Monthly Archives April 2021

Grab & Go Craft Kits for Teens: Paper Beads

Grab & Go Craft Kits for Teens: Paper Beads

Which Craft? Wednesday has been phased into Grab & Go Craft Kits! Instead of finding materials around the house, teens in grades 7-12 can pick up a kit with project supplies at the Library, then follow along with the instructional video below to make the project. Or, you can find the materials around your home and follow the video to make the project. Kits are first come, first served, and will become available on Monday, April 19th. When you arrive at the Library to pick up a kit, just call 914-422-1490 and ask for the Grab & Go Craft Kit
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April 19, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: arts and crafts, Grab & Go kits, and teens.

A Conversation with James McBride

A Conversation with James McBride

The White Plains Library Foundation is thrilled to welcome (virtually) award-winning author, musician, and screenwriter, James McBride to discuss his latest novel, Deacon King Kong, named one of the Top Ten Books of 2020 by the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, and TIME magazine. Please join us on May 4th, 7:30-8:30 p.m. Click HERE to Register* and you'll receive a Zoom link unique to your email. “Shouldn’t we just get it over with and declare McBride this decade’s Great American Novelist?” asked the Los Angeles Times. “McBride has a way of inflating reality to comical sizes, the better for us
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April 15, 2021 11:37 am | by | 3 Comments
Categories: Library News.
Tags: author event, Deacon King Kong, James McBride, library events, and meet the author.

Grab & Go Craft Kits: Earth Day

Grab & Go Craft Kits: Earth Day

As part of our Earth Day celebration, we’ve put together a special kit to help you grow a few seeds. Kits are first come, first served, and will become available on Monday, April 19th. When you arrive at the Library to pick up a kit, just call 914-422-1490 and ask for the Grab & Go Earth Day kit. The kits include newspaper, potting soil, and a few each of basil and purple coneflower seeds. You’ll need to provide scissors, tape, a shallow plastic container, and a cylinder (an empty toilet paper tube or small can will work.) Both plants are
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April 15, 2021 11:27 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books and Library News.
Tags: Earth Day, gardening, Grab & Go kits, Observances and Celebrations, and sustainability.

YTI Performing Arts Video Classes

YTI Performing Arts Video Classes

Courtesy of Youth Theater Interactions (YTI) in Yonkers, below is a selection of free performing arts video lessons in the categories of Acting, African Dance, African Drumming, Ballet, Keyboard, Music Theory, Tap and Vocals. These are video series of previous YTI virtual semesters. YTI has provided these video lessons to the Library free of charge to encourage the White Plains community to “Take a chance and learn a new form of artistic expression on your own schedule, and from the safety of your own home.” Acting Spring 2020 Virtual Class Series Fall 2020 Virtual Class Series African Dance Spring 2020
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April 14, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Classes, Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: acting, ballet, dance, music, performing arts, theater, and Youth Theater Interactions.

Lynda.com is Becoming LinkedIn Learning

Lynda.com is Becoming LinkedIn Learning

Starting Wednesday, April 14th at 9:00 a.m., the Westchester Library System will begin migrating library patrons from Lynda.com to LinkedIn Learning. The migration is expected to complete in a few days. There will be no access during this process. After the migration is complete, you will be able to login using your library card number and PIN without needing to create a new profile. If you use Lynda.com and have never used the library card number and PIN access method before, your account information will not migrate. Before Wednesday at 9:00 a.m., your account must be accessed using your library
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April 13, 2021 3:17 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: library resources, LinkedIn, LinkedIn learning, and lynda.com.

World Art Day

World Art Day

World Art Day is an international celebration of fine arts held by the International Association of Art. The first World Art Day was held on April 15, 2012, a date chosen to honor Leonardo Da Vinci’s birthday. To learn more about World Art Day, check out this page from the International Association of Art. To celebrate World Art Day, I will highlight some wonderful art books that are biographical, educational, and delightful. Among these books young readers will learn about different art movements, such as impressionism, visit museums, and read about creative children and creative crayons! Art is a wonderful
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April 9, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books and Library News.
Tags: children's books, Observations and Celebrations, picture books, staff picks, staff recommendations, and World Art Day.

