Archives for Library News

Rescheduled Career Panel for Teens: 12/15

Rescheduled Career Panel for Teens: 12/15

Join us on Tuesday, December 15 from 6:00-7:00 p.m., for our next “How Did I Get Here?” Career Panel. This is rescheduled from October. The Library will host employees from Verisk, an analytics company in White Plains. Their careers deal with coding, product development, user interface design, and, well, analytics. For information on attending, click here.
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December 10, 2020 11:13 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, and Library News.
Tags: career panel, Career Panels, edge events, How Did I Get Here?, and teen events.

College Admissions Workshops

College Admissions Workshops

This fall and winter, the Library will be hosting virtual college admissions counseling workshops for students, because it’s never too early to get started! Monday October 26, 6:00 p.m. – Pat Kronik will cover a variety of topics to get you started with the college admissions process. Register in advance here. Wednesday October 28, 6:00 p.m. – Learn about free tuition for college from Michael Turner, with the NYS Higher Education Services Corp. This program is being hosted by Yonkers Public Library. Check their calendar for more details. Wednesdays, November 4, December 2, & January 6, 6:00 p.m. – Join
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December 10, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: college, college admissions. admissions, edge events, teen events, and The Edge.

Books for Young Readers to Celebrate Hanukkah!

Books for Young Readers to Celebrate Hanukkah!

In 2020, Hanukkah begins at sundown on Thursday, December 10th, and continues through Friday, December 18th. PJ Library, a Jewish early literacy organization, writes, “Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, brings joy and sparkle during a dark time of the year. Beginning on the 25th of the Jewish month of Kislev, which falls in November or December in the Roman calendar, Hanukkah is a time to eat delicious latkes (potato pancakes), play dreidel (a traditional game featuring a spinning top), enjoy gathering with family and friends — and, of course, light Hanukkah candles.” The website nicely describes the origins of the
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December 9, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, children's literature, Hanukkah, Observances and Celebrations, Observances and Holidays, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Fall 2020 Events for Younger Kids

Fall 2020 Events for Younger Kids

Trove Storytimes Storytimes for ages 2-6 with Trove Librarians – books, songs and fun! Note: The format may be changing as we move forward, so stay tuned for updates. Tuesdays, 11:00 a.m.: October 20, November 10, November 17, November 24, Thursdays, 11:00 a.m.: November 19, December 17 Storybook Dancing with Steffi Nossen School of Dance A creative, movement-filled program for ages 2-6 to hear stories and then dance them to life! Thursdays, 10:00 a.m.: October 8, October 22, November 5, December 3 Bilingual Music Time Nancy Hershatter presents a fun-filled musical bilingual program for kids in PreK-Grade 2. Fridays, 11:00
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December 9, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's events, dance, fall 2020, kids, live music, music, performances, programs, storytime, The Trove, trove, and trove events.

December Coding Programs

December Coding Programs

The Library will be celebrating The Hour of Code (December 7-13) by offering a variety of coding programs and resources for parents, caregivers, and children. The Hour of Code is observed during Computer Science Education Week, as it honors the life of computer pioneer Admiral Grace Hooper (born on December 9, 1906). We will be conducting programs such as Tech for Parents: Coding Resources, binary coding, and Code Heroes Camp (grades 6-8). Along with these fun virtual activities we will also have a binary bead Grab&Go bag kit (grades 4-8) available to pick up on December 28th. Please feel free
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December 9, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Library News.
Tags: binary code, coding, Computer Science Education Week, events, Observances and Celebrations, STEAM, STEAM learning, technology, and The Hour of Code.

STEAM Grab&Go Kit For Teens: Rubber Band Powered Car

STEAM Grab&Go Kit For Teens: Rubber Band Powered Car

Come to the Library and pick up a Grab&Go Kit with materials to make a cardboard car powered by rubber bands, available on December 7. The kit will have most materials except tape, glue, and a pencil. There are printed instructions to accompany the video instructions. Have fun learning how to make a car run using tension created by rubber bands. If you can’t pick up a bag, you can try to find the materials around your home and follow the video instructions.
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December 7, 2020 9:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: Grab and Go Kits, Grab&Go Kits, STEAM, STEAM activities, STEAM learning, and videos.

STEAM Picture Books: Technology

STEAM Picture Books: Technology

In this new monthly STEAM series, I will highlight some wonderful picture books that fall under a STEAM category: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics. This edition for the month of December celebrates the Hour of Code program. In this post you’ll find technology books, including biographies of notable figures in the tech field, books about coding, video games and robotics. These picture books can be found in our print collection at The Trove and on OverDrive. Please be sure to check out our coding programs for December. At the end of the post, you'll also find some fun and
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December 3, 2020 10:30 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: picture books, staff picks, staff recommendations, STEAM, STEAM books, STEAM learning, and STEM.

