Monthly Archives November 2017

Boscobel House and Gardens Pass Now Available

Boscobel House and Gardens Pass Now Available

The White Plains Public Library is pleased to announce the addition of Boscobel House and Gardens in Garrison NY to the Museum Pass Program. The Library pass provides free admission for one adult and three guests of any age, plus a 10% discount in Boscobel’s gift shop. Boscobel House and Gardens is considered one of the leading historic house museums in the United States. Its Neoclassical mansion holds an exceptional collection of New York furniture from the Federal period. Situated in the Hudson Valley, fifty miles north of Manhattan, Boscobel directly overlooks the Hudson River, Constitution Marsh and West Point.
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November 29, 2017 12:39 pm | by | 2 Comments
Categories: Featured and Library News.

Library Volunteer Orientation on November 28

Library Volunteer Orientation on November 28

Want to lend a helping hand to a very bustling White Plains Public Library?  Come to the volunteer orientation on Tuesday, November 28 at 7 p.m. in Room A on the second floor. Library Assistant Director Kathy Degyansky will give an overview of the programs, and the attendees will list their skills, hobbies and passions on the application forms. Then, in the coming weeks, each attendee will individually meet with Degyansky for placement. One project is the digitization of local newspapers. “It's converting microfilm–the way back copies of newspapers had long been preserved–to the Internet,” says librarian and historian Ben Himmelfarb. “Current newspapers like the Journal News
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November 17, 2017 11:30 am | by | 2 Comments
Categories: Library News.

Local History: Addicts & Addiction Pt. 3

Local History: Addicts & Addiction Pt. 3

As earlier blog posts showed, public discourse about drugs and addiction changed from focusing on morality and personal responsibility during the 19th century to a focus on culture and racial identity during the early 20th century.  When drugs and addiction are discussed today, we often hear that criminal justice reform and electoral politics are the central issues influencing the course of addiction and the treatment of addicts in our society. The White Plains Collection has many resources you can use to discover what happened during the 1960s as the modern era of “drug culture” developed and what people were thinking
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November 17, 2017 10:47 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Local History.
Tags: addiction, addiction treatment, addicts, alcoholics, alcoholism, cocaine, heroin, local history, mental health, mental illness, narcotics, rockefeller laws, westchester committee on alcoholism, white plains collection, white plains history, and white plains youth bureau.

‘Social Media 101’ Will Help Bridge the Digital Divide

‘Social Media 101’ Will Help Bridge the Digital Divide

Social Media–Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Twitter, etc.–is as revolutionary to communications in the 21st century as the telegraph, telephone, radio, television and, yes, the computer were to the 19th and 20th. But innovation comes with the challenge of acclimation, and to meet it, White Plains Public Library digital media specialist Austin Olney will host two Social Media 101 programs in the main floor's Edge Media Lab on Tuesday, November 28, at 6 p.m. and on Wednesday, December 13, at 11 a.m. “We are targeting seniors and those who are not familiar with modern technology and software,” says Olney. “Social media is a popular resource, and it is
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November 6, 2017 9:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events and Library News.
Tags: events and social media.

Local History: Addicts & Addiction Pt. 2

Local History: Addicts & Addiction Pt. 2

Most people are by now familiar with the “Reefer Madness” era of drug policy in the United States. Exemplified by the 1936 propaganda film of the same name and personified by Henry J. Anslinger (who set the tone for most domestic drug policy during his 32 years as head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics), the “Reefer Madness” era is best known for its racism and over-the-top representations of drug users and addicts. The articles below show that “Reefer Madness” came to White Plains!   Reefer Madness According to the paper, over 100 people were questioned or arrested during raids
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November 6, 2017 5:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Local History.
Tags: addiction, addicts, alcoholics, alcoholism, bloomingdale, bloomingdale asylum, henry j anslinger, local history, mental health, mental illness, reefer madness, westchester committee on alcoholism, white plains collection, and white plains history.

Board Meeting Documents for November 8th, 2017

Board Meeting Documents for November 8th, 2017

Approved Library Board Meeting Minutes – 11-08-17 11-08-17 Combined-Agenda-Documents 11-08-17 Library Board Agenda Agenda Item #1a – 10 11 17 Regular Library Board Minutes Agenda Item #2 – Budget Report – October 2017 Agenda Item #3 – Claim List 6 Agenda Item #3 – Claim List 7 Agenda Item #4 – Adult Services Report – October 2017 Agenda Item #4 – Assistant Directors Report – October 2017 Agenda Item #4 – Collection Management Report – October 2017 Agenda Item #4 – Community Outreach Report – October 2017 Agenda Item #4 – Library Systems Report – October 2017 Agenda Item #4
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November 3, 2017 1:43 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Trustee Documents.

Library Receives Grant to Develop Youth Coding Programs

Library Receives Grant to Develop Youth Coding Programs

White Plains, New York – October 31, 2017: White Plains Public Library announced today that they have received a $25,000 grant from the American Library Association (ALA) to design and implement coding programs for young people. White Plains Public Library is one of 28 libraries around the country to receive a grant from Libraries Ready to Code, an initiative of ALA sponsored by Google, which promotes computer science (CS) and computational thinking among youth. “At their essence, public libraries spark creativity, ignite the imagination, and encourage learning through play and experimentation,” said Library Director Brian Kenney. “This grant will give
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November 1, 2017 11:48 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Library News and Teens.