Archives for Library News

White Plains Youth Bureau Accepting Applications for Youth of the Year Award

The White Plains Youth Bureau is now accepting applications for its Youth of the Year Award. The Award is given annually to a graduating high school senior from either a public or private school. The award recognizes outstanding volunteer service and contributions to making a difference in the City of White Plains. The award recipient must be a City of White Plains resident. Service activities may include tutoring, helping the elderly, conducting food and clothing drives, fund raising for charitable programs, organizing community events, mentoring and coaching, etc. The deadline for nominations is October 18, 2013. Nomination forms may be
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Categories: Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

The History and Future of Video Games

The progression of technology is seemingly exponential, especially with regard to electronic gaming. In “The History & Future of Video Games,” a class consisting of three independent sessions on October 2, October 9, and October 23 at 3:30 p.m., teens are exposed to video games of the past and present in order to imagine the video games of the future. Each session is one hour in length and open to teens, no registration required. There is a limit of 10 gamers, with admission based on arrival time. In the final week we look at the history and future of FPS
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Categories: Classes, Featured, Homepage, Library News, and Technology.

College Essay Workshop for First Generation College Students

We will host a college essay writing workshop for first generation college students on Saturday, October 19 from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. and Saturday, October 26 from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. (This is a two-session program.) The workshop is open to high school seniors who are first in their families to apply to and attend college. Learn how to “tell your story” and write a college essay that has impact and will capture the attention of college admissions. Class size is limited. Registration required. Register early for a spot! There is a $15 fee for materials due on first day
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Categories: Classes, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Join Job Club for Expert Job Seeking Advice

Out of work? Underemployed? Looking to change career paths or just start one? The White Plains Library Job Club is for you. Each week professional career counselors will introduce a new topic from interview skills to using social media for a job search. Get support, exchange ideas, ask questions or explore new strategies. Adults are welcome each Tuesday morning, 10:30-Noon, until December 10th. While it is recommended and encouraged that you attend the entire series, you are welcome to come when you're able. For further information, contact Librarian Sharon Rothman (914) 422-6979 or SRothman@whiteplainslibrary.org
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Categories: Classes, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Personal Finance Workshop: Planning for Long Term Care and Disability

If you got sick and needed long term care, how would you pay for it? Who would handle your bills and your health care decisions? Are you worried that your aging parents might need long term care? Elder law attorney Frances Pantaleo, Partner of Walsh, Amicucci & Pantaleo LLP and Chair of the Elder Law Section of the New York State Bar Association, will help you navigate this complicated topic, discussing ways to protect your assets, estate planning considerations, and long term care insurance. Part of the Allstate Readiness Series, a community education program supported by a generous grant from
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Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Come Join the Job Club

Out of work? Underemployed? Looking to change career paths or just start one? This newly formed job club is for you. Each week professional career counselors will introduce a new topic from interview skills to using social media for a job search. Get support, exchange ideas, ask questions or explore new strategies. Adults are welcome each Tuesday morning, 10:30-Noon, from now until December 10th. While it is recommended and encouraged that you attend the entire series, you are welcome to come when you're able. For further information, contact Librarian Sharon Rothman (914) 422-6979 or SRothman@whiteplainslibrary.org
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Categories: Classes, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Hands-on Help for the Unemployed and Under-Employed

Our next program for job seekers provides two great workshops in one: 1. Digital Dirt: Unfavorable Information About You That Can Be Found on the Internet. Do you realize that digital dirt might sabotage your job search or career development? Come and learn how to manage your online reputation. 2. E-Resumes: Preparing Your Resume for Email and Online Job Sites. Format your resume for posting online and emailing to prospective employers. Bring your resume saved on a flash stick/floppy disk/email in .doc format. This program takes place Wednesday, September 25, 7:30 – 8:45 p.m. Seats are limited, so don’t delay!
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Categories: Classes, Featured, Homepage, Library News, and Technology.

Fall SAT Prep and College Workshops

This fall get ready to take the SATs and start your college applications at the Library. Princeton Review will be holding two SAT practice test sessions on September 21 and October 12. They will be following up with their SAT 101 Test Review course on October 26. College Planning 101 is coming to give two workshops in September:  Creating Your Path to College on September 23 and Admissions & Financial Aid on September 25. These are for both parents and teens.
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Categories: Classes, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Four Pillars of Business Wisdom

A Wealth of Finance, Marketing, Legal, and HR Advice in One Evening! SCORE Westchester and Webster Bank are presenting a free forum at the Library on Wednesday, September 18 at 6:30 p.m. with four leading business experts who will present unique points of view on sales growth, financial control, business asset protection and employee retention. • Learn about the most current and effective marketing tools and techniques, online and offline, to increase your sales. • Find out how to maximize your free cash flow and as a result, improve your profitability. • Discover how to protect your business and its
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Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Venessa Marco Performs at White Plains Library Poetry Slam

Our Poetry Slam & Open Mic program this Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. features Venessa Marie Marco, a member of the 2013 Nuyorican National Slam Team, which placed third in the National Poetry Slam in Boston in August. She is an Afro-Caribbean writer who recently moved to New York to pursue her education in creative writing and anthropology. Come hear Venessa and share one of your poems with us. The program starts with an open mic session, and ends with a poetry slam, with our guest’s performance in between. To take part in the open mic or slam, please register at
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Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Julia and the "Duke"

The White Plains Jazz Festival is coming to town September 6, 7 and 8! Our contribution to this celebration of excellent music and food is to bring back Julia Breanetta Simpson, who performed her acclaimed one-woman show “Harlem On My Mind” here in February 2011. The auditorium was packed! It's best to arrive early to ensure a seat – and entrance to the concert, we have fire codes to adhere to! Please join us for another amazing show, this time featuring the music of Edward “Duke” Ellington, on Saturday, September 7 from 2:00-3:00 p.m. Doors open at 1:30 p.m. Like
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Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Kindergarten Here I Come!

