Sunday, January 15 | 1:00-4:00 PM | Downtown 3rd Floor Computer Training Center | Gr. 6-Adult

Bring in your comics art and use Photoshop Elements to clean it up and to apply color and shading. Cartoonist and Photoshop expert Jerzy Drozd will be on hand to provide instruction and answer questions for those who need it.

You can bring your comics art scanned and saved on a USB drive or we can scan it here at the Library. Don’t miss this chance to use PhotoShop to make your finishing work a snap!

Thursday, January 12 | 7:00-8:00 PM | Traverwood Branch | Grades 9-12

Approach ACT or SAT test day with confidence! Kaplan instructors will present strategies for preparing for the tests and guide you through some questions, demonstrating how to arrive at the correct answer.

Wednesday, January 11 | 7:00-8:30 PM | Multipurpose Room-Downtown Library

It's that time in the school year - some students may need to hone their learning strategies to succeed. Tips will be discussed to help middle and high school students with language-based learning disabilities, including dyslexia.

Learn how students can improve the way they tackle reading and writing assignments, as well as organize themselves and prepare for tests. Presented by Karen Wasco, M.S., CCC-SLP. Cosponsored by the UM Institute for Human Adjustment.

If you've been Downtown this season for any of AADL-GT Gaming Events then you probably already know about the Arcade Master Series . But if you haven't, don't worry, there is still a chance to participate! The Arcade Master Series is an Old-school Hi-Score Contest (think "The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters") and each month we have had a different game. In August we took Ms. Pac-man out for a run. September had us battling space sprites in Galaga. Tapper in October taught us an important lesson about spending too much time at the bar. November was Frogger's 30th Anniversary, and with it came our first use of MAME in tournament play. This month is super special with Robotron.

To commemorate the big finish for this first-ever series, AADL and the UM Computer & Video Game Archive present the ARCADE MASTER CHAMPIONSHIPS, featuring LIVE MUSIC, OLD GAMES, and BIG PRIZES!

So how can you take part and fight for your chance to be crowned Arcade Master? not to mention win the grand prize: win an iPad2 with iCade mini arcade cabinet! Read on.

Sunday, January 8 | 1:00-3:00 PM | 4th Floor Meeting Room – Downtown Library

Guest artist Rob Stenzinger will show you how to publish your serial comic one page at a time, keep your readers interested, and have it all link together as one big story. In this interactive workshop via Skype, Rob will share comic storytelling techniques, the importance of the dramatic reveal, and why comics are the perfect home for your serial story. We'll even work as a group to chain together a few short comic strips into a serialized comic! Rob is the creator of Art Geek Zoo: The Way of Sound, a music fantasy adventure online, collected in print, and available as an eBook.

Join the Forum to get fresh ideas for your next comics or graphic novel creation. Drawing supplies will be provided, so drop in to draw, learn, share, and network with other cartoonists.

It’s that time of year when the “best of 2011” lists start popping up all over the place. It's a great way to capture some of the stand-outs from a year's worth of books. For you readers of teen and young adult fiction, here are some of YALSA’s top picks this year that are in AADL’s catalog and are included on public lists:

Top Ten Amazing Audiobooks
Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults
Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens
Top Ten Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults
Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

Don't forget to check out the 2011 Award Winners list as well!

AADL has all sorts of things to help you. Check the Homework Help page for the following:

Brainfuse Live Homework Help: Available 2-11 p.m. every day. Students can connect with tutors who can help with skill development and assist with specific homework needs.

Drop-in Homework Help: Resumes the week of January 22. Sunday tutoring will be available 3:00-5:00 p.m. On Mondays and Wednesday tutoring will be available 4:00-8:00 p.m.

AADL Databases for research projects for kids, high school papers, or even for preparing for those tough college entrance exams.

AADL Select Sites offer some of the best information resources on the Internet. Librarians have carefully selected these sites so you can trust the information found here for your research project.

Reading Skills need a boost? Scroll down at Homework Help. If you’re a beginning reader that needs to practice, click on one of the A-Z Levels links for a list of books available at the library. If you’re a reader that needs to improve your reading but find it hard to get excited about long boring books, check the HiLo Books list and click the links to find some books that you’ll enjoy.

Make the most of your Sunday, by stopping by the Traverwood branch of the Ann Arbor District Library and play a game or two of Chess one of the world's most popular games. Chess boards are provided, and all ages and levels of players are welcome.
From first moves to checkmate, the library has materials to help you improve your game,
click here for some of those titles.
Sunday, December 11 | 1-4 PM | Grade K-Adult

At this block printing workshop you will create a design, carve the design into a linoleum block with the proper tools, and then print the image onto paper and/or note cards. This is your chance to create wall art, or perhaps design a card.

Did you attend a past workshop at AADL and are looking for more instruction, ideas and practice? Or are you a first timer wondering what block printing is all about? This workshop is for you.

We will supply all the tools necessary, you supply the creativity! If you have something you’d like to print on, or have your own tools, feel free to bring them.

Don't forget to check out some of AADL’s books on block printing for a spark of ideas.

This DIY event is for Grades 6- Adult, and takes place at Pittsfield on Wednesday, December 14, from 6:30-8:30pm. See you there!

Sunday, December 4 | 1:00-3:00 PM | Multipurpose Room – Downtown Library

Join Ryan Estrada, cartoonist and Google+ guru with 32,000 followers, and Ann Arbor cartoonist and teacher extraordinaire Jerzy Drozd for an interactive discussion on using audio, video, and other exciting digital media to add extra layers of content to your comic's website. Learn how to spread the word about your work via a variety of social media like Google+, Twitter, and more.

Come to the Forum to get fresh ideas for your next comics or graphic novel creation. Drawing supplies will be provided, so drop in to draw, learn, share, and network with other cartoonists.