Peculiar Picks

Peculiar Picks

Peculiar Picks are a selection of odd, funny, interesting, curious, moving, irreverent, and otherwise wonderfully awesome, but perhaps not well known, reads. Peculiar Picks are books for younger readers and their grown-ups, handpicked by the Library's Youth Services Manager, Joshua Carlson. My daughter and I love music. Jazzy mornings playing; sing-alongs in the car; country, classic rock, reggae, 80s and 90s cookouts and backyard fun; headbanging rock and punk after dinner dance parties; a 70s soul-funk-R&B soundtrack for baking and cooking… Music is a constant in our lives. Here are some picture books filled with positivity based on classic songs
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April 8, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, music, Peculiar Picks, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

World Art Day Storytime & Author Visit

World Art Day Storytime & Author Visit

World Art Day Storytime & Author Visit Ages 2-6, families Thursday, April 15, 11:00 a.m. (access the program here) Note: a free registered Zoom account is required to access the Library’s youth programs. Get a Zoom account here. Celebrate World Art Day with award-winning author Amalia Hoffman’s storytime featuring her art-filled book, My Monsterpiece: “A humorous celebration of imagination and creativity that invites kids to create their own monster masterpieces with everyday materials.” You can find some of Ms. Hoffman’s fantastic books in the Library Catalog and as eBooks. Learn more about author Amalia Hoffman and her works on her
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April 8, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Library News.
Tags: arts and crafts, children's events, Grab & Go kits, Grab and Go Kits, Grab&Go Kits, Observances and Celebrations, program, storytime, The Trove, and World Art Day.

Board Meeting Documents for April 14th, 2021

Board Meeting Documents for April 14th, 2021

Approved Library Board Meeting Minutes – 04-14-21 Combined-Agenda-04-14-21 04-14-21 Library Board Agenda Agenda Item #1 – 03-10-21 Regular Library Board Minutes Agenda Item #2- Budget Report – March 2021 Agenda Item #3 – Claim List 8 Agenda Item #4 – Adult Services Report – March 2021 Agenda Item #4 – Assistant Directors Report – March 2021 Agenda Item #4 – Collection Management Report – March 2021 Agenda Item #4 – Community Outreach Report – March 2021 Agenda Item #4 – Digital Media Specialist Report – March 2021 Agenda Item #4 – Library Systems Report – March 2021 Agenda Item #4
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April 8, 2021 5:04 am | by | Comments Off on Board Meeting Documents for April 14th, 2021
Categories: Trustee Documents.

The Importance of Wordless Books

The Importance of Wordless Books

“Wordless picture books are often quickly dismissed as being too easy. But they are a powerful tool in developing literacy skills. Understanding books without words involves interpreting the illustrations as there is no text to rely on. This promotes comprehension, vocabulary, and listening skills and an understanding of story structure and character development.”–Children's Library Lady Return, by Aaaron Becker Library Catalog A father and daughter duo embark on a great adventure. Spot the Cat, by Henry Cole Library Catalog An open window is Spot’s opportunity to experience a day full of adventures. Unspoken: a Story From the Underground Railroad, by
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April 7, 2021 9:04 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, picture books, staff picks, staff recommendations, and wordless books.

Reading to End Racism Book Group

Reading to End Racism Book Group

Continuing on the theme of courageous conversations, the YWCA has partnered with the White Plains Public Library for the Reading to End Racism book club. For details on upcoming discussions, see below: In the Midst of Winter by Isabel Allende April 22nd, 6:00 p.m. Click here for information on attending. Library Catalog: Print / CD audiobook OverDrive & Libby During the biggest Brooklyn snowstorm in living memory, Richard Bowmaster, a lonely university professor in his sixties, hits the car of Evelyn Ortega, a young undocumented immigrant from Guatemala, and what at first seems an inconvenience takes a more serious turn
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April 6, 2021 11:50 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books and Library News.
Tags: Antiracism, book discussion, book group, Common Ground, Racism, reading against racism, Stand Against Racism, and YWCA.