Best Picture Oscar Winners on DVD & Blu-Ray

Wed, 08/13/2014 - 12:54pm by muskrat

If you've got the urge to see more (or all) Academy Award Best Picture Winners, then AADL can help. The library owns nearly every film on DVD (and some on Blu-Ray) from Wings, the first winner to 12 Years a Slave, the latest.

Sample all the winners in between: famous films such as It Happened One Night, Gone With the Wind, Casablanca, An American in Paris, On the Waterfront, Ben-Hur, Lawrence of Arabia, The Godfather, and Amadeus; lesser-known but deserving films like The Life of Emile Zola, The Best Years of Our Lives, Gentlemen's Agreement, All the King's Men, Marty, and The Apartment, or overrated movies like... insert your own list here.

You don't have to track down the films by yourself. Go to the Catalog and click on the Best Picture Oscar link in the Awards list. Or click on the link here.

Washtenaw County Test and Tune Program

Wed, 07/23/2014 - 11:44am by monkk

Through the Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development, residents of Washtenaw County may be eligible for free energy saving measures. The services available may include a tune up of either the furnace or boiler, installation of a water saving faucet and shower aerators, installation of hot water heater pipe wrap, installation of a new energy efficient refrigerator, and the replacement of an unsafe or damaged furnace. To learn more call (734)622-9036 or visit www.ewashtenaw.org/weatherization.

Did you know that AADL has Home Tools to help you manage the efficiency and safety of your home? Check them out to monitor what's going on inside your living space!

Story telling isn't just for kids!

Tue, 07/15/2014 - 1:36pm by Sunny29

Our wonderful Youth Department works hard every week to create engaging and entertaining storytimes for the little ones, and boy, are they good! But youngsters aren't the only ones who can benefit from a well told story. Anecdotal accounts are paramount in connecting board members to their organization or business, especially in the world of non-profit fundraising. Whether you are a volunteer, staff person, or board member, the AADL has an excellent Non-Profit Resource collection to help you perfect your grant proposal or monthly report.

Brainfuse: Live Tutoring & Homework Help

Mon, 07/07/2014 - 12:59pm by Beth Manuel

Have you forgotten everything you learned in school already? Don't despair! You can log on to Brainfuse. Their live Homework Help is available from 2:00PM-11:00PM every day, even in summer! The interactive Study Suite is accessible anytime with your AADL account log in information. For more details about the amazing facets of Brainfuse read these FAQs. Using Brainfuse can make learning fun for parents & kids! College students and adult learners can benefit from it, too! Give it a try and you can re-learn the stuff you thought you forgot.

Amazing Magazines!

Tue, 07/01/2014 - 9:58am by iralax

Whether you call them periodicals, zines or just plain magazines you will find some cool selections in the aadl magazine collection which, except for the current issue, can be put on hold with your library card and borrowed for two weeks. Titles like Michigan Riparian, Pointe, Bee Culture, Brick Journal, Treasures, Babybug, Cheng Ming, Scrapbooking & Beyond, G.I. jobs, or a multitude of popular glossies can be browsed at the library or at aadl.org. That’s also where you can click on Research and use the General Reference Center Gold database for magazines that we no longer carry. No matter what you call them, AADL has a magazine for everyone!

Badge Drop! Badge Drop! Badge Drop!

Fri, 06/27/2014 - 6:19pm by andrewjmac

You guys are BLOWING US AWAY! The numbers are ASTOUNDING! STAGGERING! WE'RE A LITTLE BIT SCARED! 16,430,863 points earned this year. 63,918 game codes entered. 11,764 badges earned. And 2,789 players. The game started two weeks ago. Scaring us, guys...BUT IN THE BEST WAY!

Since we're so frightened by you and your INCREDIBLE SUMMER GAME PLAYING SKILLS...here's a badge drop! Don't hurt us!

We already KNOW you are going to find all of those codes and get all of those badges. So what are you going to do after you've done that? How about coming to some amazing concerts? This Sunday is the final concert in AADL's Kids Rock @ TOP concert series featuring the awesomely dance-to-able music of Aaron Nigel Smith! And next Thursday at the Downtown Library, the wizard/bookish/nerdy/GREAT music of Tonks & the Aurors!

So get hunting for those badge codes and get on your dancing shoes, Summer Gamers! AND THANKS FOR PLAYING!

