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Opening of Optimum Technology Room

Opening of Optimum Technology Room

This morning, the Library hosted a ribbon cutting for our new Optimum Technology Room, which uses Igloovision, software that provides an immersive experience. Imagine being in a room in which the walls serve as your computer display, effectively putting you inside a wrap-around 12k television. Or think of a room as a giant walk-in Virtual Reality (VR) headset, except one in which the immersive experience can be shared with one or more others. This is the concept behind the Igloo, an immersive workspace created by Igloovision. Any kind of digital content can be shown on the walls of an Igloo:
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November 16, 2022 11:08 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Director's Corner, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: Altice, Optimum Technology Room, press release, technology, and white plains library.

Daughters of America: Digest of the Day

Daughters of America: Digest of the Day

Recently a member of the local Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) chapter viewed the Local History Room’s file on the DAR.  She noted that the last item in the file belonged to the Daughters of America, not the DAR, and was curious what that group was. The item in question is a 36-page booklet called Digest of the Day, published in 1930 by the Daughters of America’s Martha Washington Council No. 8 in White Plains. According to The International Encyclopedia of Secret Societies and Fraternal Orders, the Daughters of America was “a female auxiliary to the Junior Order of
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November 12, 2022 9:48 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage, and Local History.
Tags: Daughters of America, local history, white plains collection, and white plains history.

#WPFreedomToRead Challenge

#WPFreedomToRead Challenge

“I'll be absolutely candid and honest, it's embarrassing that we are banning books in this country, in this culture, in this day and age.” – LeVar Burton As part of our year-long celebration of banned and challenged books, adults and teens are invited to join our #WPFreedomToRead Challenge. It's fun! It's easy! There are prizes! Yes, YOU could win a Kindle Paperwhite or other bookish prize! All you need to do is read banned or challenged books and log what you've read in READsquared. Each banned or challenged book you read and log earns you an entry in our prize
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November 11, 2022 1:51 pm | by | 2 Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: #WPFreedomtoRead, banned books, reading challenge, and ReadSquared.

Westchester Breathes

Westchester Breathes

Fridays 9:30AM, October 28 – January 20. Come when you can! Register at conversations.westchesterlibraries.org/breathe Increase Your Resilience, Lower Your Stress This is a Zoom program. Participate in a program of gentle movement, breathing and relaxation exercises that reduce the experience of stress and anxiety. Come to this program to learn simple, proven exercises that can have a positive impact on your health and well-being. Get ready for the next moment from a place of calm and clarity. Sponsored by: Bedford Free Library, Bedford Hills Free Library, Harrison Public Library, Mamaroneck Public Library, New Rochelle Public Library, Ruth Keeler Memorial Library,
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October 25, 2022 2:30 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: Wellness, Wellness programs, and Westchester Breathes.

Free Citizenship Classes

Free Citizenship Classes

The New-York Historical Society offers free online citizenship classes for green card holders preparing for the naturalization interview. The online citizenship course prepares permanent residents for the civics test portion of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) naturalization interview. The interactive online naturalization preparation course covers all 100 questions from the USCIS Civics Test. Participants learn about American history and government using objects, paintings, and documents from the New-York Historical collections through videoconferencing. Online citizenship classes are taught in English and are accessible to English Language Learners. They also offer an online Spanish citizenship class for people who
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October 20, 2022 11:01 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: citizenship, Citizenship classes, and U.S. citizenship.

Banned Books Quiz

Banned Books Quiz

Defend the first amendment and celebrate the freedom to read freely, or as Jay-Z famously said, “We change people through conversation, not through censorship.” In honor of Banned Books Week – September 18 – 24 — please join us at 7:00pm on Wednesday, September 21st via Zoom as author Christopher Finan talks about his book How Free Speech Saved Democracy: The Untold History of How the First Amendment Became an Essential Tool for Securing Liberty and Social Justice. Finan will be interviewed by Oren Teicher, former CEO of the American Bookseller's Association. This event and our banned books title quiz,
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September 18, 2022 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: #WPFreedomtoRead, banned books, Banned Books Quiz, and Banned Books Week.

September LibraryReads

September LibraryReads

Here are the books published this month that librarians across the country love. The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell Library Collection: Print / Large Print Libby: eBook / Audiobook In 16th-century Italy, teen Lucrezia de Medici passes from her father's control to her husband's, with neither considering her a person with a right to her own life. O'Farrell's poetic writing pulls you into this tale based on the likely subject of Robert Browning's poem “My Last Duchess.” For fans of Geraldine Brooks, Isabel Allende, and Hillary Mantel.”—Diana Armstrong, Multnomah County Library, Portland, ORThe American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas Library
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September 12, 2022 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: book recommendations, librarian recommendations, Library Reads, LibraryReads, and staff picks.

