Archives for Library News

Teen Film Series: One Book, One Movie

This post has expired. Please visit the teen calendar for the latest Edge events. Teens can extend their One Book, One White Plains reading experience by coming together to watch a film with related themes to Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng. Join in a meaningful discussion afterwards. Light refreshments will be served. The films will be shown at 5:30 p.m. on Thursdays in the Edge. Film schedule: October 3 – The Perks of Being a Wallflower October 10 – The Blind Side October 17 – The Sun is Also a Star October 24 – A Dog's Journey
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Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Events, and Library News.

Book Club: The Future is Female

One of our newest book groups returns this month. The Future is Female, a mix of memoirs, short stories, novels, and poetry by and about interesting, talented, and inspiring women in history, the arts, sports, and everyday life. Led by Ellen O’Connell, the group will meet on the first Monday of every month, from 2:00-3:30 p.m. To place one of the readings on hold, simply click on the title. October 7: Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng (2014) a Novel — As part of the One Book, One White Plains program. “A moving exploration of family, history, and
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Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Events, Homepage, and Library News.

Genealogy Workshop Registration

This post has expired as registration is now full. We hope to offer this workshop again in the winter/spring. To get updates on upcoming events, sign up for our eNewsletter here. Have you recently started exploring your family’s history or want to begin? If so, you'll want to register for an upcoming four-week genealogy workshop that will be held Tuesday, October 8, 15, 22, & 29 from 2:00-4:00 p.m. Presented by Dr. Alan Steinfeld,The first session will look at why to study one's ancestry, how to begin gathering and organizing information (including working with computer programs) and working with primary
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Categories: eNewsletter, Events, and Library News.

Meet Author Ann Chiappetta

This post has expired. Visit our adult calendar to see upcoming book and author events. When Ann Chiappetta lost her vision in 1993 because of retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a “Why me?” cry would have been very understandable. The New Rochelle resident had a family and a successful career as a designer of acrylic displays and furniture, where sight, of course, was critical. RP is a rare, genetic ocular disease that strikes about 1 in 4,000 people (the gene is recessive), and Chiappetta was the first in five generations of her family to be afflicted. “The diagnosis had come years earlier
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Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Events, and Library News.

The Trouble with eBooks

EBooks aren’t just popular, they are the fastest growing segment of our collection. But what library patrons don’t know is that eBooks are significantly more expensive for us to acquire than print editions. While there is no one model for the purchasing of eBooks by libraries, most titles run in the $50 range. For that price we receive one copy that we can typically lend for only two years before we have to purchase it again. Of course, just like a print book, that copy can be borrowed by only one reader at a time. And, just like print, when
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Categories: Director's Corner, eNewsletter, and Library News.

August 2019 LibraryReads

Here are the top ten books published in August that librarians across the country love. Just click on a title or book cover to place it on hold. The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai Published: 8/6/2019 by Avon “An intelligent, multicultural contemporary romance. Rhi, CEO of the Crush dating app, and Samson, NFL star, embark on a joint project that turns into more than just talk. Issues of #MeToo in the tech industry and the NFL’s concussion problem are woven in. For readers of the Forbidden Heart series, Elle Wright, and Alyssa Cole.”—Jessica Werner, The Seattle Public Library, Seattle, WA
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Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Evergreen, and Library News.

Plaza Grand Opening Photos

Great news! The Library Plaza officially opened this past Saturday. Suddenly we have a new, beautiful space in downtown White Plains to enjoy. The Plaza offers great environments to spend time with friends, read and relax, explore the native plantings, or enjoy lunch from the Library's Everyday Healthy Cafe. View a collection of photos from the event below. If you have any photos you would like to share from the event, upload them here. Click on an image to enlarge and open the gallery.   Photos by Paul Schwarz and Kristen Thornton-De Stafeno
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Categories: Director's Corner, eNewsletter, Evergreen, Featured, and Library News.

Library Plaza Grand Opening

This post has expired. Take a look at photos from the grand opening here. You won't want to miss the grand opening of the Library Plaza, this Saturday, September 14th, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. There will be live music, activities for kids, and the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful, new public space. Look for the folks from the Pollinator Pathways movement, who will be discussing ways to support bees, birds, and butterflies. And a big thanks to the White Plains Beautification Foundation for the terrific plantings in the front of the Library. With so much work from so many,
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Categories: Director's Corner, eNewsletter, and Library News.

A Year in Review

Sometimes it's good to pause and take a look at where you've been—and where you're going. In June, at the end of the Library's fiscal year, we put together a Year in Review that summarizes many of the changes the Library has gone through in the past year, from the completion of The Hub, the opening of the Everyday Healthy Cafe, to new programs and services. Download and view the PDF here, or if you prefer to read in print, pick up a copy the next time you are in the Library. Thanks go to the Mayor and Common Council
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Categories: Director's Corner, eNewsletter, Evergreen, Featured, Homepage, Kids, Library News, and Teens.

One Book, One White Plains

This September and October, White Plains will come together as a community to read Celeste Ng’s Everything I Never Told You. A gripping page-turner and striking family portrait, the novel follows a Chinese American family in 1970s small-town Ohio as they try to understand the death of the oldest daughter, Lydia. It explores “alienation, achievement, race, gender, family, and identity” (Amazon.com). Writes the New York Times Book Review: “If we know this story, we haven’t seen it yet in American Fiction, not until now.” How to participate? If you have a book group, make Everything I Never Told You your
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Categories: Authors & Books, Director's Corner, eNewsletter, Events, and Library News.