Michigan Activity Pass - Fun for the Family!

Mon, 06/23/2014 - 2:39pm by dahlemd

Spending time with my grandkids is something I enjoy regardless of the activity or season. I try to make it a point to expose them to as many cultural activities that I can over summer vacation. Whether it is visiting a museum, attending live music performances, or seeing a historical site, summer seems like the perfect opportunity to broaden their learning experiences in a fun, organic way.

This is why the Michigan Activity Pass (MAP) is one of my favorite services offered by AADL. MAP allows cardholders complimentary/reduced admission, or entitles them to other exclusive offers for over 70 participating cultural facilities all across Michigan. The AADL has five passes per week for every participating organization. Library cardholders can print a pass from the AADL website either from home or the library. From the website, click on the "Services" tab, and then click on "Michigan Activity Pass" on the list of "Unusual Stuff to Borrow".

I always to suggest to patrons who are going on vacation to see if there are any venues listed in MAP either on their route, or near their destination to add to their itinerary. MAP is great tool to get more acquainted with our great state! You can search for the participating attractions here.

YOU DON'T STOP! Neither do THE BADGES! Your SECOND WAVE of badges for 2014!

Fri, 06/20/2014 - 3:36pm by mariah

Whoa. You guys are just UNSTOPPABLE. I mean, really, we thought that maybe Summer Game just had a SUPER STRONG START this year, and maybe things would get a little sleepy. But no, no, NO, all of you hardcore SG players aren't the least bit tired.
In fact, we're having trouble figuring out just when you are even fitting in sleep with all the massive READING, LISTENING, WATCHING, GOING-TO-FUN-STUFF and BADGE EARNING you've been doing!

I mean really, HOW DO YOU DO IT? You're fired up, and so are we! We can see your enthusiasm in the fact that MULTIPLE badges have already been earned by 300+ PLAYERS. I mean really, you guys are burning up the badge board!

We're happy to be dropping SIXTEEN FRESH SHINY BADGES for your playing pleasure today. And that doesn't even COUNT all the KIDS READ COMICS badges that we'll be releasing tomorrow for the KRC festivities. Whoa!

Of course, if you haven't had the chance to earn last week's badges, you can hop on those too. And, all you pro players, it's been great to see you lending a helping hand to SG new folks in the comments, too. Keep up the AWESOME WORK, and, as always...
THANKS FOR PLAYING!

Summer GED Test Preparation Class

Wed, 06/18/2014 - 2:49pm by monkk

Ann Arbor Public Schools Adult Education offers a GED test preparation class at the Malletts Creek Branch Library this summer. Required registration will be July 2 from 1 - 4 pm at Malletts Creek. Classes will be on Mondays and Wednesdays from 1 - 4 pm. You must be 18 or older to enroll, but you do not need to live in the Ann Arbor school district. If you have any questions, call the adult education office at 734-997-1250. The office is currently open part-time, so please leave a message with your name and phone number if no one answers, and your call will be returned.

If you're studying to take the GED test, check out the many materials the library has to help!

IT HAS BEGUN! And here comes your first BADGE DROP of 2014!

Fri, 06/13/2014 - 7:43pm by andrewjmac

HOLY COW, GUYS! Summer game started 10 hours ago and it's off to a ROARING start! Over 700,000 points already scored, 1800 game codes entered, and 530 badges earned! 10 HOURS! And it's not just the most hardcore players, there are 500 players playing already! I know that's 5 exclamation points in a row, but you have to understand how AMAZING this is!(!)

The thing is, we had a feeling this might happen, so we came prepared: this year's first badge drop is the biggest first badge drop ever with 20 BADGES in all: 7 starter badges, 12 scavenger hunt badges, and Josie's Chickens, a special badge that requires a trip to the Downtown Library and a visit to the library director's office:

SOOOO...what's your next move? Earning badges? Planning which events you will go to? Finding codes in the catalog and on Old News? Rating items writing reviews tagging items making lists?? Visiting libraries to get codes?

Oh, speaking of codes, did I mention that there are already 174 codes waiting to be found by YOU at libraries, in the catalog, and at library events? How on earth can you do it?! Dedication, that's how! Go to those events! Complete those badges! GET THOSE CODES!!! DISMISSED!!!