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Girl Power in Picture Books

Girl Power in Picture Books

White Plains is a wonderfully diverse community! Parents, children and teens have expressed an interest in titles that reflect the diversity in the community, and Ashley, Kathlyn, and Raquel's “Dive Into Diversity” column will spotlight noteworthy children's and teen titles that are inclusive, diverse and multicultural to fulfill that interest. Raquel's portion is aimed at readers up to Grade 3. A good web resource for book ideas to celebrate Women’s History Month is the A Mighty Girl website, which “features over 3,000 girl-empowering books.” Here are a few of the great picture books for young readers to celebrate Women’s History
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February 27, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Evergreen, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: picture books and womens history month.

Peculiar Picks: Narwhal and Jellyfish Series

Peculiar Picks: Narwhal and Jellyfish Series

Peculiar picks are a selection of odd, funny, interesting, curious, moving, irreverent, and otherwise wonderfully awesome, but perhaps not well known, reads. Picture books for younger readers and their grown-ups, handpicked by the Library's Youth Services Manager, Joshua Carlson. Many of the books in this column are ones that my wife and I have read with our daughter. Our experiences of trying to find books to keep up with her insatiable love of books, while also keeping us interested in reading them, lead to a lot of the choices in this column. The Narwhal and Jellyfish books by Ben Clanton
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February 27, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Ben Clanton, book recommendations, Peculiar Picks, and picture books.

Pointers 4 Parents: The Breaking News

Pointers 4 Parents: The Breaking News

Lauren's “Pointers 4 Parents” column features tips, tricks, and resources for caregivers with a specific focus on children with special needs. In light of all the terrible news that we see daily, be it on the news, social media, or in real life, here are some resources to help you talk to your children. Caroline Knorr of Common Sense Media suggests tips for talking to kids about violence, crime, and war at different ages. Common Sense Media is an amazing online resource for parents in general, not just for this topic. It gives parents information about nearly everything media related
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February 27, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Evergreen, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: book recommendations and pointers 4 parents.

Wellness Spring Series

Wellness Spring Series

This popular series is back with additional dates and times! Starting on March 2nd, we will continue offering programs to help you relax, restore, and recalibrate. Make this a spring of self-care with informative and experiential programs covering nutrition, time management, 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. March 2: Mindfulness for All An hour exploring mindfulness and its many benefits. Program repeats April 6 and May 4. (Andrea Deierlein) March 3: Getting a Better Night’s Sleep For those who have difficulty sleeping. (Sharon
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February 26, 2020 1:00 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: eNewsletter, Events, Evergreen, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: Meditation, sound healing, time management, Wellness, and Wellness Wednesday.

Women in STEM

Women in STEM

Take part in programs celebrating Women in STEM to celebrate Women's History Month throughout March. Women in STEM Film series: Thursday, March 5 at 6:00 p.m.: Gravity (PG-13, 91 mins.) Tuesday, March 10 at 6:00 p.m.: Hidden Figures (PG, 127 mins.) Thursday, March 12 at 6:00 p.m.: Contact (PG-13, 153 mins.) Tuesday, March 12 at 6:00 p.m.: Amelia (PG, 111 mins.) Tuesday, March 24 at 6:00 p.m.: Temple Grandin (PG, 110 mins.) Thursday, March 26 at 6:00 p.m.: Arrival (PG-13, 116 mins.) Tuesday, March 31 at 6:00 p.m.: Gorillas in the Mist (PG-13, 150 mins.) Wonder Women of STEM Workshops*:
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February 24, 2020 2:52 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: eNewsletter, Events, Featured, Homepage, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: film series and STEM.

New Book Group: Facts, Not Fiction

New Book Group: Facts, Not Fiction

New to the Library is “Facts, Not Fiction,” a discussion series centered around three nonfiction books. White Plains resident Mark Tracten—the U.S. representative of Great Britain’s Crown House Publishing (which he formerly headed along with Brunner/Mazel Publishers)–will lead the discussion. Here is the schedule: ♦ March 12: The Boys in the Boat, by Daniel James Brown (Penguin Books, 2013). ♦ April 9: The Lost City of the Monkey God, by Douglas Preston (Grand Central Publishing, 2017). ♦ May 14: 1776, by David McCullough (Simon & Schuster, 2005). The Thursday discussions will be in the Library’s first-floor Community Room at 6:00
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February 17, 2020 9:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Book Discussion, eNewsletter, Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: book discussion, book groups, and Nonfiction book group.

Life Hacks: Journaling

Life Hacks: Journaling

Erik‘s Life Hacks column gives teens advice on adulting. Journaling is a really great way to keep track of ideas, reminders, emotions, decisions, and goals. Keeping a journal will help you organize your life, relieve stress and remember important events. Here are some tips to get you started and things to write about: • Buy a cheap notebook, no need to make this an expense early on. • Keep it with you, or have it easily accessible. • Set time at the end of the day to write. It’s important to jot things down all throughout the day, but set
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February 14, 2020 2:48 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Evergreen, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: adulting, journaling, and life hacks.

