Posts by Kristen, Adult Librarian

Slow Reading Spring Session

Slow Reading Spring Session

Library users may wonder about one of our newest reading groups: Slow Reading. “Slow reading describes my practice of looking at a text very closely in order to appreciate nuances of language and hence of meaning,” says Ellen Lambert, author (The Face of Love: Feminism and the Beauty Question) and White Plains resident, who holds a Ph.D. in English from Yale University. Lambert taught literature at Manhattan’s Dalton School for over 25 years (and intends to start a tutoring service for high school students.) “In our discussions of short fiction, we often read particular passages out loud. We then examine
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January 16, 2020 11:15 am | by | 4 Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Events, and Homepage.
Tags: book discussion and slow reading.

Film Screening: Mildred Pierce

Film Screening: Mildred Pierce

This post has expired. Visit our online calendar for current film screenings. “Film noir” was a 1940s-1950s Hollywood phenomenon that combined “Whodunit” mystery with intrigue and romance in a dark, black-and-white setting. Two fine examples of the genre were the Warner Bros. 1945 drama Mildred Pierce along with its star, Joan Crawford. Both will be featured with a screening on Thursday, January 16 at 2:00 p.m. in Galaxy Hall on the second floor of the Library. The film, which is open to all, concludes the Library’s Fall 2019 short story discussion series led by librarian Barbara Wenglin, which explored selections
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January 16, 2020 11:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: eNewsletter, Events, Featured, and Library News.
Tags: film screening.

Holocaust Remembrance Day Author Visit

Holocaust Remembrance Day Author Visit

This event has passed. Please visit our children's calendar here for a current listing of events. Israeli-born Larchmont resident Amalia Hoffman is a renowned children’s book author and illustrator. She has appeared at the Library to talk about such books as All Colors, Astro Pea, Dreidel Day, and The Klezmer Bunch, and her honors include the PJ Library Author Incentive Award for Dreidel Day. On Monday, January 27, at 4:30 p.m. in the Library’s Galaxy Hall (second floor), Hoffman will make a return visit to discuss her newest book The Brave Cyclist: The True Story of a Holocaust Hero (Capstone
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January 16, 2020 9:45 am | by | 1 Comment
Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Events, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Amalia Hoffman, author visit, Gino Bartali, Holocaust Remembrance Day, and The Brave Cyclist.

SCORE at The Library

SCORE at The Library

We are pleased to announce that SCORE Westchester has moved its offices to the Library. Their new home is located on the mezzanine level (ask at the Welcome Desk for directions.) SCORE Westchester, the local chapter of a national, nonprofit, volunteer organization, is a natural fit with the Library, and dramatically expands what we can offer the business community. SCORE is focused on providing mentoring and workshops for the small business community. While the mentoring will be conducted at the Library, SCORE's robust programming schedule includes events at the Library as well as locations across the county. David Kellogg, Chairman
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January 8, 2020 2:25 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Director's Corner, eNewsletter, Evergreen, Featured, and Library News.
Tags: business mentoring and SCORE.

January Trove Movies

January Trove Movies

Movies continue in the Trove in January with a great selection of classic and new family friendly films! Here’s a quick look at the titles we’ll be showing in Galaxy Hall throughout the month of January. A Dog's Way Home (2019, PG, 137 mins.) Sunday, 1/5 at 2:00 p.m. A lost dog goes on an epic 400 mile journey to be reunited with her owner. Along the way she meets a host of new friends, both human and otherwise. Homeward Bound (1993, G, 85 mins.) Sunday, 1/12 at 2:00 p.m. Three pets escape from a California ranch and embark on
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December 21, 2019 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: eNewsletter, Events, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: film screening and kids movies.

2019 Staff Picks

2019 Staff Picks

The White Plains Library Staff have assembled their picks for the year, featuring cookbooks, DVDs, music, audiobooks, and plenty of plain old books. It's a wonderfully wide-ranging list, full of lots of surprises, and should help with your holiday shopping or just some entertainment for yourself. Enjoy! Below you'll find a list with links to the catalog or resource where they're available (simply click on the title) as well as a blurb on why staff enjoyed it. Gluten-free Baking at Home by Jeffrey Larsen (Cookbook) “Why I liked it: Because of the mix of classic recipes like carrot cake and
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December 11, 2019 3:30 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Evergreen, Featured, Homepage, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: best books of 2019, book recommendations, books, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Tech Wednesday for Adults

Tech Wednesday for Adults

This post has expired. Look out for Austin Olney's new tech series, Weekly Tech Topics, coming in January 2020 on select Mondays at 6:00 p.m. Austin Olney leads Tech Wednesdays for Adults at 12:00 p.m. each Wednesday. Tech Wednesday is a weekly, hour-long meetup for adults who wish to learn about various digital technologies. Whether it is app design or Virtual Reality, beginners can explore a wealth of different topics relating to the modern digital revolution. Each week, a particular branch of computer technology is presented in the form of a quick workshop to give patrons knowledge about new technical
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November 27, 2019 9:30 am | by | 1 Comment
Categories: eNewsletter, Events, and Library News.
Tags: digital technology and technology.

