Monthly Archives July 2017

Local History: School’s Out, Pt. 2

The late 1960s was a time of increasing consciousness about racial issues in the United States. The mainstream civil rights movement won victories in 1964 and 1965 with large pieces of Federal legislation like the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. By 1968, however, because of issues like Vietnam, economic injustice, the conditions of urban life, and the nature of black identity some people questioned how much progress had really been made. The civil rights movement itself was fractured. Some advocated equality and integration within the framework of American society. Others, generally younger activists, promoted black power or
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Categories: Local History.

Local History: School’s Out, Pt. 1

The late 1960s was a time of increasing consciousness about racial issues in the United States. The mainstream civil rights movement won victories in 1964 and 1965 with large pieces of Federal legislation like the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. By 1968, however, because of issues like Vietnam, economic injustice, the conditions of urban life, and the nature of black identity some people questioned how much progress had really been made. The civil rights movement itself was fractured. Some advocated equality and integration within the framework of American society. Others, generally younger activists, promoted black power or
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Categories: Local History.

Local History: Bakers & Barbers

Two significant strikes affected daily life in White Plains during the 1950s. In July 1951, “a possible but not acute shortage of bread supplies” was predicted by the Reporter DIspatch due to the strike of thousands of AFL International Brotherhood of Teamsters truck drivers against 16 large companies. Those companies produced 80% of the pre-wrapped bread loaves in the New York metropolitan area. The shortage that developed over the course of the nine-day strike caused one reporter in White Plains to be reminded of “scenes of wartime shortages.” The strike began because the companies refused the union's demand for a
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Categories: Local History.

Board Meeting Documents for July 12th, 2017

Approved Library Board Meeting Minutes – 07-12-17 07-12-17 Combined Agenda Documents 07-12-17 Library Board Agenda Agenda Item #1 – 06-14-17 Regular Library Board Minutes Agenda Item #2 – Budget Report – June 30, 2017 Agenda Item #3 – Claim List 22 Agenda Item #3 – Claim List 23 Agenda Item #4 – Adult Services Report – June 2017 Agenda Item #4 – Assistant Directors Report – June 2017 Agenda Item #4 – Collection Management Report – June 2017 Agenda Item #4 – Community Outreach Report – June 2017 Agenda Item #4 – Library Systems Report – June 2017 Agenda Item
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Categories: Trustee Documents.

Meet Libby

If you’re just starting out with library ebooks or audiobooks (and for the rest of this post, “books” will mean both), you may have planned to download OverDrive onto your tablet or smartphone. Well, don’t. Use the new Libby app instead. Libby is actually created by OverDrive (the company) as well, but it is so much simpler to install and borrow books with than the old app.  With Libby, it takes just one tap to borrow and download the book—there’s no need to choose a format. Libby also has many new features you can play with, like tags to create
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Categories: Featured, Homepage, and Technology.

Fall Gala – October 21

The annual fall Gala is Saturday, October 21, 2017, from 7-10 pm. We'll be celebrating in the Hub, our newly renovated first floor! This year, we're excited to welcome gala honoree & keynote speaker Sloane Crosley, celebrated author and graduate of White Plains High School.  Sloane’s most recent publication is the bestselling novel The Clasp (“a highly comic, highly affecting novel”–NY Times Book Review, “A sad, hopeful, endlessly entertaining book,”–Time). Her essay collections, I Was Told There'd Be Cake and How Did You Get This Number, were both New York Times bestsellers and the former was shortlisted for The Thurber Prize. Sloane's
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Categories: Events and Featured.