Peculiar Picks

Peculiar Picks

Peculiar Picks are a selection of odd, funny, interesting, curious, moving, irreverent, and otherwise wonderfully awesome, but perhaps not well known, reads. Peculiar Picks are books for younger readers and their grown-ups, handpicked by the Library's Youth Services Manager, Joshua Carlson. Rear End Reads. Tail Tales. Stern Stories. Great Glutes. Rump Recommendations. Peculiar Posterior Picks. In other words: Butt Books. I had so many fun names for today’s Peculiar Picks (including some I couldn’t include in this family friendly column) featuring the (probably) most laugh-inducing part of the body: the hilarious heinie. Chicken Cheeks by Michael Ian Black, illustrated by
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December 3, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, Peculiar Picks, picture books, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

December Daily Poetry

December Daily Poetry

Every 1st Wednesday for 16 years we Slam at the Library with an Open Mic, Open Slam, and World Famous Slam Poet Feature. We started this all on January 26, 2004. During the 2020 virus outbreak we are posting 1 poem a day from our archives until we can share our poetry in public and proximity again. December 11th: Isabella December 10th: Gustavo December 9th: Francesca December 8th: Esiyem December 7th: Cye December 6th: Brando December 5th: Anya December 4th: Adrianna December 3rd: Mikey December 2nd: Taye Vaughn December 1st: Beth
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December 2, 2020 4:57 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: COVID-19, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: daily poem, poem a day, poetry, poetry slam, slam poetry, videos, and Zork.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities: Chapter Books

International Day of Persons with Disabilities: Chapter Books

White Plains is a wonderfully diverse community! Parents, children and teens have expressed an interest in titles that reflect the diversity in the community, and Ashley, Kathlyn, and Raquel's “Dive Into Diversity” column will spotlight noteworthy children's and teen titles that are inclusive, diverse and multicultural to fulfill that interest. Ashley's portion is aimed at readers in grades 4-6. Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte For children in grades 3-7 Library Collection: Print OverDrive: eBook In this historical fiction novel set in 1805, Mary Lambert and her family live in the town of Chilmark on the island of
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December 1, 2020 2:08 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: chapter books, children's books, children's literature, Dive into Diversity, International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Observances and Celebrations, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities: YA Books

International Day of Persons with Disabilities: YA Books

The United Nations recognizes December 3rd as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. I put together a list of YA books featuring a variety of characters living with some type of disability. I read A Time to Dance by Padma Venkatraman, about a dancer in India who has part of one leg amputated after an accident. Since childhood, Veda has been focused entirely on dancing. The book opens just as she wins a particularly sweet victory at a dance competition. On the way home, however, her dance troupe’s van is in a serious accident, and Veda is so severely
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December 1, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: Dive into Diversity, International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Observances and Celebrations, Observances and Holidays, staff picks, staff recommendations, teen books, and YA books.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities: Children’s Books

International Day of Persons with Disabilities: Children’s Books

The annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons was proclaimed in 1992 by the United Nations General Assembly. The United Nations website states the occasion “aims to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development, and to increase awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life. The 2020 theme is “Building Back Better: toward a disability-inclusive, accessible and sustainable post COVID-19 World.” In her blog post “Representation Matters: 10 Children's Books with Disabled Characters,” Margaret Kingsbury, herself a disabled mother,
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December 1, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: chapter books, children's books, children's literature, Dive into Diversity, International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Observances and Celebrations, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Hey Kids! It’s a Snow Day!

Hey Kids! It’s a Snow Day!

Need some ideas for making the most of your snow day? See some of our staff recommendations below. Snow Day Activities Polar Express Train! Read The Polar Express (Hoopla; OverDrive) by Chris Van Allsburg and let your child’s imagination run wild. Make decorated tickets from paper. Build a snow train outside or use furniture and blankets and more to make a train inside. All aboard! Host Your Own Winter Olympics A snow obstacle course with snow mounds to climb over, snow tunnels to crawl through. A sled race. Distance and accuracy snowball throwing competitions – setup targets, such as a
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December 1, 2020 12:01 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: activities, children's books, eBooks, fun, picture books, snow day, staff picks, staff recommendations, and STEAM.

Teen Volunteering Opportunities

Teen Volunteering Opportunities

Almost everything about the 2020-21 school year is different, and that includes earning community service hours. With library services restricted by safety concerns, we’re offering community service credit to teens who review YA books for our website. This month, I’d also like to highlight a few volunteer opportunities from Volunteer New York! that would be great for teens. I’m focusing on opportunities that can be done virtually, contact-free, or outdoors, and ideally with minimal supplies. Follow the link to the Volunteer New York! post for each opportunity to make sure you get all the relevant information. Thank You Cards for
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November 30, 2020 12:56 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: staff picks, teen volunteers, teens, and Volunteer! New York.

