April is National Humor Month! National Humor Month was created by Larry Wilde in 1976. He wanted to demonstrate how humor can lift our spirits and relieve stress: “The idea of laughing and the use of humor as a tool to lift ailing spirits is growing. Scientific research now indicates that the curative power of laughter and its ability to relieve debilitating stress and burnout may indeed be one of the great medical discoveries of our times.” The average adult laughs 17 times a day. That works out to one chuckle per hour. Let’s see if we can increase that
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Archives for Homepage Teens
Rainforest Butterflies
Rainforest Butterflies All ages Thursday, 2:00 p.m. – April 6 Galaxy Hall Children, teens, families, and adults are invited to a presentation on the butterflies of the world’s rainforests. View spectacular butterfly and moth displays from the world’s tropical rainforests: Central America, Amazon, Africa, Southeast Asia and New Guinea, many collected by the presenter. Learn about and discuss science concepts including camouflage, mimicry, insect anatomy, metamorphosis, tropical climate, and more. Presenter Steve Fratello has explored the world’s tropical rainforests for approximately 1,000 days and led a half dozen major scientific expeditions for the Smithsonian and Field Museums.
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butterflies, rainforest butterflies, science, STEAM, and The Trove.
Igloo VR Programs (April-May)
Attention all patrons! Get ready for a journey like no other as the Library invites you to explore new and exciting virtual experiences with our newly installed panoramic video room, the “Optimum Technology Room,” which uses technology installed by Igloo Vision. Thanks to the support of Optimum and the White Plains Library Foundation, we are now able to bring you 360 virtual reality content without the need for a headset. You'll be able to experience 360 videos, interactive immersive apps, 360 slideshows and more, all projected onto three walls in the room. Minecraft VR for Youth: Mondays, 4:00 p.m. –
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Sit Down & Write
Sit Down & Write Grades 4-8 April 3-6, 2:00-3:00 p.m. Edge Media Lab Librarians Kat, Caroline, Donna, and Erica will be hosting a series of creative writing sessions for kids and teens during the first week of April! Monday the 3rd is Characters with Kat and Erica Tuesday the 4th is Blackout Poetry with Donna and Caroline Wednesday the 5th is Fairy Tales, Classics, and the Public Domain with Erica and Kat Thursday the 6th is Voice with Caroline and Donna Each day, there will be a discussion on the topic, quiet time to write or create, and time to
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Celebrate National Arab American Heritage Month
National Arab American Heritage Month takes place in April; and it celebrates Arab American heritage & culture and pays tribute to the contributions of Arab Americans and Arabic-speaking Americans. In April 2021, President Biden and the U.S.Department of State recognized April as National Arab American Heritage Month. The President wrote in his letter commemorating the event, “The Arab American community exemplifies so much of what our country stands for: hard work, resilience, compassion, and generosity… Diversity is one of our greatest strengths, and it is essential that we continue celebrating, promoting, and educating others about the myriad ways that the
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New Books in the Edge: March
One of the best parts of my job is ordering new books for the Edge–reading the reviews, seeing what popular authors come up with next, or finding out about an upcoming sequel to an old favorite. Read on to find out about some of the new YA fiction titles coming to our shelves this month. Stateless by Elizabeth Wein Grades 6 and up Library Catalog / Libby “Intrigue and danger in the air and on the ground make for an exciting read that is steeped in interwar history. In late August 1937, Stella North, 17, is representing Britain by flying
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This Month in the Edge: April
This month, we have several activities going on in the Edge. Drop-in activities have more open availability during the month. Scheduled programs take place at specific times, linked below. Please join us for one or all! Drop-in Activities: Nintendo Switch We'll have our Switch available to play during Edge hours on Tuesdays and Fridays in April. Do Gooders Need to earn some community service credit? Drop in and make some cards for Meals on Wheels. Every Saturday in April. Scheduled Programs: Edge Advisory Board Saturday April 1 at 11:00 a.m. Edge Media Lab Grades 7-12 Help shape the future of
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Author Visit: Ryan Estrada, Banned Book Biographer
Ryan Estrada, Banned Book Biographer Author Visit & Book Discussion Tuesday May 9 at 6:00 p.m. VIRTUAL – a free, registered Zoom account is required to join the program. Reading banned books can help change your life, or even change the world. Author Ryan Estrada learned this in writing a number of graphic novels on the topic. In Occulted, he and Amy Rose wrote about how she grew up in a cult just down the road from Heaven's Gate and used banned books to escape. He's done dozens more such interviews for his upcoming books No Rules Tonight and Good
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The Library’s TTRPG Collection
Did you know the Library has a collection of tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) books you can borrow? They are located just outside the Edge, our teen library (though anyone can check them out!). Holds cannot be placed on the titles, but you can pick them up at the Library and borrow them for three weeks! Titles in the growing collection include (by game system, as of 3/13/23 – Will be updated as new titles are added. Links for unlinked items will be added as they become available.) What’s a TTRPG? A tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) is a system of rules
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This Month in the Edge: March 2023
This month, we have several activities going on in the Edge. Drop-in activities have more open availability during the month. Scheduled programs take place at specific times, linked below. Please join us for one or all! Drop-in Activities: Nintendo Switch We'll have our Switch available to play during Edge hours on Tuesdays and Fridays in March. Scheduled Programs: Poetry Slam and Open Mic Wednesday March 1 at 7:00 p.m. Virtual Teens, Adults Join Zork and Kristen for our monthly Poetry Slam! If you plan to perform and are performing for the first time, please email Kristen with a short bio
