The Ann Arbor District Library has received a 2008 Voice of the People Award presented by the International City/County Management Association at its annual national conference on Sept. 21 in Richmond, Va. and we want to say, "Thank you!".

The award is a result of positive responses received from more than 1,000 City of Ann Arbor residents who shared their opinions of local services and amenities when the city conducted the National Research Center Inc. National Citizens Survey™ in 2007. Ninety percent of residents polled rated their quality of life as “excellent” or “good.” Furthermore, Ann Arbor residents rated their District Library more favorably compared to how residents of other jurisdictions rated their own public library services in the 2007 survey.

To win the Voice of the People Award, the rating for service quality must be one of the top three among all jurisdictions who surveyed their residents in 2007. Honorees must reside in the top 10 percent overall among the over 500 jurisdictions in the National Research Center database of citizen surveys. For more information on The National Research Center Inc., visit http://www.n-r-c.com/services/nationalcitizensurvey.html.

From the 1866 founding of the Ladies' Library Association to the 2008 opening of the new Traverwood Branch, the Ann Arbor District Library has continuously provided library collections, services and programs to the Ann Arbor community located within the boundaries of the Ann Arbor Public School District. The existence of the Ann Arbor District Library assures public ownership of print collections, digital resources, and gathering spaces for the citizens of the library district. We are committed to sustaining the value of public library services for the greater Ann Arbor community through the use of traditional and innovative technologies.

Thank you to the citizens of the Library's district who live within the City of Ann Arbor who took the time to take this survey!

Josie

The AADL delivery truck experienced mechanical problems Friday morning and is being repaired. Evening deliveries were made with a temporary truck. Due to safety and access concerns, the materials loaded on AADL's truck may be unavailable until the truck is repaired. AADL staff would be happy to check the shelves for items that are listed as 'available' in the catalog before you arrive in person to pick them up. We regret any inconvenience this may cause you and appreciate your patience in this matter.

Update: the truck has been repaired and the materials that were on the truck have reached their destinations.

Downtown Library

On Monday evening, September 15, 2008, after months of work that included three public information sessions, focus groups with the public and the staff and several public meetings, the Library Board made the important decision to replace the current Downtown Library with a new building in the same location at South Fifth Avenue and William Street. The new building will be 47% larger at 160,000 square feet and four stories. Current services will be enhanced and spaces for youth, teens, exhibits, meetings, study, and reading will be larger. The building will include a 400 seat auditorium; a Reading Room that will be designated as a quiet area for reading and study; a children's area three times larger than the current area; expanded space for collections including audiovisual formats; adaptive technology labs for adults and children as part of our new mission to serve the blind and physically disabled; and the flexibility in the future to accommodate new formats and services without expensive remodeling. We will continue our commitment to build responsibly using sustainable technologies and the new downtown library will be barrier free and accessible to everyone.

In the current building much of the essential infrastructure, including electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling, is original to the 1958 building and it is failing. Credit should be given to the effort that was made over the 50 year life cycle of the Downtown Library to those who maintained and serviced the building. Things wear out, and when they do, they need to be replaced. The scope of this project enables the use of modern, efficient building systems that will result in a more sustainable library.

The 1990 addition was completed prior to the adoption of the American with Disabilities Act. Again, credit should be given to the efforts of staff and administrators over the past 17 years for their efforts in making what changes they could to the building to accommodate those in the community with disabilities. However, in our community a public building should be accessible to everyone without barriers. The library Board is committed to building such a building.

The library Board has not determined what funding mechanisms will be used to pay for the building, but it will likely be a combination of a bond, a capital millage, and fundraising. The current cost estimate for the new building is $71 million. More schematic design work is scheduled through December and the program of services and functions is still being reviewed. Library Board meeting dates, minutes, and agendas are posted at aadl.org. Please join us as we work to assure library services in a building that will serve our community to 2050 and beyond.

The Ann Arbor community is proud of its Downtown Library and the short history below will illustrate how decisions to make room for expanding collections and needed services have been made time and again with enthusiasm and generosity by the taxpayers. It is our hope that this enthusiasm and generosity will support a new Downtown Library to open in Ann Arbor in 2011.

josie@aadl.org

AA-YpsiReadsLogo-sm

The theme of the 2009 Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads program is The Universe: Yours to Discover. Three books have been chosen as finalists for the community read and are available at AADL. Request the books online or visit the display in the lobby of the Downtown Library.

