Teen News

Mother’s Day Gift Ideas!
Mother’s Day is coming up! Do you still need
a gift for your mom? If so, check out our
jewelry and craft sale, located across from the
Circulation Desk! Available any time we’re open.

Join Our Battle of the Books Teams!
We’re looking for book-savvy tweens and teens entering grades 4 through 12 in Fall 2025! We’re fielding a kids’ team and a teen team in the annual Westchester-wide Battle of the Books Tournament. Learn more about the tournament here, and email childrens@dobbsferrylibrary.org to get the link to the virtual interest meeting on Wednesday, May 14th, at 7:15pm.
Upcoming Programs
Print of the Month: Random Springtime Assortment
Sunday, May 11
All Day
Alex ran out of ideas for May so you can choose between any of these unrelated and sort-of springy keychains made using the library’s 3D printer! Options are happy cloud, rainbow & clouds, caterpillar, butterfly, bee, or bird.
Email teens@dobbsferrylibrary.
Demystifying AI: Everyday Uses for Everyone
Monday, May 12
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Curious about artificial intelligence but not sure where to start? Join us for a friendly, hands-on session to explore how AI tools can help with everyday tasks—like planning a trip, organizing your schedule, understanding paperwork, or even finding quick answers during appointments. We’ll compare AI to using the internet to make it simple and familiar.
No tech experience needed—just bring your curiosity! Open to all ages and background or comfort with technology. Light snacks will be served, and we’ll end with a Q&A so you can ask questions and try things out in real time.
Facilitated by Tanya Kersten: Dobbs Ferry resident, parent, and science enthusiast who loves helping people feel empowered with new tools.
Diplomacy Decoded: Interpersonal Diplomacy Workshop for High School Students via ZOOM (Registration)
Monday, May 12
6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Learn diplomacy skills to prepare for applying for internships, jobs, and networking opportunities.
TONIGHT’S TOPIC: Detailed dive on interaction skills and public speaking
Register here, or email teens@dobbsferrylibrary.org or diplomacydecoded@gmail.com
Dungeons & Dragons (Waitlist)
Wednesday, May 14
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Ages 8-18
Create a character! Fight monsters! Make your own luck! Develop your skills in this fantasy role-playing system with other kids just like you.
Each player will only attend once a week on either Wednesday or Thursday; your slot will be assigned by the library based on your availability, experience, and other factors. The club is spread across two days to accommodate as many members as possible and follows the Dobbs Ferry Schools calendar for vacations and days off. Please only sign up if you think you can attend most of the meetings.
Registration is required via this Google form. You are not registered until a librarian contacts you with confirmation and scheduling details. This program is full but you can still sign up for the waitlist.
PROGRAM FULL to be placed on the waitlist or ask a question email children’s librarian Gina at childrens@dobbsferrylibrary.org, and participants aged 13-18 can email teen librarian Alex at teens@dobbsferrylibrary.org.
Demystifying AI: Everyday Uses for Everyone
Wednesday, May 14
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Curious about artificial intelligence but not sure where to start? Join us for a friendly, hands-on session to explore how AI tools can help with everyday tasks—like planning a trip, organizing your schedule, understanding paperwork, or even finding quick answers during appointments. We’ll compare AI to using the internet to make it simple and familiar.
No tech experience needed—just bring your curiosity! Open to all ages and background or comfort with technology. Light snacks will be served, and we’ll end with a Q&A so you can ask questions and try things out in real time.
Facilitated by Tanya Kersten: Dobbs Ferry resident, parent, and science enthusiast who loves helping people feel empowered with new tools.
Online Resources

Comics Plus is provided by Westchester Library System. Access graphic novels for all ages from 80 publishers for free with your library card!
Click here to get started |
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Indigenous peoples are often overlooked by the dominant forces in contemporary American society. They’re a vital part of our past, but also of our present and future. Springhurst librarian Lauren Rodriguez, Middle/High School media specialist Ellen Elsen, and K-8 literacy coordinator Michelle Yang-Kaczmarek have teamed up with Dobbs Ferry Public Library children’s librarian Gina Elbert and teen librarian Allee Manning to create the below resource list to help you dive deeper into indigenous literature for kindergarten through 12th grade. While it focuses on the indigenous peoples of the United States, it also contains a short section acknowledging native peoples of other countries in the Americas. These stories span contemporary life as well as historical fact and are part of a growing movement in publishing to better represent marginalized voices. Many are about Native Americans of the continental United States, but Native Hawaiians and Alaskans appear too. This is a sampling of available resources and not an exhaustive list. If you would like help finding more, please contact your librarian(s).

Every year, from mid-September to mid-October, Americans recognize National Hispanic Heritage Month by honoring the culture, histories, and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came to the country from Spanish-speaking countries in Europe and the Americas. The first celebration took place during one week in mid-September of 1968, with the timeframe chosen to honor independence day celebrations in many Spanish-speaking countries, including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua (all on September 15), Mexico (September 16), and Chile (September 18). In 1988, the celebration was expanded to last a month, from September 15-October 15 each year.
Springhurst Library Media Specialist Lauren Rodriguez, Middle/High School Library Media Specialist Ellen Elsen, and K-8 Literacy Coordinator Michelle Yang-Kaczmarek have teamed up with Dobbs Ferry Public Library Children’s Librarian Gina Elbert and Young Adult Librarian Allee Manning to create this resource list to help your families dive deeper into the contributions and culture of Latinx and Hispanic Americans.

AAPI Heritage Month recognizes the contributions and influences that Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans have made to the history, culture and achievements of the United States. This year, it is especially important to support, celebrate and advocate for the AAPI community who have been experiencing an increase in anti-Asian bias and violence. So this year’s theme is “Stop AAPI Hate: Solidarity, Community, and Celebration”. The month of May was chosen as a way to commemorate the first wave of Japanese immigrants to the United States on May 7, 1843 and to also mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants. It is important to remember that members of the AAPI community come from East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Western Asia, and the Pacific Islands of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. Each Asian country and Pacific Island nation has its own unique culture, language and traditions.
To celebrate this important community, Children’s Librarian Gina Elbert has collaborated with Springhurst Library Media Specialist Lauren Rodriguez, Dobbs Ferry Middle/High School Library Media Specialist Ellen Elsen, and Dobbs Ferry K-8 Literacy Coordinator Michelle Yang-Kaczmarek to make a resource list of books, social media accounts, and websites. Our hope is that these resources will help you to amplify, respect and make space for AAPI every single day, not just in May.