Archives for Director’s Corner

Fall Do Gooders Schedule

Fall Do Gooders Schedule

Thanks to everyone who volunteered at the Library this summer! Overall, 80 volunteers completed 661 hours of community service in the Trove and the Edge in July and August. Our Do Gooders group made 55 dog toys for the Paws Crossed Animal Rescue center in Elmsford, 15 baby blankets for Project Linus, 128 paracord bracelets for military charity Operation Gratitude, four ziploc bags full of earrings for a women’s shelter, and countless birthday cards and placemats for Meals on Wheels. Thank you to the Allstate Foundation for the continued support of our various volunteer programs for teens. We can't wait
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August 30, 2019 2:14 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Director's Corner, eNewsletter, Events, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: Do Gooders and teen volunteers.

Book ‘Em Fall 2019-Spring 2020

Book ‘Em Fall 2019-Spring 2020

Book ‘Em, our Mystery Book Group returns select Wednesdays at 2:30 p.m. beginning September 11th. This year we’re reading contemporary women authors—both first time novelists as well as the most acclaimed crime writers—with books that take us from Canada to Ireland to Japan. See the full list of dates below: September 11 (USA) Celeste Ng: Everything I Never Told You A huge mystery eats away at the center of the Lee family. October 16 (Ireland) Jo Spain: With Our Blessing Could a recent murder be linked to the notorious Magdalene Laundries? November 13 (Australia) Jane Harper: The Lost Man A
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August 28, 2019 5:16 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Director's Corner, eNewsletter, Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: Book 'Em, book discussion, and mystery.

One Book, One White Plains

One Book, One White Plains

This post has expired. For the latest information on One Book, One White Plains and to register for a pop-up discussion group, visit this post. We are excited to announce that Everything I Never Told You, by Celeste Ng, has been selected as our choice for One Book, One White Plains. A moving exploration of family, history and the meaning of home, Everything I Never Told You is both a gripping page-turner and an examination of the rifts that keep us apart. “One Book, One White Plains is an opportunity for White Plains residents of all backgrounds to come together
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July 28, 2019 3:25 pm | by | 6 Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Director's Corner, eNewsletter, and Events.
Tags: book discussion, Celeste Ng, and One Book One White Plains.

Ransomware? Not Us.

Ransomware? Not Us.

You may have read in the media that the Westchester Library System has been attacked by a ransomware virus. Unfortunately, this is true. However, the White Plains Public Library is on a separate network from the Westchester Library System and our data has not been affected in any way. Access to the catalog and all other resources is unchanged.
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July 10, 2019 3:50 pm | by | 2 Comments
Categories: Director's Corner, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Welcome to Summer Reading

Welcome to Summer Reading

This post has expired. Check back next June for information on our 2020 Summer Reading programs. The Library's 2019 Summer Reading Game kicks off July 2 and runs through August 9! In the Trove, families with children up to Kindergarten age will take part in a bingo-style game – reading, coming to Library programs, and completing activities to fill out their bingo board. Completed boards will enter families into raffles for fun grand prize packages in August. Children in Grades K-6 will use a game board, keeping track of their reading and attendance at Library programs, to get to the
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June 26, 2019 2:21 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Director's Corner, eNewsletter, Events, and Library News.
Tags: summer reading.

New Books Perfect for Book Groups

New Books Perfect for Book Groups

If you’re in a book group, you are always looking for a great book that can stand up to the scrutiny of your friends. Not too long, not too short. Richly detailed but not too slow. Challenging but not Joyce’s Finnegan’s Wake. Well here are five books—all published in the past few months—that are perfect for a book discussion: complex, nuanced and full of issues that reverberate with the present. Oh, and none are over 350 pages! The Only Woman in the Room: A Novel by Marie Benedict In her rousing historical novel, Benedict imagines lesser known aspects of Hedy
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March 27, 2019 9:34 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Director's Corner, eNewsletter, Featured, and Library News.
Tags: book recommendations.