Lunchtime Meditation

Lunchtime Meditation

Our popular Lunchtime Meditation series returns to Zoom this September. This wellness program includes brief beginning instruction followed by meditation. No experience is needed. A variety of guest instructors will lead the program from 12:00–12:45 p.m. on the following Wednesdays: September 7th: Seth Segall September 14th: Sharon Lewis September 21st: Dan Cayer September 28th: Andrea Deierlein October 5th: Seth Segall October 12th: Sharon Lewis October 19th: Sharon Lewis October 26th: Andrea Deierlein November 2nd: Seth Segall November 9th: Sharon Lewis November 16th: Andrea Deierlein December 7th: Seth Segall This program is made possible with support from the White Plains Library
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August 22, 2022 10:17 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: lunchtime meditation, lunchtime meditation at the library, Meditation, meditation classes in White Plains, mindfulness, Wellness, wellness classes in white plains, Wellness programs, and Wellness Wednesdays.

Common Ground 2022-2023

Common Ground 2022-2023

What is Common Ground? Five years ago, the White Plains League of Women Voters, the White Plains Public Library, and the YWCA collaborated to support a community conversation. Living in a community is different from supporting a community so Common Ground emerged as a place to discuss national and local issues from a local perspective. All members of the community are invited to participate as this is place to listen to each other and to learn about our community. Common Ground will meet in person this year on the third Thursday of the month from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the Library.
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August 14, 2022 9:39 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: Common Ground and community conversations.

COVID-19 Testing Sites

COVID-19 Testing Sites

What's the most popular reference question lately? It's where to go for COVID-19 testing. Here's our list of local testing sites. Please note that schedules and availability of testing varies across these locations and are subject to change. Make sure to check a location's website or call before visiting. You can also call the White Plains Coronavirus Hotline with related questions at (914) 681-2900. Do you know of another White Plains testing site not listed here? Or a change with any of the listed sites? Leave us a comment below or email tbaird@whiteplainslibrary.org so we can verify and update our
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July 27, 2022 10:00 am | by | 5 Comments
Categories: COVID-19, eNewsletter, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: covid testing, covid-19, covid-19 testing, COVID19, and covid19 testing.

Jamaica 60 Art Exhibit

Jamaica 60 Art Exhibit

As Jamaica celebrates its 188th year of Emancipation on August 1st and 60th Anniversary of Independence on August 6th, the Jamaican Emancipendence Committee will host an Art Exhibition at the Library, curated by renowned Jamaican artist, Michael Escoffery, with his paintings and those of other artists, including the Denzel Washington School of Arts, Mt. Vernon.  A closing reception will be held in the Library's Museum Gallery on August 31st, 5:30-8:00 p.m.  The exhibit will be on view through Wednesday, August 31st. The Jamaican Emancipendence Committee was founded three years ago to commemorate Jamaica's Emancipation (August 1, 1834) and Independence (August
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July 24, 2022 3:09 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Gallery, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: art exhibit, exhibits, gallery, Jamaica, and Jamaican Independence.

New Tech Services

New Tech Services

Here are our latest tech training appointments you can schedule with Digital Media Specialist Austin Olney. Tech Help (Advanced) For patrons who need one-on-one advanced tech help, in person. If you have a technical issue with a particular computer device, whether it is a laptop, smartphone or tablet, there is a service at the library to help. Patrons are now able to book one-on-one help, in person, with Digital Media Specialist Austin Olney. Get help troubleshooting various hardware and software issues, such as not being able to sign in to a website or transferring photos from one device to the
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July 22, 2022 10:41 am | by | 1 Comment
Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: computer help, digital technology, tech events for teens in Westchester, technology, technology classes, technology training, virtual reality, VR, and VR training.

FDR Library & Museum Passes Now Available

FDR Library & Museum Passes Now Available

We are pleased to announce that the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum is up and running under routine procedures once again! The Public Library Complimentary Guest Pass Program has been reactivated. All you need to do to participate in this program is have a valid White Plains Library card and be 18+ years old. Come to the Library and go to the Hub Desk to request your complimentary pass. Staff will give you the pass that you must complete before visiting the Museum. All they require is that you: a) provide a name b) indicate the number of
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June 16, 2022 2:40 pm | by | 1 Comment
Categories: Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: FDR Library, FDR Presidential Library and Museum, Hyde Park, museum pass, and museum passes.