The three book finalists are available in alternative formats for those who are unable to read or use printed materials due to a physical disability (blindness, macular degeneration, paralysis, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, dyslexia, etc.). Please contact the Library of Michigan Services for the Blind and Physically Handicapped at 1-800-992-9012 for more information.

The finalists are:

Timothy Ferris, Seeing In The Dark: How Amateur Astonomers Are Discovering the Wonders of the Universe. New York: Simon & Schuster, c2002.

Homer Hickam, Rocket Boys: A Memoir. New York: Delacorte Pres, 1998.

Dava Sobel, The Planets. New York: Viking, 2005.

We apologize for the inconvenience, but the Traverwood branch is closed for the rest of Friday 8/22 due to a sewage backup. The branch will reopen Saturday Morning at 9 AM. Thanks for your patience.

Malletts Creek Branch is closed today, July 3, due to a power outage related to last evening's storm.

We apologize for the inconvenience.

Josie

The Traverwood Branch will open at 10:00 AM tomorrow morning, Monday, June 30, 2008. All are welcome to join the Library Caravan beginning at the old NEB at 10:00 AM to carry the remaining books to the new library.

The Branch is located at the corner of Traverwood Drive and Huron Parkway. There is ample free parking on the street, underneath the building, and in a flat lot to the south of the building. Entry to the underground parking is off Huron Parkway. Entry to the south parking lot is from Traverwood Drive. Handicap parking is located on Huron Parkway and in the underground garage. There is stair and elevator access from the garage. Bicycle racks are located on the north near the front entry, and in the garage.

The dropboxes are located on the north side of the building and will be available tomorrow, too.

Many events are planned for this opening week and they are posted under Events at aadl.org.

See you at the Library!

Josie

Recently, over 6,000 persons responded to a survey sponsored by the Library and the AA Downtown Development Authority on the future of the Downtown Library building and the proposed underground parking structure on the lot north of the Library.

Approximately 100 people joined us this past week at one of three opportunities to discuss the findings and to continue this important discussion on the future of library services in the Downtown.

We appreciate the support and interest of so many, and I am happy to continue to answer questions about the project. My email is parkerj@aadl.org and my phone number is 327.4263. Contact information for members of the Library Board can be found at Board.

See you at the Library!

Josie

The Northeast Branch at Plymouth Mall will close at 6:00 PM on Sunday, June 1. The Traverwood Branch at Traverwood and Huron Parkway will open on Monday, June 30 at 10:00 AM.

The need for library services in the northeast sector of Ann Arbor was recognized as early as 1965. Land was purchased in 1971 at the corner of Huron Parkway and Nixon Road, but was later sold for the development of the Plymouth Mall. The Library opened the storefront branch in the mall in 1981. This 2400 square foot space was increased by an additional 1200 square feet in 1985. This space served as the branch with several interior renovations and remodeling over the next 15 years.

The library in Plymouth Mall has served the community well as the library has adapted the space to its maximum capacity introducing a program space and computing.

It is a wonderful circumstance in any library system to say that a library is once again too small to serve its patrons. In answer to this dilemma the AADL has built a 16,000 square foot library branch .5 mile to the west. The branch includes 90 reader seats, children's spaces, a quiet reading room, study rooms, computer lab, expanded collections, and 90 parking spaces.

Those serving in 1965 as library officials understood that this branch would be needed someday to serve a growing community and they purchased property in the early 1970's to make it possible. We salute them for their foresight and for their willingness to assure public library services for this area of our community. While the location is different, and decades have passed, the day has finally come.

We invite you to join us on Monday, June 30, at the Northeast Branch at 10:00 AM to mark the transition to the new library building. Children are invited to participate in a "Library Caravan" to move picture books in strollers, wagons, and in book bags to the new building! All patrons, all ages are welcome to walk along.

Josie

The AADL is pleased to offer you a completely new way to search for music.

With our new CD genres you can now browse the CDs at all locations just as easily as at the music store. Whether you're into Country, Jazz, Chamber Music, or Rap, we've got you covered. For those of you who prefer to do your browsing virtually, and to see a list of all the new genres, check out our CD Browsing page. You can seek out old favorites, discover new ones, and place holds on them all from the comfort of your own computer.