Catalog Update: Tips

Catalog Update: Tips

The Westchester libraries have completed migrating to new software, but there are still plenty of kinks to work out. Here are two pieces of advice. One, don't get frustrated, call us (914-422-1480). If something isn't working, or you are unsure of how to do something, let us help you. And two, give it a little time; this migration involved millions of books, patrons, and data, and it will take a bit longer to sort out everything. If you are having difficulties getting your PIN to work, first trying using all capitals if it is an alphabetical PIN. That should work.
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March 20, 2019 3:00 pm | by | 12 Comments
Categories: Director's Corner, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: catalog.

A New Catalog

A New Catalog

In March, the public libraries in Westchester County will be moving to a new catalog system. For you, this means an improved interface with better—and easier—search capabilities, greater control over your notifications, and better access to what’s available through the library. Library staff members are getting an open source system, which means the libraries have more control over how the system works. Going forward, we’ll be able to customize the catalog for what works best for Westchester. But migrating to a new catalog won’t happen overnight. To facilitate the process, the catalog will be offline from March 11 to March
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February 27, 2019 3:00 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Director's Corner, eNewsletter, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: catalog.

Museum Passes: Family Edition

Museum Passes: Family Edition

We’ve having a break in the weather, so why not head off to a museum? Highlighted here are some of the Library’s museum passes that families will enjoy. The Children’s Museum of Manhattan, located on West 83 Street, has way too much going on to describe here (Dynamic H2O; Art, Artists & You; Let’s Dance). Best of all, the museum provides plenty of opportunities for hands-on learning and activities. Visit their website for the full lineup. Trains, buses and ferries are universally fascinating, and the New York City Transit Museum has plenty on display. Check out the exhibit Ticket to
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February 13, 2019 3:00 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Director's Corner, eNewsletter, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Children's Museum of Manhattan, museum passes, New York City Transit Museum, Stamford Museum & Nature Center, and Stepping Stones Museum for Children.

Five Years of Teen Services: A R-Edge-rospective

Five Years of Teen Services: A R-Edge-rospective

This month marks the fifth anniversary of the Edge, the Library’s teen space. Before the Edge opened, there was only a small collection of materials for teens in the Library, and with a staff of only one teen librarian we held just one program each week. Not surprisingly,  few teenagers used the Library. Since opening the Edge in December 2013,  the number of teens who come to the Library has grown immensely. Our Young Adult collection has expanded in print and electronic formats to meet the needs and interests of teenagers.  We offer innovative and creative programs for teens throughout
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December 12, 2018 4:28 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Director's Corner, eNewsletter, Evergreen, Featured, Library News, and Teens.

Best Books of 2018 Poll

Best Books of 2018 Poll

Here are the top ten books published this year that librarians across the country love. Just click on a title or book cover to place it on hold. When you're done reading the list, make sure to vote for your favorite! We'll be sharing the results in one of our upcoming newsletters. Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover Published: 2/20/2018 by Random House “In her memoir, Westover recounts her childhood growing up in a strict Mormon family, ruled by an erratic father, and living off the grid in Idaho. Westover compellingly sketches her years growing up, her relationships with siblings,
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November 28, 2018 1:20 pm | by | 1 Comment
Categories: Authors & Books, Director's Corner, eNewsletter, and Featured.
Tags: books, Library Reads, and poll.

Museum Passes: Fall Exhibits

Museum Passes: Fall Exhibits

At the Frick: The Charterhouse of Bruges: Jan van Eyck, Petrus Christus, and Jan Vos (through January 13, 2019). “For the first time in twenty-four years and only the second time in their history, two masterpieces of early Netherlandish painting…are reunited. These works…are shown with a selection of objects that place them in the rich monastic context for which they were created.” The Guggenheim is exhibiting the stunning paintings of Hilma af Klint, (through April 23, 2019). “When Hilma af Klint began creating radically abstract paintings in 1906, they were like little that had been seen before: bold, colorful, and
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November 2, 2018 12:16 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Director's Corner, eNewsletter, and Featured.
Tags: museum exhibits, museum passes, and museums.

