Ann Arbor Public Schools Student Art

Now through May 25, 2008 -- Downtown Library: Multi-purpose Room Exhibit, Lower Level Display Cases, 3rd Floor Exhibit & Youth Wall Exhibit

Each year the Ann Arbor Public Schools come to the Ann Arbor District Library to showcase the work of the students in kindergarten through grade five. Both two- and three-dimensional art in many mediums fill the exhibit space throughout the Downtown Library. Visit this colorful exhibit and enjoy the creativity and developing talents of some of our community's youngest citizens.

Portraits of Dandia Dhamaka by Sue Finley

Now through May 25, 2008 -- Malletts Creek Branch: Exhibits

Dandia Dhamaka is an annual intercollegiate dance competition hosted by the University of Michigan team at the Michigan Theater. The photos in this exhibit, presented in color, black and white, and sepia tones, were taken of the East Indian Raas Dancers at their 2006 – 2008 performances. They capture the dancers preparing for the show, views from backstage, the dress rehearsals, and the performances. Sue Finley is a local artist and photographer.

2008 Ann Arbor Book Festival Opening Reception

Friday May 16, 2008: 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room

AADL and the Ann Arbor Book Festival invite you to join in the opening celebration of the 2008 Book Festival. This annual reception, held on the eve of the day-long Street Fair, is one of the highlights of the week-long Book Festival and is an excellent opportunity to meet many distinguished authors. This year’s reception will also feature classical, traditional and popular music by harpist Deborah Gabrion, and elegant refreshments.

Pokemon Tournament for All Ages

Saturday May 17, 2008: 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm -- Malletts Creek Branch: Program Room AB

We’re going old school! Bring your Game Boy Advance (or use our house Pokemon) and your Pokemon game and battle your way through the ranks at our tournament. Prizes will be awarded to the top two finishers.

Author Deb Caletti Announces the 2008 Winners of "It's All Write," the Teen Short Story Contest

Saturday May 17, 2008: 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm -- Ann Arbor Book Festival
 (map)

Teen fiction author Deb Caletti discusses the craft of writing and presents awards to the winners of this popular, annual contest at the Ann Arbor Book Festival’s State Street Association Stage on Ingalls Mall. A total of $1,500 in prizes is distributed to the short story contest winners. There were more than 200 entries from Michigan and beyond in the 2008 contest! "It's All Write" is sponsored by AADL.

Deb Caletti is a National Book Award finalist and a PEN USA Literary Award finalist, and is the recipient numerous other awards, including the Washington State Book Award, PNBA Best Book Award and SLJ Best Book Award. Her works for young adult readers include "The Queen of Everything," "Honey, Baby, Sweetheart," and "The Nature of Jade," which was a summer 2007 Booksense pick, and was nominated for the American Library Association's Best Books of 2007. Her new book is entitled "The Fortunes of Indigo Skye."

DDR Tournament for All Ages

Sunday May 18, 2008: 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm -- Malletts Creek Branch: Program Room AB

Compete in beginner/light or standard/heavy brackets on Cobalt-Flux pads. Prizes will be awarded to the top finisher in each category, and to the best adult/child team!

Introduction to Microsoft Word Part 1

Monday May 19, 2008: 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm -- Pittsfield Branch: Training Center

*Registration required

This class consists of two sessions.

Participants will be introduced to such features as highlighting, cutting and pasting and grammar check, and saving to disk. Prior computer and mouse skill experience is needed. Part two will be offered Wednesday, May 21.

This class is available to Library cardholders at no charge (there is a fee of $10, payable before the start of each class, for non-cardholders).

Please call 327-8367 to register.

del.icio.us: Organize Your Life Online

Monday May 19, 2008: 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm -- Malletts Creek Branch: Training Center

*Registration required

Have you ever logged onto a public computer only to realize that the website you wanted to visit was saved in your bookmarks at home? Social book marking sites, like del.icio.us, allow users to take their bookmarks anywhere they go. Best of all, they allow people to share their favorite sites with the world. Class participants will create del.icio.us accounts and learn ways to organize the information they store.

