Have you always wanted to learn Swahili? Maybe you have a need to use Spanish in a business setting? Are you looking to learn English? Learning platform Mango Languages offers courses for over 70 world languages and dialects. It also provides specialized courses in Spanish for business, legal, medical, and more contexts and English as a second language for speakers of 21 different native languages. The self-paced courses focus on conversation, through a user-friendly interface that allows you to see and hear the words at the same time and the ability to replay the audio as many times as you
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Westchester Children’s Museum
The White Plains Public Library is pleased to announce the addition of the Westchester Children’s Museum to the Museum Pass Program. The Library pass provides free admission for four people (at least 1 adult). The Museum is open every day from 930am-530pm. The Westchester Children’s Museum is located in the historic Bathhouse on the famed Playland boardwalk in Rye, NY. The Museum is a vibrant, playful learning hub with opportunities for kids and their grown-ups to create, build, discover and explore. To reserve a Museum Pass, please visit our website at whiteplainslibrary.org and under “Info & Help” click on “Museum
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Future is Female Book Discussion
On Monday October 7th at 2pm, Ellen O’Connell, White Plains resident and retired teacher, will moderate a discussion of the novel The Long Bright River, by Liz Moore, an NPR Book of the Year and Good Morning America Book Club pick (2023). According to NPR, “Truly, this is a great literary novel about a city in the age of opioids and [about ] two sisters navigating their past.” It’s also deemed, “at once a heart-pounding and heart-wrenching, gripping suspense novel.” — Good Morning America. This book is available in the Library’s physical collection and on Libby. This is a virtual
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Forever Young Adult Book Club
Forever Young Adult is a group for YA fans who are a little less “Y” and a bit more “A.” Whether you're a regular YA reader or you need a break from your usual “To Read” list, all are welcome! The next session will be on September 26th at 7pm. Reading: Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo. This book club is made possible by a partnership between Yonkers Public Library and White Plains Public Library.; This is a virtual event using the Zoom Platform. To join, Click This Zoom Link. You can also use the following phone
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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. Click this link to access the resource.
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September Saturday Cinema
Come watch a fun family film! Saturdays at 2:00pm in the Library Auditorium.
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free library movies, kids movies, movies, and summer cinema.
Jazz at Noon: Vanessa Racci Jazzy Italian
Friday September 13th, 12PM. This program celebrates Italian Americans who made their mark on jazz. Descended from Southern Italian immigrants, Vanessa Racci grew up living with her Barese grandfather who played Jazz and Italian classics throughout the house. Racci is known for creating her own unique sound, blending jazz and Italian influences. Her most recent album, Jazzy Italian (2022, Zoho Jazz label), was produced and arranged by GRAMMY Award-winner Steven Feifke, and was named among the Top 10 Traditional Jazz Albums of 2022 on the RMR jazz chart. Part of the 2024 White Plains JazzFest schedule. This Concert is funded
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Short Story Book/Film Discussion – Fall 2024
Join White Plains Librarian Barbara Wenglin as we launch our Fall Zoom Story Series using the rich anthology, “Stories of Books and Libraries” (ed. Jane Holloway, Everyman's Pocket Classics, 2023). Copies of the series anthology, Stories of Books and Libraries, are available to borrow 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, sometimes magical, places that house them. Dates of the series are: 9/26/24, 10/10/24, 10/31/24, 11/14/24 (film
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Modern Pop Art Restrospective. An exhibit by Michael Albert
American POP Artist MICHAEL ALBERT (American, born 1966) has been creating ART since his college days at New York University, where he studied business. His art has evolved from doodles with colored pencils, magic markers & pen & ink, to serious wax oil drawings, to the cubist mosaic Cereal box collages he has become known for. In the past several years he has been creating large-scale “Epic” collage works on various themes including: Historical, Biblical, Literary, Musical, Lyrical, Botanical, Logo Montages, Color Studies, Mathematical & Geographical. This exhibit showcases a selection of his original artworks created & published over the past 35+ years.