Automatic Renewal

Automatic Renewal

Here’s some good news: from now on, we will automatically renew your material before it becomes due. Why are we doing this? Because the number one reason most people don’t use the Library is that the loan periods are too short (and difficult to keep track of). And because when life gets hectic—and when isn’t it?—the first thing we forget to do is to renew our library books, movies, and music. Here’s how automatic renewal works: The day an item becomes due, you will receive an email stating: “The following items have been renewed for you (title, new due date).
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August 1, 2018 3:54 pm | by | 6 Comments
Categories: Director's Corner, Evergreen, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Library Construction Update

Library Construction Update

Our new teen library, The Edge, is progressing right on schedule. Attendees of our gala got a sneak peek on November 2—some photos are included here—but anyone coming into the library can get a glimpse of The Edge from the lobby. By now, all the infrastructure is finished, and the next two weeks will be spent installing the furniture, including the shelving, and setting up the technology. Late in November, we expect the “great wall” to come down and the fiction collection—along with the new books—to move back to the Martin Luther King side of the building. What about the
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November 11, 2013 7:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Director's Corner, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: Foundation, renovation, and teens.

Our new customer service policy. Why bother?

Our new customer service policy. Why bother?

You've seen them in banks, stores, and on consumer websites. But why would a library bother creating a customer service policy? For the same reason that any organization that works with the public has adopted one: to let its customers know how they can expect to be treated, in this case, by the White Plains Public Library. It also provides library staff and managers with clear benchmarks for how we should perform, from the state of the library building (a clean facility in good repair) to every single customer interaction—whether online, on the phone, or in-person. But most importantly, a
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April 5, 2013 7:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Director's Corner, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: all ages, policy, and services.

Libraries And E-Lending: The 'Wild West' Of Digital Licensing?

Libraries And E-Lending: The 'Wild West' Of Digital Licensing?

(This article originally appeared on npr.org on December 27, 2012 by NPR Staff.) Have you ever borrowed an e-book from a library? If the answer is no, you're a member of a large majority. A survey out Thursday from the Pew Internet Project finds that only 5 percent of “recent library users” have tried to borrow an e-book this year. About three-quarters of public libraries offer e-books, according to the American Library Association, but finding the book you want to read can be a challenge — when it's available at all. Brian Kenney is the director of the White Plains
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January 14, 2013 7:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Director's Corner, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: eBooks and technology.

A Plan for the Library's Future

A Plan for the Library's Future

Interested in where the White Plains Public Library is headed the next few years? Then take a few minutes to look over our strategic plan. Many people in the White Plains community helped out with this plan, whether through interviews, focus groups, informal advice, or our morning-long planning retreat in May. Again, a big thanks to everyone for his or her time! A strategic plan is like a road map; it outlines the directions we will be taking, and the actions we need to take to reach our goals. This strategic plan covers the next three years, and is closely
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August 31, 2012 7:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Director's Corner, Homepage, and Library News.

Go ahead, write to me!

Go ahead, write to me!

I hate to beg, but this time I have to. The Library needs your help in determining its future direction. We began working on a new strategic plan for the library back in January, conducting focus groups with adults, parents of children from pre-K through 8th grade, and teens. In all, we spoke with over 100 individuals, and learned a lot (I will share some of their suggestions later in the week). This past Friday, we brought together 50 individuals—business people, leaders of not-for-profits, educators, and library users—to discuss the most pressing issues facing the White Plains community, and how the
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May 9, 2012 4:27 pm | by | 4 Comments
Categories: Director's Corner.

Go on. Text us.

Go on. Text us.

We all know someone—in fact, you may be one of these people yourself—who would far rather text than talk. We used to associate texting with young people (and, in fact, teenagers who text average 60 messages a day). But now it seems like everyone is texting, from the bored executive stuck in a meeting to the harried cook who wants his or her spouse to pick up tomato sauce on the way home. So it’s no surprise that libraries are now offering information services via text—just as back in the day we integrated the telephone and then email. With nearly
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April 3, 2012 10:59 am | by | 1 Comment
Categories: Director's Corner.