Published in the Westchester Guardian, March 2015
The White Pains Public Library (WPPL). 100 Martine Ave. White Plains, NY 10601. (914) 422-1400. http://whiteplainslibrary.org. E-mail:cybrarian@whiteplainslibrary.org
Mission Statement:
“The White Plains Public Library is a civic resource. Its mission is to enable all members of our community to engage in lifelong learning, find inspiration and build citizenship by providing: free and open access to recorded knowledge, personal guidance in its use and diverse opportunities for cultural exchange and exploration of ideas.”
Through the planning and action of the staff and Trustees, the Library will: “play a vigorous role in the life of the City by serving as a center for informational, educational, cultural and recreational enrichment;
- encourage full public use of the total range of library services;
- through hours of service and other means of service delivery, provide the greatest possible public access;
- employ qualified, skilled and resourceful personnel able to make the services of the Library responsive to the needs of the citizenry;
- offer an up-to-date collection of books, magazines other print and non-book materials and online resources that are carefully selected, systematically arranged, and aggressively promoted;
- Carry out its program of services in a comfortable, attractive, and safe Library building and grounds. “
Adopted by Library Board of Trustees 3/15/05
The Beginning: Their charter was signed 1899 by Melville Dewey of Dewey Decimal System fame. The collection numbered 800 volumes with a circulation of 4,300. The annual budget was $1,000, and a staff of one librarian; the city’s population was 7,969.
THE ELECTRONIC COLLECTION
Ebook and Audiobook Downloads
“Ebook borrowing through public libraries is evolving, and to give you the widest variety of ebook choices we are working with different vendors. This means that you need to check different ebook collections”. There are many sources and the WPPL will try to get what you want. “If you are looking for a bestseller, and we don’t have it, chances are that the publisher hasn’t made this ebook available to libraries.”
For WPPL cardholders, these are the three main collections areas to access: the WPPL OverDrive Collection, the Westchester Library System’s OverDrive Collection, and the Freading Collection.
WPPL’s Overdrive – collection is available to White Plains cardholders only. This free collection numbers over four thousand downloadable eBooks and audiobooks. It is compatible with all popular devices. Something that surprised me and needed- bring your device to the Library to learn how to download OverDrive titles in a scheduled1-1 training session. Call the reference desk, 422-1480, or come in person. They recommend starting your search here first.
Westchester Library System (WLS) – OverDrive. Consisting of titles available to all Westchester cardholders, and titles owned only by and for specific libraries.
Freading – WPPL cardholders only, “includes titles from most genres such as mystery, romance, and self-help. 10,000+ titles are available. There are a limited number of downloads per week. Compatible with all popular devices except the non-tablet Kindles. It does work with the Kindle fire.”
Filling in the media gaps. Other Overdrives OverDrive: NYT – The New York Times Best Sellers in the WPPL ebook Collection. Available to White Plains Cardholders only.
White Plains Kids’ OverDrive – Free downloadable eBooks and audiobooks for kids. Available to WPPL cardholders only.
TumbleBooks – Online Reading for Kids. A collection of animated, talking picture books which you can read, or have read to you.
OneClickdigital – “A collection of audiobooks (ebooks coming soon) for unlimited and instant download to your MP3 player or iPod. Patrons must create a free account with OneClickdigital to use the service. Includes teen and children’s audiobooks.” Support provided by OneClickdigital staff.
Project Gutenberg – No Library Card Needed. Choose from the largest collection (39,000) of free available ebooks. Read them online or via ePub, Kindle books. Books are free since the copyright has expired. WPPL does not offer support.”
Music Download Collection
Called Freegal Music, patrons have access to “over 8 million songs from over 28,000 labels including the SONY Music Catalogue. There is a weekly download limit and every song comes with a sample clip.
- Downloads are in the MP3 format. Videos are in the MP4 format. Both with no DRM. Will work on almost any computer, player, tablet or smartphone. Their mobile app is free in the Apple® App Store and in Google® Play
- Music videos will cost you 2 of your allotted downloads.
- “The search engine is both a simple and advanced search, and will return results primarily by the album that the song is from.”
