Monthly Archives April 2013

El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day)

Come join us on Tuesday, April 30th at 7 p.m. to celebrate El día de los niños/O día dos Meninos/Children’s Day, also known as El Día. This year is the 17th anniversary. El Día is a celebration EVERY DAY of children, families, and reading that culminates every year on April 30th. The celebration emphasizes the importance of advocating literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds. This year, we will be presenting, No, David!, in English, Spanish and Portuguese. The storytime will include music, activities, a craft and a snack for children in grades K-6. ____________________________________________________________________ Ven y únete
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Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Then and Now — A Virtual Exhibit

Then and Now is an online exhibit in celebration of the American Library Association's Preservation Week, observed by libraries nation wide, April 21-27. Preservation Week was created in 2010 because some 630 million items in collecting institutions require immediate attention and care. Eighty percent of these institutions have no paid staff assigned responsibility for collections care; 22 percent have no collections care personnel at all. Some 2.6 billion items are not protected by an emergency plan. As natural disasters of recent years have taught us, these resources are in jeopardy should a disaster strike. Personal, family, and community collections are
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Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Chess with White Plains Chess Master Joshua Colas

Test your chess skills against a Master, on Saturday, April 27, 2-4 p.m., for students in grades 3-8. White Plains High School freshman Joshua Colas is the youngest African-American chess master in history. He will talk about how he got started playing chess and about his experiences in international competitions. Then he'll play simultaneous games against up to 15 opponents! Everyone is welcome to listen to Joshua and watch the matches. Registration is only for those who want to play chess (grades 3-8). Registration opens April 15, please call The Trove at 422-1476. Sponsored by the White Plains Library Foundation.
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Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

National Poetry Month Continues

“Inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, National Poetry Month is now held every April, when schools, publishers, libraries, booksellers, and poets throughout the United States band together to celebrate poetry and its vital place in American culture. Thousands of organizations participate through readings, festivals, book displays, workshops, and other events.” – poets.org Next in our celebration of National Poetry Month, Professor Eleanor Ehrenkranz of Pace University will speak at the Library on Thursday, April 25, from 2-3:30 p.m. Dr. Ehrenkranz will read from and discuss her recently published anthology, “Explaining Life: The Wisdom of Modern Jewish Poetry
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Categories: Classes, Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Soles 4 Souls

You may have noticed the box for shoe donations in the Library lobby. The City of White Plains is participating in the Soles 4 Souls campaign through Monday, April 29. Your gift of footwear is important to children and adults around the world. Footwear can help eliminate the spread of disease through the foot as well as help children obtain an education as many schools have footwear requirements to attend. When you take time to recycle your footwear, you are in fact changing lives. Help us make a difference by donating new or used shoes of any kind. Learn more
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Categories: Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Head Start Art Fair in The Trove — A Community Celebration

Come to the Head Start Art Fair, a wonderful exhibit in The Trove! Over the next four weeks, art created by children and parents who participate in the White Plains Early Childhood Programs of Family Services of Westchester will be on display along The Trove's Tree Trail. There will be new art each week. Begun in 2006 at the Slater Center by Head Start teacher Pat Foendoe, (“Miss Pat,”)  the Fair has grown to include artwork from the other centers in White Plains – Bethel, Eastview, North Street, Rochambeau in addition to Slater. This year, 2013, is the first time
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Categories: Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Pianist Brian Lam to Perform at the 14th Annual Clarice Wilson Memorial Concert

Even if you didn't know Clarice Wilson (music specialist at the Library from 1974-1999) the annual concerts held in her memory are worth attending. Mrs. Wilson supported gifted young artists at the beginning of their careers and this year's performance continues in that spirit by featuring a very talented young pianist, Brian Lam. A native of Hong Kong, Fung Yuen (Brian) Lam started playing the piano at age four. He is presently a scholarship piano performance major at Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music, City University of New York, where he studies with Adam Kent. In 2006, he became the youngest
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Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Allstate Readiness Series Personal Finance Workshop: Credit Cards, Credit Scores, and Debt Management

Gain control of your finances!  Join us Tuesday, April 16, at 7 p.m. for an interactive workshop on the different types of debt and credit cards being offered, and how they can help you manage your finances. You'll learn about credit bureaus, credit reports, and your credit score. We'll discuss strategies to pay down credit card debt and get out of debt. Presenter: Financial Educator Lew Tischler.. Part of the Allstate Readiness Series. Free admission. Refreshments available.
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Categories: Classes, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Still Here Thinking of You: A Second Chance with Our Mothers

Join us on Sunday, April 14th from 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. as four Westchester women do readings from their recent book, Still Here Thinking Of You:  A Second Chance with Our Mothers. Authors Vicki Addesso, Susan Hodara, Joan Potter, and Lori Toppel will do a group reading from the book. A discussion will follow, covering such topics as:  looking back at the mother-child relationship, the ins and outs of an enduring writing group, how writing about a significant experience can, alter one’s understanding of it and of oneself, and publishing with a small press. Tea and coffee will be served.
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Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Our new customer service policy. Why bother?

You've seen them in banks, stores, and on consumer websites. But why would a library bother creating a customer service policy? For the same reason that any organization that works with the public has adopted one: to let its customers know how they can expect to be treated, in this case, by the White Plains Public Library. It also provides library staff and managers with clear benchmarks for how we should perform, from the state of the library building (a clean facility in good repair) to every single customer interaction—whether online, on the phone, or in-person. But most importantly, a
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Categories: Director's Corner, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Creative Writing Program for Adults 55+

In partnership with The Bristal Assisted Living and the Westchester Library system, White Plains Public Library is pleased to present “Share, Shine, Celebrate!”, creative writing instruction for adults 55+. Explore your life stories with actor/playwright/educator Frank Ingrasciotta. No prior writing experience is necessary. Participants attend six sessions at The Bristal and two at the Library. Participants must register for all 8 sessions. You must provide your own transportation to The Bristal. Dates: April 9 (Bristal), 16 (Bristal), 23 (Library), 30 (Bristal), May 7 (Bristal), 14 (Bristal), 21 (Library), 28 (Bristal) Times: 2 – 4 p.m. Call the Reference Desk at
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Categories: Classes, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

How To Approach A Foundation: From Initial Contact to Getting Funded

Looking for assistance on how to approach a foundation for support? Come to the FREE fundraising workshop on Wednesday, April 10th from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. to learn how to get the grants you want. Pre-registration is required. Simply visit npccny.org/workshop.htm to register online. Discover how to communicate effectively with (prospective) funders to build nonprofit-philanthropic partnerships. Susan Shiroma, Senior Librarian of the Foundation Center, will provide hands-on exercises to help you learn important skills critical to raising money from foundations, and the key stages surrounding the grant proposal process. Opening remarks by Lily Lopez of Citi Community Development and Michael
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Categories: Classes, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

April is National Poetry Month

In celebration of National Poetry Month, Professors Lee Schlesinger of Purchase College and Eleanor Ehrenkranz of Pace University will present free programs at the Library. Dr. Schlesinger returns  on Sunday, April 7, from 2-4 PM, with a talk on ”The Power of Poetry and Literature in Troubled Times.” Dr. Schlesinger defends the value and meaning of poetry and literature in our stressful, technology-driven world, with examples of enduring works. Dr. Schlesinger is an Associate Professor of Literature in the School of Humanities at Purchase College where he received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. In addition to teaching,
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Categories: Classes, Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.