STEAM Picture Books: Science

STEAM Picture Books: Science

In this new monthly STEAM series, I will highlight some wonderful picture books that fall under one area of STEAM [STEAM = Science Technology Engineering Art Mathematics]. For the month of November we are starting with science. These books include diverse biographies, books about the solar system, chemistry, physics, environmental science (my personal favorite!), and even a scientific parody on Goodnight Moon. These picture books can be found in our print collection at The Trove and on OverDrive. At the end of the post, you'll also find some fun and educational STEAM websites for kids. What Miss Mitchell Saw by
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November 30, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: picture books, staff picks, staff recommendations, STEAM, STEAM books, and STEM.

Local Food Pantries

Local Food Pantries

Below is a list of active local food pantries. Schedules vary and some may close temporarily due to COVID-19, so be sure to call and confirm before visiting. Greenburgh/Elmsford Cap Food Pantry Call for free food and groceries. 32 Manhattan Avenue White Plains, New York 10607 (914) 761-6605 Mt Hope AME Zion Church 65 Lake St # C, White Plains, NY (914) 948-6372 Ridgeway Alliance 465 Ridgeway, White Plains, NY 10605 (914) 949-3714 Tuesdays 4-6 p.m. Fridays 4-6 p.m. First Baptist Church 456 North Street White Plains, NY 10605 (914) 949-5207 El Centro Hispano Operating from the Post Road School
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November 24, 2020 2:33 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: COVID-19, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: food bank, food pantries, and food pantry.

Grab&Go Kits for Adults

Grab&Go Kits for Adults

Grab&Go Kits for adults–because we also need to unplug from our screens, relax, and have fun! Each month, we will prepare a packet that will include instructions and supplies. (A few basics can be found at home.) Kits will be available in the blue Grab&Go box outside our main entrance while supplies last. This month's kit: making a Gratitude Journal. Available beginning Friday, November 20th. Just in time for Thanksgiving. Look out for kits in the coming months on making a zen garden (stress relief!), and, of course, something for Valentine's Day in February.
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November 19, 2020 10:56 am | by | 1 Comment
Categories: COVID-19 and Library News.
Tags: crafts, Grab and Go Kits, Grab&Go Kits, journaling, self care, tutorials, and Wellness.

Peculiar Picks

Peculiar Picks

Peculiar Picks are a selection of odd, funny, interesting, curious, moving, irreverent, and otherwise wonderfully awesome, but perhaps not well known, reads. Peculiar Picks are books for younger readers and their grown-ups, handpicked by the Library's Youth Services Manager, Joshua Carlson. There are many, many versions of The Three Little Pigs — from traditional retellings, to ones with other animals such as fish and sharks, to ones with other things like trucks or tamales, to, of course, several versions that tell how badly the wolf was maligned in the original tale. This being Peculiar Picks, however, I wanted to pick
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November 19, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, children's literature, Peculiar Picks, picture books, and The Trove.

New 3D Printer and Design Workshop

New 3D Printer and Design Workshop

In March 2020, at the very onset of the COVID crisis when healthcare workers needed PPE, the Library donated its two 3D printers to a “mask farm” at Riverside Hospital in Yonkers. Thanks to our partnership with Con Edison, we’ve been able to replace both of the printers and expand printing programs and services at the Library. Our newest acquisition is a Prusa SL1 3D printer, our first SLA printer. SLA (stereolithography) printing is fairly new to desktop 3D printing. The process uses a liquid resin and solidifies it layer by layer using UV light and an LED display making
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November 19, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Library News.
Tags: 3D design, 3D printer, 3d printing, Con Edison, edge events, events, kids, middle grade, teens, and trove events.

December Project LIT Book Club for Teens

December Project LIT Book Club for Teens

Calling all middle and high school students for a monthly virtual book club for teens. Each month, join librarians Kat and Lauren to discuss a Project LIT book and compete against friends in a mini trivia game. On Friday, December 4th at 4 p.m., we’ll discuss Scythe by Neal Shusterman. Scythe was my favorite Battle of the Books selection of all time; even my husband read the series, which is saying something. In this near-future science fiction tale, humanity has conquered death. To control population size and preserve resources, a group of public servants known as Scythes are charged with
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November 18, 2020 11:23 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Library News.
Tags: book clubs, Project Lit, Project Lit Chapter, Project Lit Community, teen book club, and teens.