This class is available to Library cardholders at no charge (there is a fee of $10, payable before the start of each class, for non-cardholders).

Please call 327-8367 to register.

An Evening with Cokie Roberts As She Discusses Her New Book "Ladies Of Liberty: The Women Who Shaped Our Nation"

Monday May 19, 2008: 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm -- Michigan Theater
603 E. Liberty St., Ann Arbor, MI. 48104 (map)

Cokie Roberts covers Congress, politics and public policy for ABC News and serves as Senior News Analyst for National Public Radio, where she was the congressional correspondent for more than ten years. AADL is honored to host an evening with the award-winning journalist at the Michigan Theater, 603 East Liberty in Ann Arbor. In her best-selling book "Founding Mothers," Roberts paid homage to the women who helped establish our nation. In "Ladies of Liberty," (Morrow; on sale April 8, 2008) she continues the story of more remarkable women and their achievements in moving the fledgling nation forward, from 1796 to 1828. The event includes a book signing, with books for sale courtesy of Borders. There is no charge for admission. Cosponsored by Michigan Radio.

In her more than thirty years in broadcasting, Ms. Roberts has won many awards, including two Emmys. She has been inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame, and was cited by the American Women in Radio and Television as one of the fifty greatest women in the history of broadcasting.

Introduction to Microsoft Word Part 1

Tuesday May 20, 2008: 10:00 am to 12:00 pm -- West Branch: Training Lab

*Registration required

This class consists of two sessions.

Participants will be introduced to such features as highlighting, cutting and pasting and grammar check, and saving to disk. Prior computer and mouse skill experience is needed. Part to will be offered Thursday, May 22.

This class is available to Library cardholders at no charge (there is a fee of $10, payable before the start of each class, for non-cardholders).

Please call 327-8367 to register.

Advanced Microsoft Word Part I

Tuesday May 20, 2008: 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm -- Malletts Creek Branch: Training Center

*Registration required

This class consists of two sessions. Participants will learn such advanced features as tabs, symbols, tables and mail merge. Introduction to Microsoft Word class or a basic knowledge of Microsoft Word is a prerequisite. Part two will be offered Thursday, May 22.

This class is available to Library cardholders at no charge (there is a fee of $10, payable before the start of each class, for non-cardholders).

Please call 327-8367 to register.

Flickr: Share Your Digital Images

Tuesday May 20, 2008: 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm -- Downtown Library: Training Center

*Registration required

Imagine sharing the photos from your last party with friends and family all over the world without spending a dime or forcing your relatives to create needless accounts. Flickr and other photo sharing sites allow users to create and share albums of photos in a simple, straightforward way. Flickr is also a great way to protect and preserve your photos to avoid tragic loss from water, fire damage, etc. Participants will create Flickr accounts and learn how to upload photos and create albums to share.

This class is available to Library cardholders at no charge (there is a fee of $10, payable before the start of each class, for non-cardholders).

Please call 327-8367 to register.

Author John Otterbacher Discusses His Struggle with Heart Disease, His Love of Sailing and His Award-Winning Book 'Sailing Grace'

Wednesday May 21, 2008: 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room

John Otterbacher presents his account of drowning in heart disease, fighting back to the surface, and sailing on. His story is chronicled in "Sailing Grace." Otterbacher has taught college, served as a State Representative and Senator, worked as a psychotherapist, and taken some long sails with his family, recently sailing across the ocean four times. He lives and writes in Michigan. The event includes a book signing, with books available for purchase.

"Sailing Grace" is a commentary on how love heals, dreams energize and trauma can be a wake-up call. This hard-edge story will resonate with anyone who has confronted profound adversity, be it coronary disease, cancer, or the heavy weather that unexpectedly blows through every life.

Learn How To Plant Your Own Perennials with Lodi Farms Nursery

Thursday May 22, 2008: 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm -- Pittsfield Branch: Program Room

Experienced staff from Lodi Farms Nursery discuss the care and conditions for growing exquisite perennials. Lodi Farms will also provide perennial plants, pots and potting soil so that those attending this program may plant a perennial and take it home.