Macmillan, eBooks, and Access

Macmillan, eBooks, and Access

If you are looking for a new eBook published by Macmillan and can’t find it in our collection, it’s because the publisher, Macmillan, has taken the unprecedented act of limiting public library access to their eBooks. In response, the White Plains Public Library has decided to suspend the acquisition of all eBooks published by Macmillan. Macmillan, one of the country’s five largest publishers, includes such well-known brands as Farrar, Straus & Giroux, St. Martin’s Press, Picador, Tor, and more. This fall, Macmillan announced that it would make eBooks available to libraries under a new model: a library may purchase one
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November 20, 2019 2:54 pm | by | 2 Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Director's Corner, eNewsletter, Evergreen, Featured, Homepage, Homepage Kids, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: eBooks, Macmillan, and publishers.

Meet the Authors: Himmelfarb & Massena

Meet the Authors: Himmelfarb & Massena

This post has expired and the events have already occurred. Copies of the book that is mentioned can be purchased at the Everyday Healthy Cafe on the first floor of the Library. White Plains in the 20th Century (Arcadia Publishing) is a 130-page compendium of photographs of White Plains throughout the 1900s compiled by former White Plains librarian Ben Himmelfarb and current city archivist Elaine Massena. They gathered 200 photographs largely from the collections of artist/photographer John Rosch (1854-1949) and longtime White Plains city historian Renoda Brown Hoffman (1909-2005) to show how a village-turned-city (in 1916) evolved over 100 years.
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November 12, 2019 9:52 am | by | 8 Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Director's Corner, eNewsletter, Library News, and Local History.
Tags: adults, author event, Ben Himmelfarb, books, Elaine Massena, local history, white plains collection, and white plains history.

New Service: Acorn TV

New Service: Acorn TV

Just in time for the cold weather, we’re launching a new streaming service: Acorn TV. Acorn is best known for their TV and film offerings from the United Kingdom, but they also host content from Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Spain. You’ll find cozy mystery series like Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, the droll Doc Martin, the hard-boiled London Kills, the classic Vera, and the popular Midsomer Murders, among others. Twenty-five degrees and three inches of snow? No problem. Just provide a couch, a dog or cat (or both), a pot of tea, plenty of flannel, and binge to your
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October 23, 2019 2:07 pm | by | 6 Comments
Categories: Director's Corner, eNewsletter, Evergreen, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: acorn tv, murder mysteries, tv, tv streaming, and video streaming.

September 2019 LibraryReads

September 2019 LibraryReads

Here are the top ten books published in September that librarians across the country love. Just click on a title or book cover to place it on hold. Red at the Bone: A Novel by Jacqueline Woodson Published: 9/17/2019 by Riverhead Books “A rich, multigenerational weaving of two families, starting at Melody’s coming-of-age party. She wears the dress her mother didn’t get to wear because she was pregnant with Melody at the time. Alternating narration moves forward and backward in time, reflecting on family, desire, identity, and parenthood. For fans of Jesmyn Ward and Brit Bennett.”—Julie Graham, Yakima Valley Libraries,
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October 23, 2019 11:30 am | by | 2 Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, and Library News.
Tags: book recommendations and Library Reads.

Wellness Programs

Wellness Programs

This popular series is back with additional dates and times! Starting on September 11th, we will continue offering programs to help you relax, restore, and recalibrate. Make this a fall of self care with informative and experiential programs covering stress management, medical cannabis, sound meditation, and more. Sign up for one or all. Click on the name of the program to register. Evening Programs, 7:00-8:30 p.m. November 6: Posture & Equanimity Nancy Kardon will help you find movement ease and balance with postural alignment. Explore how to sit tall and stand—and quiet your mind. November 13: Mindfulness in the Digital
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October 12, 2019 9:00 am | by | 4 Comments
Categories: eNewsletter, Events, and Library News.
Tags: medical cannabis, mindfulness, posture, reiki, sound healing, sound meditation, stress management, Wellness, and Wellness Wednesdays.

What Should I Read Next?

What Should I Read Next?

This post as expired and the event has passed. Visit our adult calendar here for a current list of book related events or subscribe to our eNewsletter here to find out when Carol Fitzgerald will return. Get a heads-up on new books and refresh your reading list for the colder weather with publishing insider Carol Fitzgerald on Sunday October 20th at 1:30 p.m. Back by popular demand, Carol will share news about the season’s buzz-worthy titles and facilitate a discussion of book group practices, successes, and failures. Carol Fitzgerald is the President of The Book Report Network—a group of internet
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October 9, 2019 11:40 am | by | 2 Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Director's Corner, eNewsletter, and Library News.
Tags: book club, book discussion, book groups, book recommendations, and carol fitzgerald.

