Archives for Director’s Corner

medici.tv for Classical Lovers

medici.tv for Classical Lovers

If you love classical music, then you probably feel that the Library has been giving you short shrift. And you're right. As the circulation of our Classical CDs has continued to decline, we've invested less and less in that area. With the result that even fewer Classical CDs circulate. It's a vicious cycle. Fortunately, medici.tv–a streaming website–should go a long way to remedying this situation. Described as “the closest thing to a classical Netflix” by The New York Times, medici.tv offers a dazzling collection for classical music fans. Warning: it's hard not to get lost–for hours!–sampling medici.tv's holdings. There are
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August 27, 2020 4:05 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Director's Corner, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: classical music, medici.tv, and resources.

WLS on Systemic Injustice

WLS on Systemic Injustice

WLS Stands with NYBLC and BCALA in condemning violence and racism towards Black people and all People of Color. The Westchester Library System condemns both the recent violence and the systemic injustice against Black people and people of color in the United States. We are committed to anti-racist practice and will use our skills and resources to advance the production of knowledge for social justice. We stand in solidarity with the New York Black Librarians Caucus (NYBLC) and the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA). Read the NYBLC statement and BCALA statement to learn more.
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June 19, 2020 11:23 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Director's Corner, eNewsletter, Featured, Homepage, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: statements, systemic injustice, and WLS.

Contactless Curbside Pickup Starts June 15

Contactless Curbside Pickup Starts June 15

We are excited to be offering Contactless Curbside Pickup as of Monday, June 15. This service is offered Monday-Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Every White Plains cardholder can request three items a day and pick them up during those hours. You can borrow books, movies, music, and audiobooks for yourself or your children. Here’s how to get started: Call (914) 422-1400. We’ll ask for your name, library card number, phone number, and email. Let us know what you are looking for. If you have a specific book or movie, great! If you want us to pick out items for
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June 8, 2020 1:49 pm | by | 6 Comments
Categories: Director's Corner, eNewsletter, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: curbside pickup and library services.

Coming Soon: Curbside Pickup

Coming Soon: Curbside Pickup

We are working at getting the Library in order— reconfiguring our work spaces to create a better experience for staff—but we are excited that we have two milestones coming up. On Monday, June 8 our book drop will open (24/7) and we're ready for you to return materials. There will be no fines on material returned now until 30 days after the building opens to the public. Please note that all material will be quarantined for 72 hours before being checked in and reshelved, following the latest guidelines from the CDC and best practices around sanitizing surfaces. So be patient
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May 28, 2020 12:34 pm | by | 7 Comments
Categories: Director's Corner, eNewsletter, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: curbside pickup and library update.

Library Launches Documenting COVID-19 Collection

Library Launches Documenting COVID-19 Collection

We're living in unprecedented times. Many of us are working from home and adapting to shared living spaces, childcare demands, and social isolation. Others have had health challenges or find themselves unemployed. Meanwhile, we hear examples of adaptation and education, creativity and bravery. Our lives have continued in new ways. For these reasons, the Library—with your help—is creating a new collection: Documenting COVID-19: White Plains Experiences. The Library wants to hear about you, what you're doing, how you're doing, what you see outside your window. Contributions to the Library’s collection can be anything, from a three-line poem to a 200-page
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May 7, 2020 10:47 am | by | No Comments
Categories: COVID-19, Director's Corner, eNewsletter, Featured, Homepage, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: collection, coronavirus, covid-19, and local history.

We Miss You!

We Miss You!

This week is National Library Week, and while we can't quite celebrate in the usual fashion this year, we still wanted to do a little something to celebrate. So in that spirit, our staff wanted to take this time to let you know that we miss you! Now maybe you can let us know what you miss most about visiting the Library. Leave us a comment below, send your messages and photos to kthornton@whiteplainslibrary.org, or let us know on social media.     Though the building may be closed, we're still offering reference assistance, virtual programs, and new content on
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April 22, 2020 11:34 am | by | 8 Comments
Categories: Director's Corner, eNewsletter, Featured, Homepage, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: library staff, National Library Week, and staff message.