Photos wanted: Winbrook, WP malls

Photos wanted: Winbrook, WP malls

Two of the original five buildings in the Winbrook apartments (now officially called Brookfield Commons) have been razed and replaced. The three still in use will eventually meet the same fate. The White Plains Mall will be leveled and replaced by a large residential and retail development called Hamilton Green. And the Galleria Mall, which lost its anchor stores when Sears and Macy’s closed, may be demolished whole or in part for a redevelopment that would dramatically change its appearance. As these buildings which were once fixtures in downtown White Plains disappear, we would like to keep a visual record
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May 3, 2022 5:11 pm | by | 1 Comment
Categories: Featured, Homepage, Library News, and Local History.
Tags: history of White Plains, local history, White Plains Galleria, White Plains local history, White Plains mall, white plains new york, and winbrook.

Harriet Tubman Reading & Resources

Harriet Tubman Reading & Resources

From April 1st through June 30th, the Harriet Tubman – Journey to Freedom sculpture by Wesley Wofford will be on display in Renaissance Plaza in downtown White Plains. In conjunction with the historic visit by the sculpture, the Library and many other community partners are organizing events related to Harriet Tubman, the Underground Railroad, and more. You can find all of the Library’s related programs and events here, with a full listing of the community-wide programs and events here. To learn more about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, check out some of the materials below from the Library! To
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March 31, 2022 9:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Featured, Homepage, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: Harriet Tubman, Harriet Tubman sculpture, staff picks, staff recommendations, and White Plains Harriet Tubman.

Remembering Jesse Murry

Remembering Jesse Murry

Jesse Murry was a Black, gay art critic, curator and painter. He was born in 1948 in North Carolina and later moved to nearby Greenburgh to live with an aunt. As a youth he spent a lot of time reading at the White Plains Public Library and became friends with the director, Isabel Duncan Clark, who ended up becoming his legal guardian. He studied at Sarah Lawrence College and lived in a White Plains apartment in the 1970s before moving to New York City in 1979. In the last 14 years of his life he wrote for Arts Magazine, taught
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December 8, 2021 11:18 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage, Library News, and Local History.
Tags: Jesse Murry, library history, local history, and White Plains Public Library.

Tiny Art Exhibit

Tiny Art Exhibit

Thank you to everyone who picked up one of our Tiny Art Show Grab & Go kits and those who dropped off your submissions. Submissions are now on display in the Library's first floor Lobby. Stop by and take a peak at these wonderful tiny creations! If you haven't returned your artwork yet, you still can! Drop your art off at the Hub Desk on the first floor and fill out a submission form.
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December 7, 2021 3:18 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: arts and crafts, crafts for adults, and crafts for teens.

2021 Staff Favorites

2021 Staff Favorites

The White Plains Library Staff have assembled their picks for the year, featuring cookbooks, DVDs, music, audiobooks, and plenty of plain old books. 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 or resource where they're available as well as a blurb on why staff enjoyed it. Books (Adults) Losing Mum and Pup: A Memoir by Christopher Buckley OverDrive & Libby: eBook / Audiobook An funny and touching account of the year writer Christopher Buckley
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December 1, 2021 12:11 pm | by | 2 Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: staff favorites, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Library Achieves Green Certification

Library Achieves Green Certification

The Library is pleased to announce it has achieved Green Business Certification through the Green Business Partnership (GBP), a public-private partnership managed in part by Westchester County. GBP offers support to businesses and organizations who are interested in reducing their carbon footprint and making their operations more sustainable. The Library’s Green Team–led by Librarian Kathlyn Carroll–worked to evaluate the Library's current performance in a variety of areas, including water and energy usage, purchasing decisions, and waste management. Many changes were made to Library practices, including use of LED lighting, green purchasing, waste audit tracking, and a greenhouse gas inventory. Recent
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November 22, 2021 11:32 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Director's Corner, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: Green Business Certification Green Business Partnership, Green Team, sustainability, and White Plains Library Green Team.

An Exhibition of Artist books by Marc Shanker

An Exhibition of Artist books by Marc Shanker

The Library will host an exhibition of Artist Books by self-taught artist Marc Shanker. The show runs from Monday, December 6th, 2021 through Friday, February 4th, 2022. “My books are words extended by images, and images extended by words. The physicality of books focuses attention and adds to their significance. Whether large or small, books exert a power unlike any other object,” states Shanker. The exhibition includes over thirty prints and eleven Artist Books. Shanker’s books include collage and mixed media adaptations of Aeschylus’ The Orestian Trilogy, and Looking into the Eye of Doom, The Diary of a Greek Soldier
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November 16, 2021 3:23 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Gallery, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: art, art exhibit in white plains, art gallery in white plains, artists, Library art gallery, Marc Shanker, and museum gallery.