We're Going Fine Free!
 We want kids to read. So we are eliminating one of the biggest impediments kids face: late fees on children’s and young adult materials.
A public library’s most important responsibility is to develop readers. And research has shown that having books in the home is a critical factor in becoming a reader. But the sad fact is, too many young people can’t borrow books because of outstanding fines.
But even though we are removing fines, kids and their caregivers will still be responsible for returning all library material—or else risk having their account suspended.
How this works:
We expect all users to return their materials on time and to renew materials if they need them for longer.
Children’s and young adult materials borrowed at the White Plains Public Library and returned late will not incur fines.
This policy only affects materials borrowed from the White Plains Public Library. The materials can be returned at any Westchester Library System library, fine free.
As always, materials that are overdue will eventually be considered lost, and patrons will be billed for the cost of the lost materials.
Library users with $25 or more in lost materials will have their library privileges suspended until the materials are returned or the bill is paid.
Now let's get reading!
Brian Kenney
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This Week in White Plains
Don't miss the Juneteenth Parade and Festival – a celebration of African American heritage and freedom. The parade and festival will be held this Saturday, June 9.
The parade will feature bands, dancers, drummers and community groups, and the route begins at Mamaroneck Avenue and Edgewood Avenue and proceeds north to Main St. At Main Street the parade route continues east and concludes at City Hall. Mamaroneck Avenue will be closed from 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. and Main St from MLK Boulevard to Conroy Drive will be closed from 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. The festival will follow on Court Street at 12:00 p.m. and includes entertainment, vendors and food. All are welcome to join!
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Healthy Relationships
 Next Monday, June 11 at 4:00 p.m. in the Edge, teens will be able to take a workshop on healthy relationships. This workshop will help teens to identify and examine what behaviors are controlling or damaging in relationships.
This educational workshop is offered by Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic. Refreshments will be served. No registration required.
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Studio Collective Art Exhibit
 Studio Collective 2018 presents the Collective’s two major bodies of work: Our River and Our Library at an opening reception on Saturday June 16, from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. in our Museum Gallery.
Our River includes work in various disciplines: artist book, collage, drawing, multi-media, photography, and printmaking, that addresses the global issues of energy, land and water use, along with the local history of the Hudson River’s industrial pollution and clean up. A projection of how the future might look has been a constant discussion among the group, who found inspiration in Pete Seeger’s accomplishments as the leader of the movement to restore the health of the Hudson River. Our River includes an exhibition essay by art historian Juliana Krienik.
Our Library is the group’s most recent project. Stemming from the members’ concern about the current struggle for funding of public libraries in America, the artists each created a series describing their relationship to these institutions. The work includes drawing, collage, mixed media, photography, printmaking and paper installation.
The Studio Collective is a group of six politically and socially engaged artists that have been producing work together since 2012 in Westchester County. The group includes an author and book illustrator, a master printer, a multi-media artist, a cartoonist, an installation artist and a photographer.
The artwork is for sale and ten percent of the proceeds support Friends of the White Plains Library, which sponsors programing and staff development. This exhibit will be on display through July 30.
Featured photo is of Diane Brawarsky's "In Praise of Libraries."
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Storybook Dancing
 Twice this month, on Tuesday, June 12 and 26 at 11:00 a.m. the Steffi Nossen School of Dance will present Storybook Dancing, a creative movement class for 3-4 year-olds taught by Kristina Todd Nelson. Space is limited to 15 dancers, tickets will be handed out on a first-come, first-served basis starting 30 minutes before the program.
Each week dancers will go on an adventure into a classic story book and dance their way through the pages while learning fun, creative dance. Explore literature, music and dance in this fun and engaging workshop!
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Teen Volunteer Opportunities
 There's still time to register your child for our summer volunteer opportunities. When it comes to volunteering at the library, we’re offering three different volunteer opportunities for White Plains teens.