School starts in White Plains on Monday, September 9. For children entering Kindergarten, it is an important time. Watch a film together with your child to help them get ready. Upbeat and authentic, this 18 minute, special video generates excitement about starting Kindergarten. There will be an all day continuous showing in The Cave alternating in both English and Spanish, from 12 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, September 4, Thursday, September 5, and Friday September 6.
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Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

International Film Festival Coming to a Close

Thank you to everyone who joined us for this summer's festival. We plan to be back next year with a variety of acclaimed international films. Our last film will be Rudo y Cursi (Mexico, comedy/drama/sport), starring Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal, who also starred together in the critically praised Y Tu Mamá También. Rudo y Cursi will be shown Monday, August 26 at 2 p.m. and repeated at 7 p.m. All of this summer's films will be put in our DVD collection. We hope you will borrow any you missed or particularly loved.
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Categories: Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Library Team Competes in National Poetry Slam

The Library's poetry slam team is competing in preliminary bouts at the 2013 National Poetry Slam in Boston this Tuesday and Thursday. Hostage, Eric ZORK Alan (slammaster), Nina Robins, and AJ won spots on the team by competing in our Poetry Slam Finals in May. Assistant slammaster LV (Laura Vookles) will also travel to Boston with the team. The White Plains Library Slam will be one of 72 teams from all over the United States and Canada who will take part in the preliminaries at seven venues in the Boston-Cambridge area. Twenty teams will advance to the semifinals on Thursday,
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Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Don't Miss the Rest of the International Film Festival

Join us while you can for our International Film Festival! Each film will be shown at 2 p.m., and repeated at 7 p.m., on Mondays through the end of August. Last week's film, The Band's Visit was sweet. If you haven't seen it, I recommend borrowing the DVD from our collection. In it, an Egyptian ceremonial band traveling to the opening of an Arab cultural arts center in Israel find themselves in the wrong small Israeli town after the last bus has left. This leads to an interesting night for all as the Israelis and Arabs touch each others lives
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Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

The Final Four Films!

Our International Film Festival concludes at the end of August, so join us while you can! Each film will be shown at 2 p.m., and repeated at 7 p.m., on Mondays. Here's the remaining films: 8/5 The Band’s Visit (Israel, comedy/drama) 8/12 Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter and … Spring (South Korea, drama) 8/19 Albert Nobbs (UK/Ireland, drama) 8/26 Rudo y Cursi (Mexico, comedy/drama/sport) We hope you'll come see as many films as your schedule allows. After the festival, the films will be put in our DVD collection and you can borrow any you missed. All films will be shown with
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Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Library Reads – A new nationwide list for book lovers

Every day our library staff share books they love with our patrons. Now, you can reach beyond the White Plains Public Library walls to find out what books librarians in the rest of the country can’t wait to share. LibraryReads – a new program, launching today, harnesses the value of “library staff picks” into a single nationwide discovery tool, a monthly list of ten newly released must-reads. To discover the first list, visit the Library Reads website at libraryreads.org
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Categories: Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Hacker Academy

The White Plains Public Library is proud to announce the first in what is expected to be a series of exciting new technology programs geared specifically for teens: Hacker Academy: How to create and program your own computer. In this course, consisting of four one and a half hour sessions from July 11 through August 1, teens will be introduced to the world of small board computers as well how to hack them to boot and use Linux. Provided for each of the 10 participants in the course is an Android-based computer, specifically the APC 8750 from VIA Technologies, Inc.
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Categories: Classes, Library News, and Technology.

What's Next in the International Film Festival?

If you haven't yet, please join us for our ongoing International Film Festival. On Mondays in July and August we're showing films from a variety of countries. Each film will be shown at 2 p.m. and repeated at 7 p.m. We hope you'll come see as many films as your schedule allows. After the festival, the films will be put in our DVD collection and you can borrow any you missed. All films will be shown with subtitles. Here's the remaining films: 7/29 Talk to Her (Spain, drama) 8/5 The Band’s Visit (Israel, comedy/drama) 8/12 Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter and
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Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Downloading Free Music with Freegal

Come to our computer class on Thursday, August 1, from 10:15 to 11:45 a.m., and learn how to download files from Freegal Music, a service provided by the Library. Bring your MP3 player and choose from thousands of artists and millions of pop, rock, country and classical songs, in genres ranging from acapella to zydeco. You can listen to a 30-second clip of any available song before you decide whether or not you want to download it. The downloads on this site are all in MP3 format with no DRM. Freegal will work with any MP3 player, including iPod, and
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Categories: Classes, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.