Short Story Discussion Resumes March 12

Short Story Discussion Resumes March 12

After a winter break, White Plains librarian Barbara Wenglin resumes her short story discussion series on Thursday, March 12, at 2:00 p.m. in the Library’s Galaxy Hall (second floor). The first selection to be explored is Barbara Kingsolver’s “Islands on the Moon” from the series anthology, Stories of Motherhood, edited by Diana Secker Tesdell (Everyman’s Pocket Classics, 2012). The theme of this story is single motherhood and pregnancy, while other aspects of what moms face will be taken up in subsequent discussions by authors Elizabeth Bowen, Tillie Olsen, Anita Desai, Louise Erdrich, and Hortense Calisher. Renowned novelist Amy Tan wraps
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February 10, 2020 5:05 pm | by | 2 Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Book Discussion, eNewsletter, Events, Evergreen, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: book discussion, short story discussion, and Stories of Motherhood.

Writing Tips for Young Writers: Writing Blocks

Writing Tips for Young Writers: Writing Blocks

Caroline's “Writing Tips for Young Writers” column will feature fun writing prompts/props to motivate students in grades 3-6 to pursue creative writing. This month's column is “Writing Blocks: Find a Writing Buddy!” Do you find yourself hitting a writing block—a feeling of not being able to write—even if you have to work on an assignment? Do you love to write for fun but feel as if you are climbing Mount Everest with each blank page? As someone who loves to read and has been published, I still feel intimidated by the blank pages that await me. However, I’ve learned that
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February 7, 2020 11:22 am | by | No Comments
Categories: eNewsletter, Evergreen, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: creative writing and writing tips.

25th Anniversary Gala with Erik Larson

25th Anniversary Gala with Erik Larson

Click HERE to RSVP The White Plains Library Foundation's 25th Anniversary Gala is Saturday, March 14, 2020 from 7 – 10 p.m. at the Library. Don't miss the chance to hear special guest, Erik Larson, bestselling author of Dead Wake, In the Garden of Beasts, The Devil in the White City, and coming soon, The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family and Defiance During the Blitz – book included with your ticket. In recognition of this milestone anniversary, the Foundation will be honoring Barbara R. Loucks, Diane H. Tabakman, and NewYork-Presbyterian Westchester Behavioral Health Center. For 25
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February 6, 2020 9:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Events, Evergreen, Featured, Homepage, Library Foundation, and Library News.
Tags: Churchill, Erik Larson, gala, and white plains.

Dive Into Diversity: Black History Month for Grades 4-6

Dive Into Diversity: Black History Month for Grades 4-6

White Plains is a wonderfully diverse community! Parents, children and teens have expressed an interest in titles that reflect the diversity in the community, and Ashley, Kathlyn, and Raquel's “Dive Into Diversity” column will spotlight noteworthy children's and teen titles that are inclusive, diverse and multicultural to fulfill that interest. Ashley's portion is aimed at readers in grades 4-6. Author and educator Zetta Elliott put together this incredible list of middle grade and young adult books published in 2019 by black authors. Below are a bunch of them that I’m especially looking forward to reading! New Kid by Jerry Craft
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February 5, 2020 9:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, and Kids.
Tags: black history month, Dive into Diversity, and juvenile fiction.

Board Book Bonanza: Celebrating Black History Month

Board Book Bonanza: Celebrating Black History Month

“Board Book Bonanza” will highlight the wealth of excellent board books being published for babies and young preschoolers for parents and caregivers to share with their little-ones. It's never too early to have fun and learn about science, art, history and so much more! The following is a list of positive and loving board books for babies available in the Trove to celebrate Black History Month: Be Boy Buzz by Bell Hooks & Christopher Raschka “Brown-skinned boys with long, curving arms and curly hair lope and leap across sienna-colored pages; bright squiggles of scribbled design add a geometric counterpoint to
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February 4, 2020 3:54 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, and Kids.
Tags: Baby Says, Be Boy Buzz, black history month, board books, book recommendations, children's books, children's literature, I Love Me, and I love My Hair.

Planned Giving

Planned Giving

The White Plains Library Foundation is dedicated to the long term success of the Library and that’s why we hope you’ll provide instructions in your will for a planned gift. Making plans for a future gift creates a legacy for generations to come and helps ensure the Library stays open, responsive and accessible to everyone. Around the country, libraries endure through planned gifts that help them adapt to changing community needs, technological innovations and uncertain economic cycles that can affect government funding. Bequests are the simplest and most common form of planned gift. Residuary bequests are popular because the amount
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February 1, 2020 4:33 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Library Foundation, and Library News.
Tags: donation and planned gifts.