Lodi Farms Nursery, located at 2880 South Wagner Road, has been selling plants and landscape services since 1992, and has made customers' homes beautiful with innovative, sustainable, low-maintenance landscape designs.

Finding Local Food and Bringing It Home for Dinner: Supporting Our Farms

Thursday May 22, 2008: 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room

This panel discussion features exemplary local farmers and food experts who will discuss what they've learned about growing food, what they see for the future of food and why Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms are so important to the community. They will also highlight the creative ways in which local people in our community are buying, cooking and enjoying food that is produced close to home.

Panelists include Richard Andres and Deb Lentz (Tantre Farm); Kris Hirth (Old Pine Farm); Mary Wessel Walker (Community Farm Kitchen) and Victoria Bennett (a parent who found new ways to shop for food because of her son’s severe allergies). Cosponsored by Slow Foods Huron Valley

Seniors Time Online 1

Friday May 23, 2008: 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm -- Malletts Creek Branch: Training Center

*Registration required

Seniors' Time On-Line, the computer course designed with seniors in mind, consists of six progressive sessions. Topics covered during this special course include an introduction to computers, beginning Internet skills and email. Curious about computers and the Internet? This is the course for you. There is no fee to Library cardholders; a $20 class fee will be assessed for non-Library cardholders and due before the start of the first class. The other five classes will be offered May 30 and June 6, 13, 20, and 27.

Please call 327-8367 to register.

Advanced Microsoft Word Part 1

Tuesday May 27, 2008: 10:00 am to 12:00 pm -- West Branch: Training Lab

*Registration required

This class consists of two sessions. Participants will learn such advanced features as tabs, symbols, tables and mail merge. Introduction to Microsoft Word class or a basic knowledge of Microsoft Word is a prerequisite. Part 2 will be held on Thursday, May 29.

This class is available to Library cardholders at no charge (there is a fee of $10, payable before the start of each class, for non-cardholders).

Please call 327-8367 to register.

PowerPoint Basics Part 1

Tuesday May 27, 2008: 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm -- Malletts Creek Branch: Training Center

*Registration required

This two-session class will cover the basic tools of the PowerPoint window and working with presentation slides. Using the Auto Content wizard and PowerPoint options, participants in the class will make a PowerPoint presentation. Part two will be offered on Thursday, May 29. This class is available to Library cardholders at no charge (there is a fee of $10, payable before the start of each class, for non-cardholders).

Please call 327-8367 to register.

Healing Health Care in Michigan: Working Toward a Health Care System That Works

Tuesday May 27, 2008: 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room

As the number of un- and under-insured people in our state and our nation continue to grow, organizations and individuals are working to create solutions to the problems. The panelists in this discussion explain the dilemma that faces citizens, government organizations, and health care providers, and discuss possible solutions. The event is cosponsored by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Michigan.

Panelists include Dr. Richard Lichtenstein, UM School of Public Health, who will discuss health care policy; Kim Kratz, MA, MSW, Executive Director of Packard Clinic, speaking on the role of non-profit health care providers; Ellen Rabinowitz, Executive Director of the Washtenaw Health Plan; and Kelly Stupple, MSEd, Children's Health Insurance Advocate with Washtenaw County Health Plan.

Concert: Yellow Room Gang

Wednesday May 28, 2008: 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room

Enjoy a lively concert by the celebrated Yellow Room Gang –- Jan Krist, David Tamulevich, Matt Watroba, Jim Bizer and Annie Capps. The Yellow Room Gang was formed in 2004 in the yellow living room of David Tamulevich's Ann Arbor home when eight award-winning Michigan songwriters/folk musicians got together to share dinner, conversation and the newest song they had in the works. Each writer found new and unexpected ways to explore beyond their previous personal boundaries. This workshop has now become a monthly event, and the Yellow Room Gang was born.