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Join Us for a Live Klezmer Music Concert

Join Us for a Live Klezmer Music Concert

Get ready for an afternoon of vibrant and traditional Klezmer music on Friday, April 4th at 2 p.m. at the White Plains Public Library Auditorium! Featuring talented performers Susan Gordan and Jordan Shapiro, this program promises to be an unforgettable cultural experience. Whether you're a fan of lively, toe-tapping music or looking to discover something new, this Klezmer performance will transport you with its rich history and spirited rhythms. Bring your friends, family, or anyone who enjoys great music and a fun atmosphere. Registration is encouraged, click here for more information!
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March 26, 2025 3:36 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, and Homepage.
Tags: klezmer, klezmer music, and live music.

April Events for Adults

April Events for Adults

  April showers, bulb plants emerging through soil, Earth Day celebrations…April is also the home of National Library Week, and we've been busy planning a plethora of enjoyable activities for you. From literary occasions to lunchtime meditations to book discussions to informal crafting circles, you'll find plenty of ways to love life with your library this April.     FEATURED EVENT: An Afternoon with Author Esmeralda Santiago Sunday, April 6, 2pm Auditorium Join us at the White Plains Public Library for a special afternoon with award-winning author Esmeralda Santiago! Known for her powerful memoirs, including When I Was Puerto Rican
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March 21, 2025 5:25 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, and Homepage.
Tags: 3d printing, adult events, author events, knitting, poetry slam, and short story discussion.

Happy Irish-American Heritage Month!

Happy Irish-American Heritage Month!

Readers seeking shamrock green reading material this Irish-American Heritage Month will find riches to explore. The Emerald Isle boasts an expansive and varied literary tradition. Writers who hailed from Ireland include the mystical poet W.B Yeats, stream-of consciousness novelist James Joyce, absurdist playwright Samuel Beckett, and satirists Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw. The widely popular fantastical classics Dracula and The Chronicles of Narnia series were penned by Irish authors Bram Stoker and C.S. Lewis, respectively. More recent authors include Edna O'Brien, whose novels stirred controversy in their depiction of women's experience; Maeve Binchy, whose novels and short stories often
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March 17, 2025 5:52 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books and Homepage.
Tags: books for adults, irish authors, Irish heritage, irish-american, recommended reads, and St. Patrick's Day.

An Afternoon with Bestselling Author Esmeralda Santiago

An Afternoon with Bestselling Author Esmeralda Santiago

Join us at the White Plains Public Library for a special afternoon with award-winning author Esmeralda Santiago! Known for her powerful memoirs, including When I Was Puerto Rican and Almost a Woman and most recently Las Madres, Santiago has captivated readers with her vivid storytelling and rich cultural narratives. Don't miss this chance to meet one of the most influential voices in contemporary literature! This program is sponsored by the White Plains Library Foundation. Event Details: The author talk will begin Sunday, April 6 at 2pm with a Q&A and book signing to follow. Library Auditorium Registration is encouraged, sign
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March 6, 2025 2:59 pm | by | 2 Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, and Homepage.
Tags: author talk, books for adults, esmeralda santiago, peurto rican author, and una discusión de libro.

Librarian Faves: Adult LGBTQIA+ Books

Librarian Faves: Adult LGBTQIA+ Books

These are the LGBTQIA+ books that White Plains librarians enjoyed the most this year, collected for our upcoming PrideWorks tabling; covering a wide range of genres and identities, there’s something for everyone! Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend by Emma R. Alban A swoon-worthy debut queer Victorian romance in which two debutantes distract themselves from having to seek husbands by setting up their widowed parents, and instead find their perfect match in each other–the lesbian Bridgerton/Parent Trap you never knew you needed! Sequel: You’re the Problem It’s You Two Rogues Make a Right by Cat Sebastian Intent on nursing
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March 6, 2025 3:30 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: LGBTQ+ Pride, LGBTQIA+, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Celebrate Women’s History Month With Us!

Celebrate Women’s History Month With Us!

     Even though women gained the right to vote in August of 1920, the legislators who proposed that Congress establish a Women's History Week (the precursor to Women's History Month) in 1980 chose a week in March. Taking into account the heat of August, they envisioned March's cooler weather and cherry blossoms for their marches. Also in March's favor was the existence in March of International Women's Day, celebrated since 1910. The founders' image of marching especially resonates with the theme of this year's commemorative month, “Moving Forward Together! Women Educating & Inspiring Generations.” Though women helped found and build
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February 28, 2025 4:56 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Featured, and Homepage.
Tags: celebrate womens history and womens history month.

