Archives for Featured

Summer Maker Camps for Teens

Summer Maker Camps for Teens

Our Summer of Making with the EDGE-ucators returns next month. Register today! Monday-Thursday (except where noted), 9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. For teen entering grades 7-12 in fall 2019. Snacks and refreshments will be provided. There is a $5 materials fee that will be collected on the first day. Session 1: Constructing a City – July 1-3 All those curious how a city is designed and built from bridges to dams and buildings, come build a city with a group of peers and see how the different elements come together. Explore the various types of bridges, the keys to city
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June 17, 2019 4:02 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: eNewsletter, Events, Featured, Homepage, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: Argus, STEAM, STEM, and Summer of Making.

May 2019 LibraryReads

May 2019 LibraryReads

Here are the top ten books published this month that librarians across the country love. Just click on a title or book cover to place it on hold. The Bride Test by Helen Hoang Published: 5/7/2019 by Berkley Jove “On the autism spectrum, Khai doesn’t feel anything for anyone. His mother recruits Esme, a young Vietnamese woman, to marry him. A realistic, humorous romance that reveals the slow path to love and a meaningful relationship. For those who loved The Kiss Quotient, The Rosie Project, and The Wedding Date.”—Jessica C. Williams, Tiffin-Seneca Public Library, Tiffin, OH The Book Woman of
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June 12, 2019 2:29 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Evergreen, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: book recommendations and Library Reads.

Do Gooders Summer Registration

Do Gooders Summer Registration

It’s time to make plans for this summer. When it comes to volunteering at the library, the Do Gooders community service group will be working on a variety of different projects. Do Gooders Teens in grades 7-12 can earn community service hours on Tuesdays from 3-5 pm, from July 9 through August 13 in the Edge Media Lab. Each week we'll work on a different project to benefit a local organization. Registration recommended; space is limited. This program is supported by the Allstate Foundation. Please note that all volunteer slots for Reading & STEM Buddies have been filled.
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May 30, 2019 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: community service, teen volunteers, volunteer, volunteer opportunities, and volunteering.

Citywide School Art Show

Citywide School Art Show

Join student artists and their families for a reception celebrating the art of White Plains City School children, grades K-12, on the second floor of the Library on Thursday, May 30th, from 5:00-7:00 p.m. This event is free and open to the public. The exhibit will be on display through June 6th. (Images below are from last year's art show.)  
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May 24, 2019 9:30 am | by | No Comments
Categories: eNewsletter, Events, Featured, Gallery, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: art exhibit, art reception, citywide school art show, and student art.

AR Sandbox

AR Sandbox

We have a very cool temporary addition to the Edge, an augmented reality sandbox that one of our patrons built and is making available to us for a week or two. We will hold a drop-in session where you can explore the sandbox features on Wednesday, May 29th, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. White Plains resident Aaron Couts has generously made his Augmented Reality sandbox available to the Library. The AR sandbox, an open source project developed at the University of California, Davis (https://arsandbox.ucdavis.edu/) is made up of a video projector, a Microsoft K'nect 3D sensor, and of course
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May 22, 2019 2:23 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: AR Sandbox, Augmented Reality, Augmented Reality Sandbox, and teens.

Book Club: The Future is Female

Book Club: The Future is Female

Join us for a new, “pop-up” book discussion group, The Future is Female, focused on timely and diverse memoirs by insightful and inspiring women. Led by Ellen O’Connell, the group will meet on the first Monday of every month, from 2-3:30 p.m., in the Community Room. June 3: Lab Girl by Hope Jahren. Told through a personal lens, this book will open up how you see the natural world. July 1: Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover. Kept out of school by her survivalist family, the author’s quest for knowledge eventually takes her to Harvard and Cambridge. No registration required.
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May 16, 2019 9:00 am | by | 5 Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: book discussion and feminist books.

Free Comic Book Day Photos

Free Comic Book Day Photos

On Saturday, May 4 the Library celebrated Free Comic Book Day, an annual event promoting reading through comic books. During the event, Library staff and volunteers distributed 256 free comics to kids and teens. As part of the event, the Library showed the Academy Award winning animated feature, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse, which one attendee remarked, “was a great movie!” We also had a presentation about the life and career of Marvel Comics creator, Stan Lee. In addition, there were superhero mask crafts, fun comic book coloring, and a photo booth. Summing up the general feeling of the event, one
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May 9, 2019 4:31 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Free Comic Book Day.