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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 (currently, but that will soon be changing), but you can pick them up at the Library and borrow them for three weeks! Titles in the growing collection include (by game system – 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
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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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Forward & Out
Forward & Out is composed of 49 episodes, was made for the LGBTQ+ community, and was produced by the White Plains Cable station. The show was produced from 1993 through 1996, and was broadcast from January 1994 through January 1997. At its peak, Forward & Out was broadcast via cable and over-the-air to 1.2 million households in primarily the NY/NJ/CT area and as far away as Philadelphia. The show’s mission was to stimulate pride and raise self-esteem within the LGBTQ+ community by promoting a positive image, and to encourage greater tolerance and acceptance of LGBTQ+ people. Forward & Out hosted
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Summer College and Career Edge Programs
College and Career Edge Programs in the Summer The Edge at the White Plains Public Library is happy to announce our new College and Career Edge series this summer. We'll be using our new Igloo room to host a variety of virtual and in-person programs. In the Igloo, students can experience Virtual Reality (VR) without a headset in the library's newly installed panoramic content room. Views from 360° content and more will be provided in this fun series of programs. Technology installed by Igloo Vision and funded by the Library Foundation/Optimum. College and Career Edge Series: Financial Literacy We will
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Cowboy Carter & Black Country Artists
Have you been listening to Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter on repeat since it dropped? Are you interested in learning more about the history of Black Country music and those that inspired Beyoncé to make this album – and in some cases are even featured on it? Then check out our staff-curated list of books, music, and film on the musicians that inspired Cowboy Carter. BOOKS: ADULT My Black Country: A Journey Through Country Music's Black Past, Present, and Future by Alice Randall Black Country Music: Listening for Revolutions by Francesca Royster Country Soul: Making Music and Making Race in the American
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How to Fight Censorship & Book Bans
On Monday, April 24, 2023 the first national Right to Read Day was held. Organized by the American Library Association (ALA), and kicking off National Library Week, Right to Read Day was established as a call to action in response to the past few years of attacks on access to, and even the existence of, certain books – overwhelmingly those with BIPOC and LGBTQ+ characters, themes, and information (check out the top 13 challenged books of 2022 to see what I mean). While ALA’s Unite Against Book Bans, and other organizations, highlighted going to the library and checking out banned
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New: Text Notifications for Teen Events!
We're excited to announce that you can now sign up to receive texts about events for teens in White Plains! We'll be sending texts about events going on in White Plains, including those sponsored by the Library and other City agencies. Teens and parents are encouraged to sign up. For instructions on how to sign up, read on. If you need help, feel free to come to the Edge and we'll help you with the process. And for organizations that would like to submit their events for teens to be featured through text alerts and our After Hours page, please
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White Plains After Hours for Grades 9-12
Friday, June 2, 2023 marked the launch of a new citywide initiative aimed at offering dedicated spaces and events in the evening for White Plains residents in grades 9-12. The Library came together with various City departments and White Plains based organizations after local teens expressed an urgent need for a place to hangout in the evening. White Plains Teen After Hours is a collaboration between ArtsWestchester, the City of White Plains, El Centro Hispano, White Plains Recreation & Parks, the White Plains Youth Bureau, and the White Plains Public Library. City agencies and other organizations are invited to submit their
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The New York Times
Free, full access to The New York Times online — at home or in the Library.
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Artist Juliana Lemin Display
A display by artist Juliana Lemin is on view in a case outside the entrance to the Edge, our space for teens. Juliana Lemin is a 15-year-old Sophomore at Edgemont HS. She expressed her creativity in art since she was very little. When Juliana was five, she started taking art lessons with a Russian art professor Elena Nenastina. Later she began to study with another artist and renowned art teacher, Leonid Shoshensky. Juliana uses various media including chalk pastel, oil on canvas, watercolors, and graphite pencil. She is a published artist. Her works were represented in “Celebrating Art” catalog for several years. In
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Most Popular 2023 Checkouts
Below is a list of the 2023 top ten most popular fiction, nonfiction, films, children's books, and YA titles based on the number of times they've been checked out from our collection. We told you what our staff loved last year, well, here's what was most popular among your fellow Library patrons. I'm sure you'll notice a few trends – our patrons really love Colleen Hoover, memoirs, Karen M. McManus, Dog Man, and Disney! Fiction Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (All available formats) Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano (All available formats) It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover (All
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