The Slow Reading book group, led by Ellen Lambert, fosters close, attentive reading and discussion of great works of literature–both short stories and novels. This winter and spring, the group will continue to explore the richness and variety of the African-American literary tradition. Ellen has a Ph.D. from Yale in English and taught high-school English at The Dalton School for over 25 years. Feel free to contact Ellen at ellenzlambert@gmail.com or 914-582-4050 with any questions. January 11th and 25th January selections are from Edward P. Jones's luminous first collection of stories, Lost in the City (1992). “The Girl Who Raised
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Archives for events
Learn about Ancient Egypt!
Museums with Marisa will take you back in time to Ancient Egypt for a fun and fact-filled series of archaeological explorations! Note: a free registered Zoom account is required to access the Library’s youth programs. Get a Zoom account here. The Great Pyramids and the Giza Plateau Tuesday, February 16 at 3:30 p.m. Grades 1-6, Teens Access the program here Learn about the history and archaeology of one of Ancient Egypt’s most well-known sites, The Pyramids of Giza. What’s Up, King Tut? Wednesday, February 17 at 3:30 p.m. Grades 1-6, Teens Access the program here Learn about that most famous
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ancient egypt, edge events, egypt, events, history, King Tut, mummies, museums, pyramids, The Edge, The Trove, and trove events.
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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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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Storybook Dancing Fall Events
The Library is happy to (virtually) host the fantastic program, Storybook Dancing, presented by Steffi Nossen School of Dance throughout the Fall. A creative, movement-filled program for young ones to hear stories and then dance them to life! Thursdays, 10:00 a.m., September 10 and 24, October 8 and 22, November 5, and December 3. (link to calendar) Supported by the White Plains Library Foundation. NOTE: To increase security in youth-focused programs, we are now requiring attendees to have a Zoom account to login to the event. Creating an account is easy and free.
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events, Steffi Nossen, Storybook dancing, and trove events.
Jester Jim LIVE!: October 10
Juggling fire and spinning iPads is just the start. With a background in film making and over 3 million views on social media The Jester Jim Virtual Comedy Show is just what you need! This 40 minute live broadcast packed with tricks, balancing, and laughs, will leave you wanting more. Come join us for all the fun and interact with Jim and his amazing show, LIVE! To attend the show at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 10, click here to get the Zoom link! This program is supported by the White Plains Library Foundation.
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September 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 the featured book and compete against friends in a mini trivia game. Our next virtual meeting has been rescheduled and will take place on Friday, September 11th at 6:30 p.m. This month, we’re reading Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy, which has also been made into a Netflix movie. Willowdean, nicknamed Dumplin’ by her mother, feels comfortable in her plus-size skin. But she faces constant criticism from her mom, a former beauty queen who still runs the annual
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book club, book discussion, book group, events, teen book club, and teens.
Performance: Illusionist Leon Etienne
The Library is excited to announce a performance by Illusionist Leon Etienne on July 22 at 6:30 p.m.! You’ve seen Leon Etienne on NBC’s America’s Got Talent, he fooled Penn & Teller on the CW’s Penn & Teller: Fool Us! and blew Jimmy Fallon’s mind on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and in the past few weeks on CW’s Masters of Illusion! Leon has performed at Radio City Music Hall, headlined in Las Vegas, and blown minds at dozens of legendary venues around the globe. Find out more about Illusionist Leon Etienne at www.magicrocks.com. Join us as Leon presents a
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Summer Programs and Events for Kids, Teens, and Families
While we might not be able to hold them in the Library, that doesn’t mean we’re not offering a lot of great programs in July and August! For full details on each program, and to get Zoom links, visit our Online Calendar. Of course, we also have our annual Summer Reading Game to take part in, and tons of fantastic reading recommendations in our Reading Lists! Family Fun Fridays – Fridays, July 10-August 14, 11:00 a.m. A great performance for children and families every Friday. More information here. Illusionist Leon Etienne – Wednesday, July 22, 6:30 p.m. World-class magician Leon
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children's events, Edge, edge events, events, family events, Family Fun Fridays, kids, performances, STEAM, STEAM Camps, STEM, storytime, summer programs, summer reading, summer reading game, teen events, teens, trove, and trove events.
Let’s Dance! – Reading and Dance Party
Join us on Thursday, June 11 at 2:00 p.m. for a fun music and dancing author program! For ages 2-7 and their families. Author Valerie Bolling virtually visits and reads from her musical, dance-filled, fun book for younger kids, Let’s Dance! Let’s Dance! is a rhythmic showcase of dances from around the world featuring children of diverse backgrounds and abilities tapping, spinning and boogying away! The reading will be followed by Q&A time, then a fun dance party! Valerie Bolling has been an educator for over 25 years and a writer since age 4. She is a graduate of Tufts
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author visit and events.