One Book, One White Plains

One Book, One White Plains

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 and share Celeste Ng’s moving novel,” said Mayor Tom Roach. “Through reading and discussing the same book, One Book, One White Plains will enhance our
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May 8, 2019 3:25 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Director's Corner, eNewsletter, Events, Featured, Homepage, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: book discussion, Celeste Ng, and One Book One White Plains.

Tech Wednesday for Adults

Tech Wednesday for Adults

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 trends and possibilities. Registration for each session is required; to register, visit our online calendar (you can click on each topic below) or call us
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March 28, 2019 9:10 am | by | No Comments
Categories: eNewsletter, Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: digital technology and technology.

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.

April 2019 LibraryReads

April 2019 LibraryReads

Here are the top ten books published this month that librarians across the country love. Just click on a title or book cover to place it on hold. Lost Roses: A Novel by Martha Hall Kelly Published: 4/9/2019 by Ballantine Books “The Ferriday family (The Lilac Girls) returns in this story of love, loss, and triumph. The voices of four compelling female characters tell of the devastating effects of the Russian Revolution and World War I. Highly recommended for book clubs and fans of Anthony Doerr, Susan Meissner, and Lauren Belfer.”—Mamie Ney, Auburn Public Library, Auburn, ME The Girl He
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March 25, 2019 4:33 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Featured, and Library News.
Tags: book recommendations and Library Reads.

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, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: catalog.

Meet George Guidall

Meet George Guidall

Join us on Sunday, April 7 at 2:00 p.m. for The Art & Artifice of Audiobook Narration with three-time Audie Award Winner, George Guidall. His recordings have been delighting listeners for over 20 years and the New York Times called him the “undisputed king of audiobooks.” The event is free but registration is required. Click here to RSVP. If you’re new to borrowing digital audiobooks, arrive early, any time after 1:00 p.m., and Library staff will get you set up. It’s easy – all you need is your device and library card number, or visit our website for instructions.
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March 7, 2019 9:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Events, Featured, and Library Foundation.
Tags: audiobooks and George Guidall.

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, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: catalog.

Spanish Conversation Group

Spanish Conversation Group

Have you already studied Spanish but want an opportunity to practice your speaking skills? Join us every Tuesday evening from 7:00-8:00 p.m. for Tarde de Ñ. Andrei Bezzubikoff will offer discussion topics in Spanish for each session, providing participants with the opportunity to practice pronunciation and meaning. Participants should speak Spanish at an intermediate to advanced level. No registration is required.
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February 26, 2019 2:21 pm | by | 2 Comments
Categories: Events, Evergreen, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: Spanish and Spanish Language.

March 2019 LibraryReads

March 2019 LibraryReads

Here are the top ten books published this month that librarians across the country love. Just click on a title or book cover to place it on hold. My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing Published: 3/26/2019 by Berkley “An incredible, dark, twisty psychological thriller with two of the most seemingly normal but disturbingly depraved people you will read about in fiction. This brilliant debut needs to be at the top of your must-read list. For readers who like taut suspense and works by Gillian Flynn, B.A. Paris, and Mary Kubica.”—Rachel Reeves, Weatherford Public Library, Weatherford, TX Beautiful Bad by Annie
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February 25, 2019 4:55 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Featured, and Library News.
Tags: book recommendations and Library Reads.

Best Audiobooks of 2018

Best Audiobooks of 2018

Every year, through the Listen List Council of the American Library Association, librarians create the Listen List, selected for both avid listeners of audiobooks and those new to the pleasures of the fastest-growing format in publishing. This juried list of twelve newly-released titles features extraordinary narrators and listening experiences. This past year jury members listened to 2,574 hours as they narrowed the field to 58 nominated audiobooks and selected winners that include fiction, nonfiction, memoir, and poetry, each an outstanding performance in terms of voice, accents, pitch, tone, inflection, rhythm and pace. Here’s the 12 that made the final cut:
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February 20, 2019 12:50 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Featured, and Library News.
Tags: audiobooks.

Reserve Best Picture Nominees

Reserve Best Picture Nominees

Interested in watching some of the films nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award this year? Just click on the DVD covers or titles below to easily request Bohemian Rhapsody, BlacKkKlansman, Green Book, and more. And don't forget to tune in to the 91st Academy Awards this Sunday, February 24th.   Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) A chronicle of Freddie Mercury and the band Queen during the years leading up to their appearance at the 1985 Live Aid concert. The Favourite (2018) Early 18th century England is at war with the French. A frail Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) occupies the throne and
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February 19, 2019 2:23 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: eNewsletter, Featured, and Library News.
Tags: Academy Awards and dvds.

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, 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.

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, 2019 4:33 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Library Foundation, and Library News.
Tags: donation and planned gifts.