Dive into Diversity: Celebrating Black History Month with Picture Books

Dive into Diversity: Celebrating Black History Month with Picture Books

White Plains is a wonderfully diverse community! Parents, children and teens have expressed an interest in titles that reflect the diversity in the community, and Ashley, Kathlyn, and Raquel's “Dive Into Diversity” column will spotlight noteworthy children's and teen titles that are inclusive, diverse and multicultural to fulfill that interest. Raquel's portion is aimed at readers up to Grade 3. A great resource for parents and educators looking for the newest, excellent titles for children by African-American writers and illustrators is The Brown Bookshelf’s 28 Days Later: A Black History Month Celebration of Children’s Literature at 28 Days Later. Highlighted
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February 1, 2020 10:37 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Evergreen, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: black history month, diverse reads, and picture books.

Con Edison Maker Camp for Teens

Con Edison Maker Camp for Teens

Our first School Break Mini-Camp held at the end of December was a great success. Teens worked with Ashley Perez (engineering major at the University of Buffalo), and Louis Grassi (student at White Plains High School). They worked on a variety of projects showing different ways of creating energy, from bio-fuels to solar panels and wind turbines to perpetual motion. Our second School Vacation Maker Camp—held February 18-21—will focus on Robotics. Teens will participate in a variety of no tech to hi tech activities that will teach basic skills in Engineering, Coding, Design Thinking, and Computational Thinking. Some of the
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January 30, 2020 12:00 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: eNewsletter, Events, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: Con Edison, Maker Camp, science, STEAM learning, STEM, STEM learning, and teen programs.

Black History Month

Black History Month

Take part in programs celebrating Black History Month throughout February. Black History Month Film series: Feb. 2, 2:00pm: Remember the Titans (PG, 114min) Feb. 4, 6:30pm: To Kill a Mockingbird (NR, 129 min) Feb. 5, 6:30pm: Dreamgirls (PG13, 129min) Feb. 6, 6:30pm: 42 (PG13, 128min) Feb. 8, 2:30pm: Queen of Katwe (PG, 124min) Feb. 9, 2:00pm: The Wiz (G, 133 min) Feb. 11, 6:30pm: Hidden Figures (PG, 127min) Feb. 13, 6:30pm: Selma (PG13, 128min) Feb. 16, 2:00pm: Ruby Bridges (NR, 120min) Feb. 18, 6:30pm: Red Tails (PG13, 124min) Feb. 19, 6:30pm: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse (PG, 117min) Feb. 20, 2:00pm:
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January 30, 2020 9:40 am | by | No Comments
Categories: eNewsletter, Events, Featured, Homepage, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: black history month, film screenings, and storytime.

Changes to Trove Time and Mother Goose

Changes to Trove Time and Mother Goose

Mother Goose Play Time, the Trove’s early literacy program for little ones up to 24 months with a caregiver, and Trove Time, our storytime and socialization/play program for ages 2-4 with their caregivers, are two of our most popular programs. The demand for the Mother Goose program has far exceeded its current once per week scheduling, so in February some changes will be taking place. Mother Goose Play Time is now Trove Time: Tiny Tots and will take place on both Monday and Friday mornings at 10:30 a.m. It will be the same early literacy rich program with songs, finger
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January 27, 2020 5:06 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: eNewsletter, Events, Featured, Homepage, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Mother Goose, Trove Time, and Trove Time: Tiny Tots.

Talkin’ Tech: Microchips Ahoy!

Talkin’ Tech: Microchips Ahoy!

Let’s talk about technology. Since the invention of the wheel, tools have become more and more complex – and today it can be hard to keep up! In the “Talkin' Tech” column, we will discuss the ever-changing trends in the modern digital arena. From artificial intelligence to Zuckerberg, join Austin in examining all things tech from our vantage point in the 4th industrial revolution: the imagination age!     A computer can only understand two things: “on” and “off.” It’s called binary, and it is the basis for all things digital. As the Digital Media Specialist at the library, it
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January 27, 2020 12:24 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Evergreen, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: binary code, digital technology, STEAM, STEM, STEM learning, tech tuesdays, and technology.

Weekly Tech Topics

Weekly Tech Topics

Keeping up with the rapid pace of modern technology is not easy. Luckily, starting Monday nights in January you'll have the chance to learn about the latest digital trends from our Digital Media Specialist, Austin Olney. In these one-hour, weekly sessions, a variety of topics relating to the so-called “Fourth Industrial Revolution” will be broken down. From self-driving cars to bitcoin, join in on learning something new! The January & February schedule of topics are listed below. Registration is recommended; click on the date(s) you wish to attend to register online, or call us at (914) 422-1480. Programs run from
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January 27, 2020 10:13 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Classes, Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: computers and technology.

Celebrate Chinese New Year

Celebrate Chinese New Year

This event has already taken place. To learn more about Chinese New Year, click here. Chinese mythology tells us the order of the animals on the Chinese Zodiac was decided according to the order of arrival on the Great Race, organized by the Jade Emperor a long time ago. The Rat won the race and earned first place on the zodiac. The Year of the Rat is then a year of beginnings and renewals. Join us as we welcome the Year of the Rat with a family storytime on Wednesday, January 29th at 7:00 p.m. For children 3+ and their
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January 26, 2020 10:26 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Chinese New Year and storytime.