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 equally at risk.

The images featured in our exhibit are from the White Plains Library's Local History collection, a treasure trove of books, pamphlets, maps, clippings and brochures of local historical interest. Although its primary collection focus is the City of White Plains, the library collects some historical materials on other towns in Westchester and on Westchester County itself.

These materials are available for on-site use by any patron or researcher looking for information about the community or searching for ancestors who lived locally.

For assistance and admission to the Local History Room, please ask at the Library’s Reference Desk. Call 914-422-1480 for information or to make an appointment. You may also submit your local history question via email or by texting WPPL to 66746.

 

Photo: White Plains High School, Main Street, 1946.