Spotlight On
A rotating showcase for topics of interest: current, historical, local, global. At the Library,
find a physical display highlighting materials in the collection that deepen one’s
understanding of and give context to the featured subject.
“Spotlight On” is also home to “Staff Picks,” where patrons will find reading, viewing,
and listening recommendations, and a forum for book clubs and other groups
in the community to share what they’re enjoying.
Fall for reading…with these cozy autumnal reads for all ages!
Maybe I’m biased, given that my desk provides a truly stunning view of the Palisades. But I think this is the best season of the year. Enjoy books for all ages: cozy fiction for middle and high school-aged kids, and picture books with vibrant colors for the littlest readers.
-Allee Manning, Youth Services Librarian
In the Middle of Fall
Kevin Henkes
This is a quick read that points out some of the natural visual markers of the season. Simple, with bright illustrations of foliage, this is a great one for kids as young as 2 to make the connection between what they’re seeing in their everyday life and what to expect next.
Falling for Autumn
Kim Dean
No booklist would be complete without a Pete the Cat picture book! This much-beloved character tries out a wide variety of autumnal things in this one: baking pumpkin pies, exploring a corn maze, knitting a scarf, going on a hayride, apple picking, playing football, and raking leaves. Toddlers who love Pete the Cat and have been involved in fall festivities themselves will love this one.
Mindy Kim and the Mid-Autumn Festival
Lyla Lee
Mindy Kim celebrates Chuseok with her family in Korea! This is a great book for kids curious about or familiar with this annual festival in Korean culture. The reason for the Kim family’s travel is centered around the death of a grandparent, which is also a refreshingly real depiction of real life that may resonate with some new readers (typically grades 1-3, depending on reading level and interest).
The Vanderbeekers Lost and Found
Karina Yan Glaser
One of the best books in the Vanderbeekers series! This heartwrenching story features the characters you already know and love, with the city in all of its autumnal glory as an evocative backdrop. Middle grade students who care about social issues and are feeling ready to deal with “tough stuff” in their realistic fiction will definitely appreciate this one.
Pumpkinheads
Rainbow Rowell
This teen graphic novel is set at a pumpkin patch during Halloweentime. This sweet story of a friendship between two teens during their last work shift is cozy as a steaming hot cider.
Truly Devious
Maureen Johnson
One of my very favorite boarding school stories! This mystery is set at the fictional Ellingham Academy in Vermont, where superlative students pursue their super-niche passions, and is wonderfully suspenseful (without being too scary).
Graphic Novels for Adults
This Beautiful, Ridiculous City
Kay Sohini
A memoir of a woman who travels to New York City from Calcutta, inspired and saved by New York writers and the stories they told.
Good Talk
Mira Jacob
A memoir that is both funny and touching, exploring race, identity, politics, and life in general in the U.S. in the 21st century.
It's Lonely at the Centre of the Earth
Zoe Thorogood
A look at six months of cartoonist Thorogood’s life, as she tries to put her life together after it falls apart.
Roaming
Jillian Tamaki
Explore More…
Interested in The New York Times best sellers? See them here!
Check out Senior Planet from AARP. Senior Planet is a community of people 60 and older who are learning to thrive in the digital world. Senior Planet programs are offered free of charge online and in-person. For classes on topics like artificial intelligence (AI), digital privacy & security, smartphones, social groups and more, visit the Senior Planet center in Chelsea (127 West 25th Street New York, NY 10001) or online at seniorplanet.org. Not quite sure where to start? Give their toll-free hotline a call at (888) 713-3495.
Watch a Youtube video from the Social Security Administration about scam awareness.
200 Books That Shaped 200 Years of Literature from The Center for Fiction
Meet Libby, the library reading app that has now replaced the OverDrive app. Upgrade to Libby today. You’ll find the same great titles and all of your loans, holds, and wish list items waiting for you. Watch a video about Libby to get started.
The New York State Department of Labor is partnering with Coursera to offer free classes to unemployed New Yorkers.
Visit Westchester Library System’s website for Seniors to see library programs and services just for seniors. This includes information on VisionLabs, a program designed to find new ways for libraries to serve patrons with visual impairments and emerging vision loss.
The Television News Archive, launched September 2012, is an archive of hundreds of thousands of hours of news programming from 20 different networks, made sharable and searchable through closed captioning data. Follow this link to check it out.
The Internet Archive’s Democracy’s Library is working to provide free and open access to government materials in an online catalog for the public.
You can now turn your smart phone into a mobile PDF scanner! Download the free Adobe Scan app and scan any text, convert to PDF or JPEG, edit and share easily.