March Events for Adults

March Events for Adults

We have many exciting educational and entertaining events for adults in March. Read on for event details, or click here for a month-view of all of our programs. If you have any questions, feel free to call 914-422-1400 or email librarian@whiteplainslibrary.org. FREE AARP Tax-Aid Mondays & Wednesdays, 10:00am – 3:00pm Auditorium Come in to have your taxes done by an AARP volunteer. No need to be a member of AARP. Prior-reservation required. English Conversation Group Thursdays & Saturdays, 2:00pm – 3:00pm Community Room Have fun practicing your English conversation skills! Future is Female: Book Discussion Group Monday, March 3, 2:00pm
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February 28, 2025 3:08 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Book Discussion, Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: book club, crochet, events for adults, poetry, and virtual reality.

New WLS Mobile App is Now Live!

New WLS Mobile App is Now Live!

The new WLS mobile app has launched and is ready for you to use! Enjoy the convenience of using the catalog from your mobile device. Be sure to remove the former WLS mobile app from your device. Then go to the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to find WLS Mobile (published by ByWater Solutions), and download. Log in with your library card number and your pin (the last 4 digits of the phone number we have on file for you, unless you have changed it to something else). Experience the seamlessness of having the library catalog with you wherever
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February 21, 2025 11:04 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Burkina Faso Portraits: 3 Families, 50 Years

Burkina Faso Portraits: 3 Families, 50 Years

White Plains Public Library is pleased to present a new exhibit in the Museum Gallery titled Burkina Faso Portraits: 3 Families, 50 Years by Beryl Goldberg. The exhibit will be on display through the end of March. Photographer Beryl Goldberg presents this photo essay of three families from Burkina Faso: “I first met the founding generations—the parents—in 1972. They were true entrepreneurs. They moved from rural villages to the cities, where they found opportunities that were only possible in the urban environment: schools, financial (economic) possibilities, and different standards of living. They all had connections to the city markets, where
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February 13, 2025 3:06 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Gallery, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: African Diaspora, Beryl Goldberg, Burkina Faso, museum gallery, Photo Essay, and Photography Exhibit.

Short-Story Book & Film Series – Winter/Spring 2025

Short-Story Book & Film Series – Winter/Spring 2025

Join White Plains Librarian Barbara Wenglin to explore compelling selections from the rich anthology Stories of Books and Libraries, (ed. Jane Holloway, Everyman’s Pocket Classics, 2023). These vibrant and varied readings by diverse authors pay tribute to the written word in works published throughout history, to their readers, and to the intriguing spaces that house them. This group meets on Zoom — all are welcome! Click here to sign up and receive the zoom link. Schedule: Thursdays, 2pm-4pm February 27: “Forewarned” by H.H. Munro writing as “Saki” (p.341) & “Three Kinds of Association” by Michel de Montaigne (p.275) March 13:
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January 2, 2025 1:38 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Book Discussion, Events, Featured, and Homepage.
Tags: book discussion, events for seniors, film discussion, and Short stories.

2024 Staff Favorites: Music and Movies

2024 Staff Favorites: Music and Movies

The White Plains Library Staff have assembled their favorite movies, music and television. It's a wonderfully wide-ranging list and should help with your holiday shopping or just some entertainment for yourself. Enjoy! Below you'll find a list with links to the catalog or resource where they're available as well as a blurb on why staff enjoyed it. On the Screen: The Booksellers  This documentary presents a lively view of New York’s antiquarian, rare-book scene and the fascinating, passionate collectors and dealers who inhabit it. The film is directed by D.W. Young and narrated by actress Parker Posey, with insightful comments
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December 10, 2024 3:08 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: 2024 staff picks, movies, music, and staff favorites.

2024 Staff Favorites for Adults

2024 Staff Favorites for Adults

The White Plains Library Staff have assembled their picks for the year, featuring literary fiction, audiobooks, fantasy, music, and more. It's a wonderfully wide-ranging list, full of lots of surprises, and should help with your holiday shopping or just some entertainment for yourself. Enjoy! Below you'll find a list with links to the catalog as well as a blurb on why staff enjoyed it. Adults AI Prompt Writing by Emma Grimberg Whether you’re creating stories, art, or music, this guide shows you how to harness the power of AI prompts to bring your ideas to life in a whole new
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December 10, 2024 3:07 pm | by | 2 Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: book recommendations, books for adults, staff favorites, and staff picks.

2024 Staff Favorites for Kids and Teens

2024 Staff Favorites for Kids and Teens

The White Plains Library Staff have assembled their picks for the year for kids and teens! It's a wonderfully wide-ranging list and should help with your holiday shopping or just some entertainment for yourself. Enjoy! Below you'll find a list with links to the catalog or resource where they're available as well as a blurb on why staff enjoyed it. Kids: Elephant and Piggie Series and more by Mo Willems My first-grade son, who recently switched from a frustrated reader to an excited reader, devours Mo Willems' books – especially the Elephant and Piggie Series. He insists nightly that he reads one Elephant and
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December 10, 2024 3:07 pm | by | 1 Comment
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage, and Homepage Kids.

