Archives for Director’s Corner

Lee Palmer Storytelling Celebration

The Library is excited to present its first annual Lee Palmer Storytelling Celebration – a two-day event consisting of a workshop for librarians and educators and a storytelling celebration for children and families. The Storytelling Workshop will take place on Friday, April 12th, at 1:00 p.m. in the Library’s Auditorium. This free workshop for adults, entitled “Off the Page: Storytelling Craft and Technique,” will be presented by storyteller Rachael Harrington. Refreshments will be available. This interactive workshop will equip you to bring favorite stories off the page to become oral storytelling experiences. Participants will explore story selection, methods of storyboarding,
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Categories: Director's Corner, Events, Featured, Homepage, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Book ‘Em 2023-2024

Join us for the return of Book ‘Em, our popular crime fiction book group. We will continue to meet on Zoom; check our online calendar for the link. Book ‘Em meets from 2:30-3:30 p.m. To request or check out a title, click on your preferred format. We hope to have more copies and formats available in the future. Some titles have yet to be published so we will add catalog links as they become available. Click here for a printable PDF of dates & titles. Book ‘Em 2023/2024 Schedule March 20, 2024 S.A. Cosby: Razorblade Tears Available Formats A Black father
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Categories: Authors & Books, Book Discussion, Director's Corner, Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Meet Erika Peiffer

Please join me in welcoming our newest staff member, Youth Services Librarian Erika Peiffer. What interested you in becoming a librarian? I was working in television news for about four years, but I had the desire to have more of a direct interaction with the community (and maybe a work schedule that did not require me coming in at 3 in the morning). I was always passionate about information and news literacy and a good friend who was working on their Master in Library Science (MLS) encouraged me to look into librarianship. After starting my MLS and changing gears working
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Categories: Director's Corner, Featured, Homepage, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Our Annual Report

In the past year, the Library has grown in every way imaginable while we continue to support our Strategic Plan. Our strategic goals infuse everything we do: promote equity, diversity and inclusion; expand community engagement; renew our infrastructure; improve sustainability; and learn from our experiences with COVID. We have acquired more content than ever, although you may not notice as much of it is digital. We’re circulating a range of items, from hotspots and laptops to museum passes. But more significantly, we’ve expanded our programs, with White Plains residents coming together to learn English, become citizens, discuss books, experience 360-degree
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Categories: Director's Corner, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Iranian Women Speak

Caroline Reddy is a Children’s librarian at White Plains Public Library. Her work has appeared in Active Muse, Calliope, Clinch, CulturalDaily, Grey Sparrow, Starline, and Tupelo Quarterly Review among others.  In the fall of 2021, her poem “A Sacred Dance” was nominated for the Best of The Net prize by Active Muse. A native of Shiraz, Iran, Caroline’s work has also appeared in the anthology Iranian Women Speak (IHRAF)  to raise awareness for #ZanZendegiAzadi, #WomenLifeFreedom movement, in Iran. Her first manuscript Shake the Atmosphere to Reclaim an Empty Moment is forthcoming with Pierian Springs Press. For more information please click
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Categories: Authors & Books, Director's Corner, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Discover Aspen Discovery!

We are pleased to inform you that our new all-inclusive catalog is now available. Previously, if you wished to search for titles in all formats (that is, books, ebooks, and movies), you would have had to conduct a search not only in our catalog, but also in Libby, hoopla, and others. Now with Aspen Discovery, one search is all it takes, and you'll see search results from all our content providers presented at once. In addition to “one stop shopping” when it comes to title searches, Aspen Discovery also provides enriched content. Overall, it was designed to provide a much
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Categories: Director's Corner, Evergreen, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Book ‘Em 2022-2023

Join us for the return of Book ‘Em, our popular crime fiction book group. This season we'll be reading the best in crime fiction from 2022 and early 2023, ranging from traditional mysteries to thrillers to suspense. We will continue to meet on Zoom; check our online calendar for the link. Book ‘Em meets from 2:30-3:30 p.m. To request or check out a title, click on your preferred format. We hope to have more copies and formats available in the future. Some titles have yet to be published so we will add catalog links as they become available. Click here
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Categories: Book Discussion, Director's Corner, and Library News.

Meet Donna Gehlmann

Please join me in welcoming our newest staff member, Youth Services Librarian Donna Gehlmann. What interested you in becoming a librarian? I have always loved books and reading. Going to our public library as a child with my mom and sister is a happy memory for me. I have volunteered at my son's school (in the libraries) and seeing the joy on all the children's faces when they come to the library has left an impression on me! Why did you decide you wanted to work with youth? I was a 2nd grade aide for three years and loved being
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Categories: Director's Corner, Featured, Homepage, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Opening of Optimum Technology Room

This morning, the Library hosted a ribbon cutting for our new Optimum Technology Room, which uses Igloovision, software that provides an immersive experience. Imagine being in a room in which the walls serve as your computer display, effectively putting you inside a wrap-around 12k television. Or think of a room as a giant walk-in Virtual Reality (VR) headset, except one in which the immersive experience can be shared with one or more others. This is the concept behind the Igloo, an immersive workspace created by Igloovision. Any kind of digital content can be shown on the walls of an Igloo:
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Categories: Director's Corner, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Meet Karen Jackson

Most library patrons will recognize Karen Jackson, who joined the Library 18 years ago. Besides many behind-the-scenes jobs, she was responsible for our periodicals collection and helped out at the Hub desk as well. We're very pleased that Karen is starting a new phase of her career with us as an adult services librarian. You mentioned that when you were getting your undergraduate degree, you had thought about becoming an accountant. What made you decide to become a librarian instead? I realized that what I really enjoyed was helping people, and that I could do more of that as a
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Categories: Director's Corner, Featured, and Library News.