Teen Film Series: One Book, One Movie

Teen Film Series: One Book, One Movie

This post has expired. Please visit the teen calendar for the latest Edge events. Teens can extend their One Book, One White Plains reading experience by coming together to watch a film with related themes to Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng. Join in a meaningful discussion afterwards. Light refreshments will be served. The films will be shown at 5:30 p.m. on Thursdays in the Edge. Film schedule: October 3 – The Perks of Being a Wallflower October 10 – The Blind Side October 17 – The Sun is Also a Star October 24 – A Dog's Journey
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October 2, 2019 2:11 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Events, and Library News.
Tags: film discussion, film series, movies, One Book One White Plains, teen films, and teen movies.

Book Club: The Future is Female

Book Club: The Future is Female

One of our newest book groups returns this month. The Future is Female, a mix of memoirs, short stories, novels, and poetry by and about interesting, talented, and inspiring women in history, the arts, sports, and everyday life. Led by Ellen O’Connell, the group will meet on the first Monday of every month, from 2:00-3:30 p.m. To place one of the readings on hold, simply click on the title. October 7: Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng (2014) a Novel — As part of the One Book, One White Plains program. “A moving exploration of family, history, and
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October 2, 2019 9:00 am | by | 11 Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Events, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: book discussion, books by women, and feminist books.

Genealogy Workshop Registration

Genealogy Workshop Registration

This post has expired as registration is now full. We hope to offer this workshop again in the winter/spring. To get updates on upcoming events, sign up for our eNewsletter here. Have you recently started exploring your family’s history or want to begin? If so, you'll want to register for an upcoming four-week genealogy workshop that will be held Tuesday, October 8, 15, 22, & 29 from 2:00-4:00 p.m. Presented by Dr. Alan Steinfeld,The first session will look at why to study one's ancestry, how to begin gathering and organizing information (including working with computer programs) and working with primary
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September 30, 2019 9:00 am | by | 4 Comments
Categories: eNewsletter, Events, and Library News.
Tags: ancestry, family tree, genealogy, and research.

Meet Author Ann Chiappetta

Meet Author Ann Chiappetta

This post has expired. Visit our adult calendar to see upcoming book and author events. When Ann Chiappetta lost her vision in 1993 because of retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a “Why me?” cry would have been very understandable. The New Rochelle resident had a family and a successful career as a designer of acrylic displays and furniture, where sight, of course, was critical. RP is a rare, genetic ocular disease that strikes about 1 in 4,000 people (the gene is recessive), and Chiappetta was the first in five generations of her family to be afflicted. “The diagnosis had come years earlier
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September 28, 2019 11:47 am | by | 3 Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Events, and Library News.
Tags: Ann Chiappetta, book event, and meet the author.

The Trouble with eBooks

The Trouble with eBooks

EBooks aren’t just popular, they are the fastest growing segment of our collection. But what library patrons don’t know is that eBooks are significantly more expensive for us to acquire than print editions. While there is no one model for the purchasing of eBooks by libraries, most titles run in the $50 range. For that price we receive one copy that we can typically lend for only two years before we have to purchase it again. Of course, just like a print book, that copy can be borrowed by only one reader at a time. And, just like print, when
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September 25, 2019 2:30 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Director's Corner, eNewsletter, and Library News.
Tags: American Library Association, eBook embargo, eBooks, and Macmillan.

August 2019 LibraryReads

August 2019 LibraryReads

Here are the top ten books published in August that librarians across the country love. Just click on a title or book cover to place it on hold. The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai Published: 8/6/2019 by Avon “An intelligent, multicultural contemporary romance. Rhi, CEO of the Crush dating app, and Samson, NFL star, embark on a joint project that turns into more than just talk. Issues of #MeToo in the tech industry and the NFL’s concussion problem are woven in. For readers of the Forbidden Heart series, Elle Wright, and Alyssa Cole.”—Jessica Werner, The Seattle Public Library, Seattle, WA
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September 25, 2019 9:37 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Evergreen, and Library News.
Tags: book recommendations and Library Reads.

Plaza Grand Opening Photos

Plaza Grand Opening Photos

Great news! The Library Plaza officially opened this past Saturday. Suddenly we have a new, beautiful space in downtown White Plains to enjoy. The Plaza offers great environments to spend time with friends, read and relax, explore the native plantings, or enjoy lunch from the Library's Everyday Healthy Cafe. View a collection of photos from the event below. If you have any photos you would like to share from the event, upload them here. Click on an image to enlarge and open the gallery.   Photos by Paul Schwarz and Kristen Thornton-De Stafeno
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September 17, 2019 3:36 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Director's Corner, eNewsletter, Evergreen, Featured, and Library News.
Tags: City of White Plains and library plaza.