‘Wicked’ at Your Fingertips

‘Wicked’ at Your Fingertips

Are you off to see the Wizard?  Or have you already seen Wicked, and now you can't stop humming Defying Gravity? Never fear, you can fully immerse yourself in all things Wicked for free with your library card on hoopla!  Listen to the film's soundtrack starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, or reminisce with the original Broadway cast recording featuring Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel. Read or listen to the book by Gregory Maguire that the movie is based on, and get ready for the forthcoming sequel by reading Maguire's Son of a Witch.  They even have a documentary about the stage production,
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December 5, 2024 11:53 am | by | 1 Comment
Categories: Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: hoopla, movie soundtrack, and wicked.

Local Food Pantries

Local Food Pantries

Below is a list of active local food pantries. Schedules vary. Alcance Latino 346 S. Lexington Ave, White Plains, NY 10606 (914) 458-5088   El Centro Hispano 295 Central Ave, White Plains, NY 10606 First and Third of the month 3:00 p.m. (914) 289-0500   Grace Episcopal Church 33 Church St, White Plains, NY 10601 (914) 949-2874   Ridgeway Alliance 465 Ridgeway, White Plains, NY 10605 (914) 949-3714 Make the Road New York 46 Waller Ave, White Plains, NY 10601 (914) 948-8466 Salvation Army 16 Sterling Ave White Plains, NY 914.949.2908   Ecumenical Food Pantry Thomas H. Slater Center 2
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November 27, 2024 2:33 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: COVID-19, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: food bank, food pantries, and food pantry.

Westchester Women: A Window into their Worlds Fiber Art by Heather G. Stoltz

Westchester Women: A Window into their Worlds Fiber Art by Heather G. Stoltz

Women often live multiple lives at once, trying to be the perfect mother, daughter, employee, boss, friend, and community member all while hiding challenges in one realm from those in another. Those carefully constructed walls came crashing down in 2020 when the pandemic forced everyone inside where those walls became windows and the different aspects of their lives began to merge together. This exhibition gives a glimpse of what was happening in some women’s lives during those tumultuous times. See how a women ranging from a priest to a doctor to a small business owner juggled the various aspects of
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November 19, 2024 10:46 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Gallery, Homepage, and Library News.

Featured Resource: Estante

Featured Resource: Estante

What video streaming platform do library patrons in Latin America use? They use Estante. And with your library card, you can too! Providing a plethora of Spanish language entertainment – from action-adventure movies to TV series (including telenovelas!) to recorded live performances to children’s cartoons, and more – Estante offers something for everyone and every viewing occasion. Use the “Advanced Search” to find content by country and subtitles, if desired. (The collection includes some content with English and/or Spanish subtitles.) Rely on Estante’s expertly curated collection for premium entertainment. Grab your library card and click here to take your viewing
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October 16, 2024 5:10 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Homepage.

Short Story Book/Film Discussion – Fall/Winter 2024-25

Short Story Book/Film Discussion – Fall/Winter 2024-25

Join White Plains Librarian and Fulbright Scholar Barbara Wenglin for our Zoom Story and Film Series using the rich anthology, Stories of Books and Libraries (ed. Jane Holloway, Everyman's Pocket Classics, 2023). Copies of the anthology are available to reserve through the Catalog with one held at the Reference Desk for reading in the Library. These vibrant and varied selections by diverse authors pay tribute to the written word in works published throughout history, to their readers, and to the intriguing places that house them. Click on these remaining dates for story and film selections:  12/5, 12/19, 1/2/25, 1/23/25 (final film
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October 9, 2024 7:57 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Book Discussion and Homepage.

New Resource: The CIA’s World Factbook

New Resource: The CIA’s World Factbook

Are you looking to travel internationally or launch a product in another country’s market? The CIA’s World Factbook is a useful resource with which to begin your research. It provides basic intelligence on over 260 country/territory entities around the world, including population, demographics, government, economy, energy, geography, environment, communications, transportation, military, terrorism, and transnational issues. Though earlier editions were classified for U.S. policymakers and officials, the CIA now makes The World Factbook publicly available on the internet, where it finds widespread use among students and academic researchers. Go to Resource
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August 30, 2024 12:25 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Homepage.

Greater Mental Health of New York

Greater Mental Health of New York

Mental health is a vital component of overall well-being, influencing how individuals think, feel, and act in their daily lives. Despite its importance, many communities face significant barriers in accessing the mental health care they need. Financial constraints, social stigma, and a lack of local resources often prevent individuals from seeking help, exacerbating the challenges they face. In response to these issues, the White Plains Public Library and Greater Mental Health of New York have instituted a weekly service that enhances community well-being through accessible mental health resources. Every Tuesday, from 12:30-4:00 p.m., two peer specialists are available in the
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July 1, 2024 10:18 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Homepage.