Author Visit: Erika Liodice
On Wednesday, June 10th at 4:00 p.m., author Erika Liodice will join us for an author visit to read her book Rookie of the Year, part of the High Flyers series. Rocket’s got speed. He’s got talent, along with two blue racing stripes on his wings. There’s only one thing standing between this rookie racing pigeon and his dream of scoring a spot on the High Flyers racing team: ground school. I interviewed Erika over email, and here's what she had to say about her career: “I’ve had a curious mind and heart and wrote my first book when I
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author visit, Erika Liodice, events, and High Flyers.
Virtual Tabletop Games
Do you miss playing board games and card games with your friends at the Library? Join Librarians Ashley and Erik on Monday, June 1 & June 15 from 4:00-5:30 p.m. to play tabletop games virtually. We use the platform boardgamearena.com to play the games, and have a conversation on Zoom. To join us, first create a free account on boardgamearena.com and login. Make a note of your username. Sign onto the Zoom link to talk to Ashley and Erik so you can tell us what games you would like to play, get instructions on how to play, and chat with
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events and tabletop games.
Virtual Book Club for Teens
Due to uncertainty about large public gatherings this fall, the Battle of the Books (BOB) competition has been postponed until October 2021. We (librarians and BOB coaches Lauren and Kat) are glad this decision has been made in the interest of safety… but we worry we’ll miss our BOB team too much! So, we’re excited to begin a monthly virtual book club for teens. Each month, we’ll read and discuss a book that’s available with unlimited copies on Hoopla. We’ll also keep our BOB skills sharp with Jeopardy games, trivia questions, and maybe even drills to improve our speed on
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Pause…and Reflect Writing Workshop
Pause…and Reflect: Stories from Your Side of the Window. Join us for this 8-session online creative writing workshop beginning June 2nd. Through exercises and supportive evaluations, you’ll learn techniques that will help you get at the heart of your stories from the pandemic. At the conclusion of the workshop, you are invited to have your story recorded and preserved on film to show us how, for all the distance, the walls and windows, the lack of touch, we are still intimately connected. Ultimately, these stories will become part of the new collection, Documenting COVID-19: White Plains Experiences, created by Library
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May Virtual Open Mic
On Saturday, May 30th, the Library will host another Virtual Open Mic. This event will take place from 5:00 to 5:50 p.m. To attend, access Zoom with this link on 5/30. If you submitted anything for our comic or poetry prompts, or for our Documenting COVID-19 collection and would like to share your pieces at the event, please join us. Writing is a solitary activity, and as we are socially distancing it can become even more solitary if we don’t have a place to share our work collectively. In the past I have done readings in Westchester and New York
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events and virtual open mic.
Virtual Table Top Gaming Programs
Do you miss playing fun games with your friends at the library? Join Ashley and Erik from the Trove and the Edge to play virtual table top games! Before our first program, please have your parent or caregiver help you create a free online account on boardgamearena.com. Note: Boardgamearena.com does have a for-pay premium service. Please take care when creating your account to not incur any unwanted charges. We will host the game on Zoom and play the games on boardgamearena.com. We’ll play Kingdomino, Solo, and Sushi Go! For children and teens in grades 4 and up! Our first session
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events, programs, and Virtual Table Top Gaming.
Teen Calendar
Yes, our beautiful building at 100 Martine is temporarily closed, but it turns out there are plenty of other ways we can keep the Library open and still serve White Plains. Join us on Zoom (thanks to support from the White Plains Library Foundation) with a variety of virtual events presented by Library staff and local experts. Find a full listing of events below with details on attending. And don't forget, you can reach us Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at our new number 914-448-4859, by texting WPPL to 66746, or by emailing us anytime. Ideas for
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edge events, events, teen calendar, and virtual calendar.
April 2020 Teen Calendar
Yes, our beautiful building at 100 Martine is temporarily closed, but it turns out there are plenty of other ways we can keep the Library open and still serve White Plains. Join us on Zoom with a variety of virtual events presented by Library staff and local experts. Find a full listing of events below with details on registering. And don't forget, you can reach us Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at our new number 914-448-4859, by texting WPPL to 66746, or by emailing us anytime. Ideas for programs or activities? Send them my way. Take care,
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Cancellation Updates
Program Cancellations: Check back here for updates All Programs and Events Suspended through March 31st As a precaution to help limit the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and support the City of White Plains' efforts to promote social distancing, the White Plains Public Library has suspended all programming and events through March 31. The Library will remain open during our regular hours. The Westchester Library System is suspending all loans between libraries for the foreseeable future. We believe this is in the best interest of our staff, patrons and the public health of the County. This means our patrons will no
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cancellation, coronavirus, events, and programs.
‘Social Media 101’ Will Help Bridge the Digital Divide
Social Media–Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Twitter, etc.–is as revolutionary to communications in the 21st century as the telegraph, telephone, radio, television and, yes, the computer were to the 19th and 20th. But innovation comes with the challenge of acclimation, and to meet it, White Plains Public Library digital media specialist Austin Olney will host two Social Media 101 programs in the main floor's Edge Media Lab on Tuesday, November 28, at 6 p.m. and on Wednesday, December 13, at 11 a.m. “We are targeting seniors and those who are not familiar with modern technology and software,” says Olney. “Social media is a popular resource, and it is
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