Reading Buddies
In a favorite volunteer activity, teens are paired with children who are learning to read. Runs July 10 through August 9: Tuesdays 4:30-7:00 pm, Wednesdays 2:30-5:00 pm, and Thursdays 2:30-5:00 pm. Teens (Grades 9-12 only) must:
- fill out an application form
- attend a training session the week of July 2nd
- commit to volunteering one day per week for four out of the five weeks
Do Gooders
Teens in grades 7-12 can earn community service hours on Tuesdays from 3-5 pm, from July 3 through August 14. No application; registration required. Projects include: sewing baby blankets for local hospitals, making cat toys for the SPCA, and designing cards for veterans through the American Red Cross. Students should register for the Tuesdays they’re available by visiting the online teen calendar for July and August or by calling Kathlyn Carroll at 914-422-6945.
Build a Better Book
In this mini-camp, teens will design tactile picture books for children with visual impairments. Teens in grades 9-12 are invited to apply for this mini-camp; 10 slots are available. Teens must be able to attend all four days: Monday, August 20 through Thursday, August 23, from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm each day.
Applications can be found at the Trove’s Compass Desk and in the Edge. Printable PDF applications can be found on our website. Contact Kathlyn Carroll at 914-422-6945 or kcarroll@whiteplainslibrary.org with any additional questions or visit our website for further info and requirements.
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Pride Month Reads
Each June we honor the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan, which played an essential role in beginning the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States. Memorials are held during this month for those members of the community who have been lost to hate crimes or HIV/AIDS. "The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally" (Library of Congress).
This month to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, we have a Pride Month display of recommended reads in our Adult Fiction section, and below are a few additional recommendations, all of which won a Lambda Literary award earlier this week.
 Lesbian Fiction
Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
Machado blithely demolishes the arbitrary borders between psychological realism and science fiction, comedy and horror, fantasy and fabulism. In this electric and provocative debut, Machado bends genre to shape startling narratives that map the realities of women’s lives and the violence visited upon their bodies.
 Gay Fiction
After the Blue Hour: a True Fiction by John Rechy
Fleeing a turbulent life in Los Angeles, twenty-four-year-old writer John Rechy accepts an invitation to a private island from an admirer of his work. There, he joins Paul, his imposing host in his late thirties, his beautiful mistress, and his precocious teenage son. "Grown-up stuff, with a kind of Gatsby-by-way-of–Henry James subplot. Beautifully written but surely not for the faint of heart." —Kirkus Reviews
 Bisexual Fiction
The Gift by Barbara Browning
In the midst of Occupy, Barbara Andersen begins spamming people indiscriminately with ukulele covers of sentimental songs. A series of inappropriate intimacies ensues, including an erotically charged correspondence and then collaboration with an extraordinarily gifted and troubled musician living in Germany. “The Gift is a smart, funny, heartbreaking and often sexy delight of a novel that presses hard against the boundaries of where literary and artistic performances begin and end.” —New York Times Book Review
 Bisexual Nonfiction
Hunger by Roxane Gay
In her phenomenally popular essays and long-running Tumblr blog, Roxane Gay has written with intimacy and sensitivity about food and body, using her own emotional and psychological struggles as a means of exploring peoples shared anxieties over pleasure, consumption, appearance, and health.
 LGBTQ Nonfiction
How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
The Combahee River Collective, a path-breaking group of radical black feminists, was one of the most important organizations to develop out of the antiracist and women’s liberation movements of the 1960s and 70s. In this collection of essays and interviews edited by activist-scholar Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, founding members of the organization and contemporary activists reflect on the legacy of its contributions to Black feminism and its impact on today’s struggles
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Photo of The Week
 Left: Last week we celebrated the opening of a Citywide School Art Show in our Museum Gallery. Students, parents and teachers all attended to celebrate K-12 student art. All art will remain on display through Thursday, June 7 Visit our website for a gallery of more photos from the opening..
We want your photos! In each issue of This Week on Martine we will feature one patron submitted photo that was taken in White Plains. To submit your photography for a chance to be featured, visit our photo submission page, upload one of your photos and fill out our form with a short description of the photo and your name.
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