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New Books in the Edge: February 2023
One of the best parts of my job is ordering new books for the Edge–reading the reviews, seeing what popular authors come up with next, or finding out about an upcoming sequel to an old favorite. Read on to find out about some of the new YA fiction titles coming to our shelves this month. Going Dark by Melissa de la Cruz Grades 9 and up Library Catalog / hoopla / Libby “Josh Rueter and his influencer girlfriend, Amelia Ashley, travel to Rome for vacation, but when only Josh returns home and Amelia's busy social media goes dark, he is
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Homework Help and Resume Assistance
Are you looking for a tutor for your child? Do you need help preparing for college entrance exams? Maybe you need assistance writing a resume or looking for a new job? With Tutor.com you can get expert assistance with all of the above and much more at no cost to you with your White Plains library card. Here are just a few of the resources available through Tutor.com: Connect with a live tutor on a variety of subjects from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Submit a paper for review – tutors will get back to you in 12 hours. Drop
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Igloo Virtual Experiences
Attention all patrons! Get ready for a journey like no other as the Library invites you to explore new and exciting virtual experiences with our newly installed panoramic video room, the “Optimum Technology Room,” which uses technology installed by Igloo Vision. Thanks to the support of Optimum and the White Plains Library Foundation, we are now able to bring you 360 virtual reality content without the need for a headset. You'll be able to experience 360 videos, interactive immersive apps, 360 slideshows and more, all projected onto three walls in the room. Join us on Tuesday, February 7th at 12:15
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Igloo, Igloo Room, Optimum Technology Room, and virtual reality.
This Month in the Edge: February 2023
This month, we have several activities going on in the Edge. Drop-in activities have more open availability during the month. Scheduled programs take place at specific times, linked below. Please join us for one or all! Drop-in Activities: Nintendo Switch We'll have our Switch available to play during Edge hours on Tuesdays and Fridays in February. Scheduled Programs: Poetry Slam and Open Mic Wednesday February 1 at 7:00 p.m. Virtual Teens, Adults Join Zork and Kristen for our monthly Poetry Slam! If you plan to perform and are performing for the first time, please email Kristen with a short bio
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New Books in the Edge
One of the best parts of my job is ordering new books for the Edge–reading the reviews, seeing what popular authors come up with next, or finding out about an upcoming sequel to an old favorite. Read on to find out about some of the new YA fiction titles coming to our shelves this month. The Davenports by Krystal Marquis Grades 8 and up Library Catalog “Set in 1910, this novel offers readers a glimpse inside the lives of a wealthy Black family from Chicago, the titular Davenports. This novel centers around three teens in the family: Olivia, John, and
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Why STEAM is Important
In our busy world, more often than not, we turn to technology to entertain our children. Are you looking for ways to get your kids off their devices and involve them in different activities? Welcome to the world of STEAM education. STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) education is a great way to help your child make discoveries, ask questions, and solve problems! During the holiday break, White Plains Public Library held a STEAM week for grades 6-12, where kids could drop in to do STEAM activities. The last day, the activity was Paper Airplanes. While STEAM activities are
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This Month in the Edge: January 2023
This month, we have several activities going on in the Edge. Drop-in activities will be available during Edge hours all through the month. Scheduled programs take place at specific times, linked below. Please join us for one or all! Drop-in Activities: Snowflake Window Clings Make a few snowflake window clings; bring them home, or leave them with us to decorate the Edge windows for the winter. Year Compass We love the Year Compass, a booklet designed to help you reflect on 2022 and plan for 2023. We've printed out several copies; come in and pick one up, or sit and
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Your Voice Heard: LGBTQ+ Podcasting & Radio
Your Voice Heard: LGBTQ+ Podcasting & Radio Teens Thursday, 6:00 p.m. – January 12 VIRTUAL Registration required – REGISTER HERE. Learn how industry quality radio, podcasts, and longer form journalism are made with Marc Sophos from Outcasting! Outcasting is a series of public radio programs by LGBTQ+ youth and their allies for the general public with a national reach of 200 radio stations. This program is offered in conjunction with the Rye Free Reading Room and other WLS libraries.
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What’s New in the Edge: December 2022
As the end of the year approaches, I like to share the books in our YA fiction collection that have been most popular during the year. I've gathered the top ten most popular books in our collection that were published in 2022. After that, you'll see a few older titles that were also very popular among White Plains readers this year. YA Fiction's most popular titles published in 2022: Twin Crowns by Catherine Doyle and Katherine Webber Grades 9 and up Library Catalog / Libby “Wren Greenrock's parents were the king and queen of Eana before they were murdered. While
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This Month in the Edge
This month, we have several activities going on in the Edge. Drop-in activities will be available during Edge hours all through the month of December. Scheduled programs take place at specific times, linked below. Please join us for one or all! Drop-in Activities: Holiday Cards Make holiday cards for your family and friends. We've got all the card-making supplies you'll need, plus some video tutorials for making cards to celebrate various winter holidays. A holiday card example is featured above. Gift Wrapping We've set up a gift wrapping station with wrapping paper and ribbon. We sourced our supplies secondhand from
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Observances and Holidays, teen programs, and The Edge.