3D Printers Donated to Hospital

3D Printers Donated to Hospital

Dr. Stephen Erosa from St. John’s Riverside Hospital in Yonkers reached out to Westchester libraries with a call to action. Dr. Erosa has started a 3D printer farm at the hospital and asked Westchester Libraries to contribute their machines. He will be printing out pieces for face guards for hospital staff and essential workers. The White Plains Public Library stepped up and donated its two 3D printers, the Ultimaker 2+ extended and the Flashforge Creator Pro, along with six rolls of filament to help out the cause. On Thursday, Librarian Erik Carlson picked up the equipment and met with Dr.
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March 31, 2020 4:07 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Director's Corner, eNewsletter, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: 3D Printers, 3d printing, Con Edison, covid-19, Edge, and The Edge.

March 14th Gala Postponed

March 14th Gala Postponed

In response to guidance that recommends social distancing to minimize the spread of , COVID19, the White Plains Library Foundation is postponing its March 14th Gala. The Foundation made this decision out of an abundance of caution and concerns about the evolving circumstances in Westchester County. Thank you for the incredible outpouring of support for the Foundation’s 25th Anniversary. We look forward to celebrating with you (and Erik Larson) at a future event, details to follow. Questions? Please contact Nancy Rubini, WPLF Executive Director, at nrubini@whiteplainslibrary.org or 914-422-1495. We’ll also be in touch about getting guests their copies of The
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March 9, 2020 10:28 am | by | 4 Comments
Categories: Director's Corner and Homepage.
Tags: COVID19, Erik Larson, gala, and postponed.

Letter from the Library Director

Letter from the Library Director

Dear Library Patrons, As you know, Westchester County is experiencing an outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. A respiratory illness, it is spread from person to person and is occurring in countries around the world. The White Plains Public Library is committed to the health and well-being of both the public and the Library’s staff. At present, there is no change in our hours, operations or procedures. However, we are taking some preparatory steps: Throughout the Library, you will find hand sanitizers. There are wall-mounted sanitizers in the Lobby, the Café, the Edge, and on the second
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March 5, 2020 4:44 pm | by | 1 Comment
Categories: Director's Corner, Evergreen, Featured, Homepage, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, and Library News.
Tags: coronavirus.

Coronavirus [COVID-19] Facts

Coronavirus [COVID-19] Facts

The Library has gathered a list of trusted sources to provide factual information on the virus and steps to protect yourself. Bookmark these sites and return to them regularly for information you can trust: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] will provide updated information as it becomes available, in addition to updated guidance. Local information from the Weschester County Department of Health. Information from the New York State Department of Heath. World Health Organization‘s continuous updates with helpful information for individuals and the workplace. Information from the National Library of Medicine. Go to “Statistics and Research” for numbers
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March 5, 2020 2:18 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Director's Corner, eNewsletter, Evergreen, Featured, Homepage, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, and Library News.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Library Plaza Grand Opening

Library Plaza Grand Opening

This post has expired. Take a look at photos from the grand opening here. You won't want to miss the grand opening of the Library Plaza, this Saturday, September 14th, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. There will be live music, activities for kids, and the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful, new public space. Look for the folks from the Pollinator Pathways movement, who will be discussing ways to support bees, birds, and butterflies. And a big thanks to the White Plains Beautification Foundation for the terrific plantings in the front of the Library. With so much work from so many,
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September 11, 2019 4:45 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Director's Corner, eNewsletter, and Library News.
Tags: library plaza and renovations.

A Year in Review

A Year in Review

Sometimes it's good to pause and take a look at where you've been—and where you're going. In June, at the end of the Library's fiscal year, we put together a Year in Review that summarizes many of the changes the Library has gone through in the past year, from the completion of The Hub, the opening of the Everyday Healthy Cafe, to new programs and services. Download and view the PDF here, or if you prefer to read in print, pick up a copy the next time you are in the Library. Thanks go to the Mayor and Common Council
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September 4, 2019 3:12 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Director's Corner, eNewsletter, Evergreen, Featured, Homepage, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: annual report.

One Book, One White Plains

One Book, One White Plains

This September and October, White Plains will come together as a community to read Celeste Ng’s Everything I Never Told You. A gripping page-turner and striking family portrait, the novel follows a Chinese American family in 1970s small-town Ohio as they try to understand the death of the oldest daughter, Lydia. It explores “alienation, achievement, race, gender, family, and identity” (Amazon.com). Writes the New York Times Book Review: “If we know this story, we haven’t seen it yet in American Fiction, not until now.” How to participate? If you have a book group, make Everything I Never Told You your
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September 3, 2019 9:00 am | by | 3 Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Director's Corner, eNewsletter, Events, and Library News.
Tags: book discussion and One Book One White Plains.