Meet Erica Roberts

Our newest librarian is Erica Roberts, a native of Maryland who recently graduated from the University of North Carolina’s School of Information and Library Science at Chapel Hill. What interested you in becoming a librarian? When I graduated college, I was sure I was going to end up working in the publishing industry. After a number of false starts, I ended up working at my local Barnes and Noble – and as much as I hated the sell-sell-sell focus of the job, I did really love interacting with customers and offering book recommendations. When a relative suggested I talk with
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Categories: Director's Corner, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Essential Cookbooks

Librarians love to create lists, and at the end of each year we publish lists ranging from the best picture books for children to the best audiobooks. But one of my favorites is Essential Cookbooks, a selection of cookbooks for public libraries. This wonderful list highlights titles for both avid home chefs and those just learning the rewards of making a meal. The list also supports those who appreciate the many joys of reading cookbooks, even if they rarely venture into the kitchen! These books are sure to become reliable favorites and nourish readers, today and for years to come.
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Categories: Authors & Books, Director's Corner, and Library News.

Library Achieves Green Certification

The Library is pleased to announce it has achieved Green Business Certification through the Green Business Partnership (GBP), a public-private partnership managed in part by Westchester County. GBP offers support to businesses and organizations who are interested in reducing their carbon footprint and making their operations more sustainable. The Library’s Green Team–led by Librarian Kathlyn Carroll–worked to evaluate the Library's current performance in a variety of areas, including water and energy usage, purchasing decisions, and waste management. Many changes were made to Library practices, including use of LED lighting, green purchasing, waste audit tracking, and a greenhouse gas inventory. Recent
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Categories: Director's Corner, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

SBA Disaster Assistance

The Small Business Administration (SBA) has opened a Business Recovery Center (BRC) at the New York Power Authority, 123 Main St, White Plains, NY 10601. Customer Service Representatives will be available at the BRC to answer questions about the disaster loan program and help businesses complete their applications. Hours of operations are Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (EDT), closed Saturday and Sunday. The center will operate until further notice. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the SBA has established protocols to help protect the health and safety of the public. Visitors to the DLOC are encouraged to
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Categories: Director's Corner, Featured, and Library News.

Book ‘Em 2021–2022

Join us as we discuss a wide range of crime fiction. Did the critics get it right? Book ‘Em meets from 2:30-3:30 p.m. over Zoom. To request or check out a title, click on your preferred format. We hope to have more copies and formats available in the future. To request or check out a title, click on your preferred format. Click here for a printable PDF of dates & titles. September 22 Nine Elms (Kate Marshall #1) by Robert Bryndza Library Collection: Print “A compelling read with an intricate plot, a strong setting, and characters so real they are
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Categories: Authors & Books, Book Discussion, Director's Corner, Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Magazines on Libby & OverDrive

Library patrons now have access to over 3,000 magazines titles digitally through OverDrive or the Libby App. All you need is a library card from the Westchester Library System to access them. For information on getting a library card, click here. We've also curated some lists to help you get started, including Popular titles, Cooking, Crafts, Design, Fashion, Music, Sports, and more. You can read the magazines on a smartphone, iPad, or computer. When you see an article you want to read, click on it and you'll be prompted to Read the Article. This opens up the article, making for
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Categories: Authors & Books, Director's Corner, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Library Reopening April 29th

To read this text in Spanish, click here / Para español, haga clic aquí. We are very pleased that the Library reopened on Thursday, April 29th. A huge thanks goes to all of our patrons for their patience as we navigated this past year. Some facts about our service updates: We reopened with the exact same level of service we offered over the summer: Patrons are welcome to browse the first floor collections and check out material. Appointments are no longer required to visit the Trove. We will still be mindful of the number of people using the space at
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Categories: COVID-19, Director's Corner, Featured, Homepage, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.

Stand Against Racism

This year, the Library is a sponsor of the YWCA's annual campaign Stand Against Racism. The theme is “Racism is a Public Health Crisis,” something we all witnessed this past year and which has been driven to the forefront of our national consciousness partly by the twin pandemics of COVID-19 and racial injustice. Understanding and addressing systemic racism from a public health perspective is crucial to eliminating racial and ethnic inequities, and to improving opportunity and well-being across communities. You can show your commitment to eliminating racism by participating in this year’s Stand Against Racism campaign in several different ways.
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Categories: Director's Corner, Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Book ‘Em 2020-2021

Join us as we discuss the best-reviewed crime fiction of 2019. Did the critics get it right? Book ‘Em meets from 2:30-3:30 p.m. over Zoom. Click the date(s) you're interested in to find out how to attend. To request or check out a title, click on your preferred format. September 16 Attica Locke: Heaven, My Home Library Collection: Print, Large Print, and CD Audiobook OverDrive & Libby: eBook and Audiobook Texas Ranger Darren Mathews is on the hunt for a missing child. October 7 Ann Cleeves: The Long Call Library Collection: Print, Large Print, and CD Audiobook OverDrive & Libby:
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Categories: Authors & Books, Director's Corner, and Library News.

Browsing Suspended, Grab & Go Continues

In response to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Westchester County, the Library is suspending browsing in the building. This means there will be no access to our first floor collections or the Trove beginning Friday, November 27. We will continue to offer reference services via phone, text, and email. Our Grab & Go services have changed. To utilize Grab & Go pickup services, place items on hold through our catalog and you will be notified when they are available. Give us a call at 422-1490 when you are heading to the Library and we will place your items
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Categories: COVID-19, Director's Corner, Featured, Homepage, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.