the Innovation Lab [Makerspace @ SPC] and explore with us!

Visit the lab today!

Innovation Lab Grand Opening!

Beginning June 3rd, budding creators and innovators can share ideas, create robots, learn or sharpen programming skills, and build objects using 3-D printers at SPC’s new Innovation Lab. The space, located in the Seminole Community Library, provides a modern, technologically advanced version of your dad’s garage, so to speak.

The space will provide an area where people with common interests like computers, technology, science, or digital arts can socialize and collaborate on ideas and learn new skills. In SPC’s Innovation Lab, which is open to the public, visitors can learn how to program different devices, such as the Raspberry Pi, the Arduino Genuine Mega 2560 Circuit Board, the ProtoSnap LilyPad Development Board, and much more! (Note: originally posted at http://goo.gl/pVZz1P)

We hope to see you Tuesday June 3rd from 11am-12pm and from 6-7pm for refreshments and a chance to tour the new Innovation Lab both located at the St. Petersburg College Seminole Campus Library, room 201. We will also have a videographer at the first event in case you can't make it. Please select here for the Facebook event page for the 11-12pm Grand Opening and here for the 6-7pm Grand Opening.

At this point, the lab will include:

• FreeFab3D Monolith 3D Printer built locally using other 3D printers
• littleBits Synth Kit
• Arduino Genuine Mega 2560 Circuit Board Experimentation Kit
• Avid Fast Track Duo Audio Interface with Pro Tools Express
• An iMac, 2 Linux computers, and 1 Windows computer
• A variety of Open Source Software applications for 3D printing, design etc.
• MaKey MaKey: Original Invention Kit
• Cubelets KT06 Kit
• ProtoSnap LilyPad Development Board
• 2 CanaKit Raspberry Pi Ultimate Starter Kits
• Apollo Precision Tools 53-Piece Tool Kit
• Parallax Programmable Boe-Bot Robot Kit
• Elenco Deluxe Learn To Solder Kit
• Samsung 32-Inch 1080p LED HDTV with Logitech TV Cam HD for Skype Calls
• Chromecast
• Online File Distribution System for access to project files, open access resources, etc.
• Reference Collection including books and  magazines

Jazz in the Stacks!

Jazz in the Stacks
with the Helios Swingtet
featuring Bryan Hughes

In honor of Jazz Appreciation Month, St. Petersburg College will host Jazz in the Stacks, a free concert featuring the Helios Swinget with Bryan Hughes, on April 15, 2014, at 7:30 p.m. at its West St. Petersburg Community Library, 750 66^th Street North, St. Petersburg.

The 7-piece Helios Swingtet with Bryan Hughes, performs the swinging music of the Rat Pack, the coolest cats of all time. From Frank Sinatra to Sammy Davis, Jr. to Dean Martin, the Helios Swingtet covers all of the great tunes of the Rat Pack era.

This event is sponsored by EMIT, Friends of the Library, City of St. Petersburg and the West St. PetersburgCommunity Library.  

The M. M. Bennett Library of St.Petersburg College in its support of the philosophy and objectives of the College provides comprehensive library and information services to meet the curricular, research, cultural and recreational needs of the college community. 

Date: Tuesday, April 15^th       

Time: 7:30 pm 

Location: West St. Petersburg Community Library, 750 66^th Street North, St. Petersburg          

Admission: Free 

Phone: 727-341-7984

Preview Our New Research Interface!

You are invited to preview the new statewide view of the Mango discovery research system and catalog.  This new statewide union discovery research tool will eventually replace the separate, legacy union catalogs of both the university and college system, as well as the current Search Florida Libraries interface.  To access the preview interface, go tohttp://discover.flvc.org.

This preview period will run only until Friday, February 21, during which time we ask that you email your comments and questions concerning the interface to mairn.chad@spcollege.edu. Your comments will be forwarded to the FLVC Help Desk.

Following is additional information about the new statewide view to assist with your preview:

• The statewide union view includes university and college resources and e-resources from the Primo Central Index (PCI).

• For this statewide implementation, the display defaults to e-resources results from the Florida Electronic Library’s Gale databases that are available to all colleges and universities.   Access to full text is available to patrons through the link resolver provided by their home institution’s library.

• We will continue to make additional improvements to the PCI access profiles index to implement discovery tool local views for FCS libraries. Those views are anticipated for summer 2014. SUS library local views should not be affected.

• Final selection of the mega search index product for deployment into the discovery tool is still pending.

• Once the preview is underway, FLVC will work with the User Interfaces Standing Committee to resolve any issues that arise. Please note that these changes will not address the need for a full-scale “refresh” of Mango that was requested by the Members Council on Library Services; that activity will occur at a later date.

• At present, UBorrow (ILL) functionality is only available for universities and is a production service. During the preview period, any UBorrow requests will be sent to production Aleph.  UBorrow will be available to colleges upon completion of the Shared ILL project.  More information about statewide UBorrow will be provided as the project nears completion.

• An activation date for this statewide view has not yet been determined. Until a firm date is in place and communicated to all libraries, local college and university discovery tools will not be affected.

Introducing Indoor Google Maps!

Google Maps now allows users to view and navigate indoor floor plans and will provide step-by-step directions to rooms, offices, restrooms, reading/study areas, and more that are located within the St. Petersburg College Seminole Campus!

Google Maps will guide you to the campus, but zooming further into the map will now display an indoor floor plan of the building. You can also use the level switcher (outlined in red) to move from the ground floor to other available floors in the building.

Indoor Google Maps is supported on Android and iOS devices. The desktop and Web app versions only highlight the ground floor at this time, but they will soon incorporate multiple floors via the level switcher.  

Visit www.google.com/mobile/maps/ to download Google Maps and never get lost on the St. Petersburg College Seminole Campus again!

If you have questions on how to install/use Google Maps, or notice any inaccurate map information please contact Chad Mairn at mairn.chad@spcollege.edu or at (727) 394-6917.

Find library articles in Google!

EBSCOHost's CustomLinks feature was recently enabled for Google! We have had Google Scholar setup to link to library databases for several years, but now basic Google searches are linking to the SPC Library's EBSCO databases. 

If you have any questions don't forget to ask your Librarian!