Blog Post
YPT presents Wizard of Oz
by annevm
Young People's Theater presents the classic Wizard of Oz Thursday through Sunday, Nov. 5-8, in U-M's Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre. You can view photos of actresses and actors on the YPT website. Advance tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for age 18 and younger and 65 and older. Originally released as a motion picture in 1939, the story has inspired creations including the 2009 graphic novel Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Blog Post
Kindergarten Readiness Express
by withyourkids
“As it turns out, storytime—the library’s prime early language and literacy experience—is the perfect skill- building activity!” In fact, the experts are saying it helps children and parents get ready for kindergarten. Early childhood librarians, Renea Arnold and Nell Colburn wrote about these benefits of storytime in the September School Library Journal.
Children can develop many skills from storytime including social and emotional skills as well as cognitive thinking and physical development, and even math skills. All of this contributes to the child’s kindergarten readiness.
“Kindergarten teachers… want youngsters to demonstrate curiosity, persistence, and cooperation, and be able to communicate their needs, wants and thoughts verbally.” Arnold and Colburn report.
""During storytime we are constantly providing visual clues for overall themes," explains Laura Raynor, Youth Librarian "We are always asking questions or stopping mid-sentence to have listeners fill in the blanks. In this way, we inspire curiosity and continuous interaction."
Ann Arbor District Library has preschool storytimes for 2-5 year olds. Click here for times and days.
Stop in with your preschooler and see for yourself. "As the children and families sit together, they are involved in a group experience but each individual sees the story differently, which allows for imaginative freedom within a social activity," Raynor said.
Blog Post
More Energy Meters Available!
by Beth Manuel
Are you curious about how much energy your appliances are using? You can borrow one of our Energy Meters to find out. The City of Ann Arbor has given AADL 7 new meters for our patrons to use. You can borrow these kits for 4 weeks or longer if there are no holds on them. Need to research new appliances? Nothing beats Consumer Reports for unbiased information about products on the market. Even better: You can access this info from home with your aadl log in by going to our Research Page and clicking on Magazine articles!
Blog Post
How To Write Like I Do at 826michigan
by choatec
826michigan will host Stephen Elliott, author of seven books, reading from his just-released true crime novel, The Adderall Diaries: A Memoir of Moods, Masochism, and Murder, on Thursday, October 29, at 7 pm on 115 East Liberty Street in Ann Arbor. This free event kicks off their fall adult workshop series “How To Write Like I Do” that begins on Saturday, October 31st, from 1-4 pm, when Stephen Elliott will present: Writing from Experience. Attendees will discuss how to use their own lives as jumping points and framing devices for their stories.
To register for a workshop or learn more about future sessions with graphic novelist Jim Ottaviani or Jeff Meyers, lead film critic at the Metro Times, visit 826michigan here. Coffee and Zingerman’s treats are included in the $60 for a single workshop fee, or $50 per workshop fee for those signing up for multiple workshops.
Blog Post
Dance Performance for Day of the Dead
by battlem
The Ballet Folklorico Moyocoyani Izel will perform at the Downtown Library on Sunday, November 1, 2009 from 2:00-2:45pm in celebration of Day of the Dead. The exciting dances and authentic costumes will be a thrill to see! The performance is in celebration of The Day of the Dead (El Dia de los Muertos), a holiday that commemorates the wonderful memories of our lost loved ones. The holiday is often observed with bright colors, memorial displays for those we have lost, and yummy confections. Similar holidays are celebrated throughout the world.
SPECIAL NOTE: DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND - AN ADDITIONAL PERFORMANCE FOR THIS EVENT HAS BEEN ADDED AND WILL OCCUR FROM 3:30 - 4:15 PM ON SUNDAY.
Blog Post
"WRITE Here . . . in our Own Backyard"
by annevm
The Ann Arbor Book Festival will present the Fall Writer's Conference on Saturday, Nov. 14 at Pioneer High. The $95 fee includes coffee, three sessions, lunch, and a participant reading time; fulltime students age 17 and older may register for $50. Among accomplished, locally-based authors leading sessions will be Susan Hutton, Michael Byers, Scott Beal, Jeff Kass, Eileen Pollack, and Keith Taylor. To read about these writers and their work -- and to register for the conference -- click here.
Blog Post
Rite of Fall: Jewish Book Festival
by annevm
The 22nd Annual Jewish Book Festival is coming up Tuesday, November 3 through Sunday, November 15. Twenty authors are scheduled to speak. Events are free and public; lunch may be bought separately for some events. Among authors lined up are Dan Senor, Carol Leifer and Bruce Feiler. Opening the festival on November 3 at 7:30 p.m. is columnist Jeffrey Zaslow, who wrote The Girls from Ames and co-authored The Last Lecture. The local authors' brunch on Sunday, November 15 will feature 11 authors - check it out! Heads up also for the Afternoon Tea introducing Rebecca Rubin, the first Jewish American Girl doll on Sunday, November 8. For complete information, click here.
Blog Post
The Lens of Impressionism @ the UMMA
by muffy
The Lens of Impressionism: Photography and Painting Along the Normandy Coast, 1850–1874 opens at the UMMA October 10, 2009.
This exhibition (as well as the accompanying catalog) is a captivating exploration of the impetus of early Impressionism along the coast of Normandy. The invention of the camera and the development of early fine art photography will be seen as the specific catalysts that brought about a new approach to painting.
Paintings, photographs, and drawings by some of the most treasured artists in the Western canon— Gustave Courbet, Edouard Manet, Edgar Degas, and Claude Monet among them—as well as pioneering photographers such as Gustave Le Gray and Henri Le Secq will be showcased.
"Inspired by the scenic Normandy coast of France, these works—including representations of beach scenes, seascapes, fishing villages, resorts, and the region’s pastoral beauty—will be brought together with archival materials related to early tourism and regional expressions of French nationalism from popular culture for an innovative examination of the impact of the then-new medium of photography on ideas of image making, the recording of passing time, the capacities of painting, and the rise of Impressionism itself. "
Organized by UMMA, the exhibition will travel to the Dallas Museum of Art after closing in Ann Arbor on January 3, 2010. Check program schedule for docent-led tours.
Blog Post
Investing in Abilities Month in Michigan 2009
by iralax
Governor Jennifer Granholm has proclaimed October 2009 to be Investing in Abilities Month in our state. This recognizes the important contribution every one of us makes to the quality of life in Michigan. Ann Arbor District Library offers equal access and a wide range of materials, classes and programming for everyone. We are also proud to manage the Washtenaw Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled. From Oct. 19-31 Investing in Abilities Week at the University of Michigan offers a good opportunity to learn how important the arts are for all of us.
Blog Post
Packard Health West Opening Soon!
by Beth Manuel
Now West-siders can reap the benefit of the Packard Health Clinic closer to home. Celebrate the Grand Opening of Packard Health West at the corner of Dexter & Maple on October 23rd. There will be a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at noon as well as Blood Pressure Screening & Sports Physicals from 3-5. Prizes too! Print this flier for a chance to win in an hourly drawing. Please bring a can of food to donate to Food Gatherers, too!