Fall Do Gooders Schedule

Thanks to everyone who volunteered at the Library this summer! Overall, 80 volunteers completed 661 hours of community service in the Trove and the Edge in July and August. Our Do Gooders group made 55 dog toys for the Paws Crossed Animal Rescue center in Elmsford, 15 baby blankets for Project Linus, 128 paracord bracelets for military charity Operation Gratitude, four ziploc bags full of earrings for a women’s shelter, and countless birthday cards and placemats for Meals on Wheels. Thank you to the Allstate Foundation for the continued support of our various volunteer programs for teens. We can't wait
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Categories: Director's Corner, eNewsletter, Events, Library News, and Teens.

Book ‘Em Fall 2019-Spring 2020

Book ‘Em, our Mystery Book Group returns select Wednesdays at 2:30 p.m. beginning September 11th. This year we’re reading contemporary women authors—both first time novelists as well as the most acclaimed crime writers—with books that take us from Canada to Ireland to Japan. See the full list of dates below: September 11 (USA) Celeste Ng: Everything I Never Told You A huge mystery eats away at the center of the Lee family. October 16 (Ireland) Jo Spain: With Our Blessing Could a recent murder be linked to the notorious Magdalene Laundries? November 13 (Australia) Jane Harper: The Lost Man A
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Categories: Authors & Books, Director's Corner, eNewsletter, Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

July 2019 LibraryReads

Here are the top ten books published in June that librarians across the country love. Just click on a title or book cover to place it on hold. The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman Published: 7/9/2019 by Berkley “Nina likes her bookish life just fine. She works in a bookstore and is on a highly competitive trivia team. She is funny and snarky and great company (says this reader). Suddenly, a father she never knew dies and leaves her with a pack of brothers and sisters and Nina may be forced out of her comfortable reading chair.
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Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, and Library News.

New Playaway Launchpads

We just added over 30 new Playaway Launchpads to the Trove's collection. The new ones are in two types – video content (blue Launchpads) and apps (orange Launchpads) on various themes. We added several that are language-learning focused (ESL, learning Spanish, and learning Chinese), STEM concepts, and early literacy. Every Playaway Launchpad is pre-loaded with high-quality, ad-free learning apps and games, providing hours of interactive learning and play. Apps are grouped onto Launchpads by subject area, theme, grade level, and age. Featuring popular characters and brands, apps content spans subject areas from math and science to critical thinking and creativity,
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Categories: eNewsletter, Featured, Homepage, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Donations for Children & Teen Events

The Trove and Edge are asking for donations of items to be used in their upcoming programs. All items need to be in good condition. Donations can be brought to the Trove any time during our hours of operation. Items needed: Barbies, Kens, and similar sized dolls, as well as doll clothes that fit those dolls Matchbox or Hot Wheels type cars Action Figures – any kind Board Games and RPG manuals Construx, Mega Blox, KNEX, always accepting LEGOs
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Categories: eNewsletter, Events, Evergreen, Featured, Homepage, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.

Ransomware? Not Us.

You may have read in the media that the Westchester Library System has been attacked by a ransomware virus. Unfortunately, this is true. However, the White Plains Public Library is on a separate network from the Westchester Library System and our data has not been affected in any way. Access to the catalog and all other resources is unchanged.
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Categories: Director's Corner, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

June 2019 LibraryReads

Here are the top ten books published in June that librarians across the country love. Just click on a title or book cover to place it on hold. Evvie Drake Starts Over: A Novel by Linda Holmes Published: 6/25/2019 by Ballantine Books “Relationships are hard, whether with a spouse, a best friend, a new love interest, or ourselves. Evvie navigates all of these after a life-changing series of events. An engaging novel that explores relationship nuances without being too dark or too cutesy. For fans of Jenny Colgan, Cecilia Ahern, and Sophie Kinsella.”—Maribeth Fisher, Scotch Plains Public Library, Scotch Plains,
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Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Featured, and Library News.

Welcome to Summer Reading

This post has expired. Check back next June for information on our 2020 Summer Reading programs. The Library's 2019 Summer Reading Game kicks off July 2 and runs through August 9! In the Trove, families with children up to Kindergarten age will take part in a bingo-style game – reading, coming to Library programs, and completing activities to fill out their bingo board. Completed boards will enter families into raffles for fun grand prize packages in August. Children in Grades K-6 will use a game board, keeping track of their reading and attendance at Library programs, to get to the
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Categories: Director's Corner, eNewsletter, Events, and Library News.

Summer Maker Camps for Teens

This post has expired. Check back in June 2020 for next summer's camps or visit our teen calendar for current events. Our Summer of Making with the EDGE-ucators returns next month. Register today! Monday-Thursday (except where noted), 9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. For teen entering grades 7-12 in fall 2019. Snacks and refreshments will be provided. There is a $5 materials fee that will be collected on the first day. Session 1: Constructing a City – July 1-3 All those curious how a city is designed and built from bridges to dams and buildings, come build a city with a
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Categories: eNewsletter, Events, and Library News.

May 2019 LibraryReads

Here are the top ten books published this month that librarians across the country love. Just click on a title or book cover to place it on hold. The Bride Test by Helen Hoang Published: 5/7/2019 by Berkley Jove “On the autism spectrum, Khai doesn’t feel anything for anyone. His mother recruits Esme, a young Vietnamese woman, to marry him. A realistic, humorous romance that reveals the slow path to love and a meaningful relationship. For those who loved The Kiss Quotient, The Rosie Project, and The Wedding Date.”—Jessica C. Williams, Tiffin-Seneca Public Library, Tiffin, OH The Book Woman of
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Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, and Library News.