ACTIVITIES AND SERVICES
Online Services and Activities
Online Help from Tutor.com for K-12 Students, College Students and Adults. “The K-12 Student Center, College Center and Adult Career Center from Tutor.com includes live, one-to-one tutoring, a real-time writing center and 24/7 access to worksheets, videos and tutorials in just about any subject. The live, online tutoring and resume writing service available every day from 2pm until 11pm ET. The service is completely free for our community. To access the service please visit www.tutor.com/whiteplains (or the library’s website). There are network of over 2,000 certified tutors as well as career specialists who are ready to help.”
- K-12 Student Center– Assistance with homework, test preparation, college entrance exams, etc. Subjects include math, science, social studies and English.
- College and Adult Career Center–Help available for specific subject, GED prepping, resume assistance, preparing for graduate school entrance exams or citizen examination. “Each center includes real-time writing assistance from English tutors and career specialists for resume help. Students and job seekers get – immediate feedback, writing tips and strategies as well as proofreading. Need help at midnight? No problem. The many thousands of resources include video, worksheets, study guides, etc., in math, science, social studies, English on 24/7 availability.”
Computers – CyperSpot – are located in five separate areas include Google Earth, Microsoft Office 7, Internet access, etc. Spanish, Center for Career and Business, Printing and WiFi. Two hour time limit per day. More information under the “Services” tab.
Hands on Activities
Enjoy the variety. Be aware some events require reservations and for your assistance, some may be bilingual.
For Children. Called The Trove – “a fun, exciting place where they can discover just about anything.” A multi-media sensory experience “combines the traditional library with the feel of a bookstore and the stimulation of a children’s museum.” The children’s calendar is now displaying events for March and April. Classes and activities occur during both the morning and early evening, seven days a week.
For Teens. This enhanced area for teens is called The Edge. Teen classes are all after 4 pm. The Edge has the following: a book review club, afternoon movies game making, a digital media specialist smart money topic, a sewing club a “Knit a Square for Charity”. There is also homework help, college and test prepping and tutor help (online) for all ages.
For both kids and teens there are links to the White Plains Youth Bureau and Recreation and Parks web sites. There are family activities throughout the week with Wednesday nights being Family Nights.
For Adults. Classes are held every day except Sundays. Monday to Thursday have a minimum of 2 classes including computer information, language and ‘drop-in’ courses. Other events are also available as discussed throughout this article.
Other Events, Classes and Activities
There are one to one training classes ranging from 3D printing to grant researching and learning how to use a library catalogue – all free. You need to sign up via their web site under the “Classes and Events” tab. Computer classes sporadically occur from Monday through Friday and vary from type to intensity. On Wednesdays there are drop-in classes. They, like other Westchester Library branches, have English as a second language through Westchester Community College. Classes are free. Students only need to purchase a textbook – $38.
Other Important stuff. The WPPL’ was awarded a 2014 PLS Building Award for a Library serving over 20,000 people for its cost-effective renovation project”. A new program called Hoopla is providing streaming, simultaneous use of items and downloadable movies, TV shows, audio books, and music for White Plains cardholders. Of course there are personal computers available for use and they also contain downloadable eBooks, Audiobooks and music through various services. Reservations should be made. Long time White Plains residents are needed for the People & Stories program that is intended to collect oral histories.
Free tickets to museums are available by reservation. The long list include The Guggenheim Museum, the Children’s Museum, the Intrepid and The Frick Collection in Manhattan. Others include the Danbury Railway Museum, the Katonah & Neuberger Museums of Art.
Homebound Services: The WPPL offers Homebound Services for White Plains residents who are unable to come to the Library due to temporary or permanent disability. Through this program, disabled patrons may call the Library to have books, audiobooks or compact discs delivered to their home.
Meeting rooms. Available from early morning through closing for civic organizations but for-profit organizations do not qualify. For more detail see the ‘Services Tab” on their web page.
Magazines. As with all the libraries in the WLS, they have a substantial collection of current and back issues of many magazines and serials located in the children, teen and adult sections.
No matter what you seek at the library, sometimes the simplest pleasure is to just wander and meander around the many shelves of great books. And don’t forget their valuable and highly trained, professional staff who are always ready to serve and assist. A priceless resource to all, for all.
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Glenn Slaby Blog