Monthly Archives March 2017

Makers Wanted!

Makers Wanted!

Become a Maker Corps Member and lead a summer of making in The Edge at the Library!  The White Plains Public Library, in partnership with Argus Information and Advisory Services, has been accepted to be a Maker Corps site this summer, which means that all summer long we will be holding STEM-related workshops and mini-camps. Are you a maker, a DIY enthusiast, an artist, or interested in new and emerging technologies?  The Library needs to hire two people as Maker Corps Members that are interested in the Maker movement, want to work with teens, and build an innovative and exciting
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March 31, 2017 4:31 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Library News, Technology, and Teens.
Tags: DIY, education, Maker, Maker Corps, STEM, summer, teens, and The Edge.

Local History: Library Hand

Local History: Library Hand

An offhand comment to a colleague about his handwriting lead us to this blog post about “library hand,” the formalized style of penmanship librarians were taught to use from the late 19th century until typewriters made the skill obsolete. Before typewriters and automated cataloging systems, librarians maintained handwritten accession books that listed purchasing and bibliographic information for books acquired by the library. Below are various examples of documents from the White Plains Collection that contain “library hand” and some that obviously do not. Even where writers used the style they were likely taught in library science school, there are variations
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March 31, 2017 5:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Local History.
Tags: handwriting, librarians, library hand, library history, local-history, penmanship, white plains collection, and white plains history.

Local History: House History

Local History: House History

Discovering the history of houses or apartment buildings is one of the best uses of the White Plains Collection. Whether it's discovering architectural changes or getting to know your historical predecessors, you are sure to come away with some stories. Below are some of the resources in the White Plains Collection that can help you learn the story behind your home. Real Estate Record: Published by the Westchester Record Company, the digitized version of the Record we have runs from 1905 to 1931. It is composed of listings of real estate transactions, short articles on building and development news, and
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March 24, 2017 5:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Local History.
Tags: city directories, genealogy, history, house history, local-history, maps and atlases, real estate record, white plains collection, and white plains history.

Fake News Workshop 3/22 @ 7:00 PM

Fake News Workshop 3/22 @ 7:00 PM

Fake news is a topic we hear a lot about, but is it as simple as figuring out what's fake and what's real? Join Librarian Ben Himmelfarb on Wednesday, March 22, at 7:00 PM for Present-Truth: How To Navigate the World of Fake (and Real) News. We will learn skills for determining what in the news is true and how to analyze your information sources to make sure you are the best informed that you can be. In this participatory workshop, we will also discuss strategies for dealing with rapid news cycles, social media dynamics, and how the library can
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March 18, 2017 2:47 pm | by | 1 Comment
Categories: Events and Featured.
Tags: adults, children, current events, fake news, information literacy, news, politics, and teens.

Local History: Researching Greenburgh

Local History: Researching Greenburgh

All kinds of curious researchers find their way to the library and discover the White Plains Collection can help answer their questions. I've helped people find their yearbook picture, learn about the people who used to live in their house (no American Horror Stories uncovered yet), unearth lost city reports, and find photographs they didn't know existed. Two recent research queries covered similar topics, and all the researchers are generating interesting projects about Greenburgh.   The Greenburgh African American Historical Alliance is a newly formed community-based organization created to assist in the historical preservation of African American heritage, history and
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March 10, 2017 5:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Local History.
Tags: African-American History, Black History, community history, fairview, greenburgh, Greenburgh African American Historical Alliance, housing, local-history, white plains collection, and white plains history.

‘Love Stories’ Returns

‘Love Stories’ Returns

After a winter break, White Plains librarian Barbara Wenglin's popular “Love Stories” series resumes on March 16 with a discussion of Lorrie Moore's “Terrific Mother.”  “It's a wry and witty tale in which the protagonist, Adrienne, tries to rebuild her life and ability to love following a devastating loss,” says Wenglin. “Terrific Mother” is among the 19 selections compiled by Diana Tesdell in the Love Stories anthology (Everyman's Pocket Classics, 2009). Copies can be borrowed from the White Plains Public Library, and there is also one kept at the upstairs reference desk. Eight of the love stories are in the spring
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March 9, 2017 5:38 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Events and Uncategorized.

Board Meeting Documents for March 8th, 2017

Board Meeting Documents for March 8th, 2017

03-08-17 Combined Agenda Documents 03-08-17 Library Board Agenda Agenda Item #1 – 02-01-17 Annual Meeting Library Board Minutes Agenda Item #1 – 02-01-17 Regular Library Board Minutes Agenda Item #2 – Budget Report – February 2017 Agenda Item #3 – Claim List 13 Agenda Item #3 – Claim List 14 Agenda Item #4 – Adult Services Report – February 2017 Agenda Item #4 – Children Services Report – February 2017 Agenda Item #4 – Collection Management Report – February 2017 Agenda Item #4 – Community Outreach Report – February 2017 Agenda Item #4 – Library Systems Report – February 2017
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March 3, 2017 11:58 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Trustee Documents.

Local History: Depends On What You’re Looking For…

Local History: Depends On What You’re Looking For…

Photographs are great ways of learning about the past. They hold different levels of meaning and must be viewed critically to gain a true sense of what they represent. For instance, a seemingly straightforward picture of a row of houses might contain valuable information about the way houses were used or redesigned. A street scene with people scattered along the sidewalk might not be an accurate depiction of street life at the time–were the people posed? Did they show up because they knew a photograph was being taken? Here is a list of more questions I ask myself when using
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March 1, 2017 1:46 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Local History.
Tags: John Rosch, landscape architecture, local-history, photographs, photography, tennis, the daily reporter, white plains collection, and white plains history.