Join service and housing providers from across the community as they discuss the current state of
homelessness in Washtenaw County, the innovative partnerships that have been created to address the need, and the next steps needed to end homelessness in our community.

teens using drugs

The "Teens Using Drugs: What To Know and What To Do" series will resume next week on February 7th (part 1, "What To Know") and the following Tuesday, February 14th (part 2, "What To Do.") This free, ongoing, two-part series is presented by Brian Spitsbergen, Director, Community Intervention and Treatment, Growth Works, Inc. & takes place at SJMH's Education Center. The series is co-sponsored by Dawn Farm and the Livingston/Washtenaw Safe & Drug Free Schools & Communities Act Consortium and St. Joseph Mercy Hospital. All are welcome!

movie night2

Nearly every week a newly released feature film that is described for people with visual impairments is shown at Rave Motion Pictures in Ypsilanti. This week they are showing the film The Descendants through Thursday, February 9th. Rated R. Showtimes are 11:30 AM, 2:05, 4:40, 7:20 and 9:55 PM Running time is 1 hours 55 minutes. Did you know that AADL has a very robust and ever-growing collection of Described Video Recordings in DVD format for L Card users to borrow? More and more films are being produced with this feature. Some are now available by mail to our WLBPD patrons.

dental exam

On Saturday, February 4th, the University of Michigan School of Dentistry and the Washtenaw District Dental Society will be providing a free Dental Screening day. This is happening at the Pediatric Dentistry Clinic. Registration begins at 9:00 a.m. and will close after the first 100 participants have registered. Children ages 5-12 years welcome but must be accompanied by their parent or guardian.

The Ann Arbor Observer: Then & Now is a collection of over 130 local history articles published in the Ann Arbor Observer over the past three decades. This database allows readers to browse articles by topics such as religion, food, architecture, and gardening, as well as browse through the image gallery. The site is also searchable if you’re looking for a particular topic.

The Ann Arbor Observer: Then & Now is a great resource for those looking for a daily dose of local history, or for those looking to find out more about Ann Arbor’s recent past. To get you started, check out the images of AADL’s Traverwood branch being built and its grand opening in 2008.

To access the Ann Arbor Observer: Then & Now, visit the research page, and select Ann Arbor Observer: Then & Now from the Ann Arbor category.

Join us at the Downtown library for AADL's screening of "Black and Blue" on Wednesday January 18th from 7:00-8:30 PM. This is the story of the 1934 game between Michigan and Georgia Tech. When the Yellow Jackets agreed to play the Wolverines in Ann Arbor that season, they insisted on one condition – Willis Ward, the lone African-American player on the U of M team, had to sit out the game. Ward's teammates - especially Gerald Ford, Ward's roommate and a UM lineman - were outraged when U-M officials agreed to the demand. The incident galvanized UM students and the Ann Arbor community, which held loud and vocal protests against the decision.

Willis was later inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. Read the article from the May 22, 1981 issue of the Ann Arbor News.

The Ann Arbor News, established in 1835, was Washtenaw County’s leading newspaper for 174 years. Much of its content is available at Ann Arbor District Library in the microfilm collection, or on the Old News section of our website, but did you know that AADL also has an Ann Arbor News database containing all the issues of the newspaper from July, 2003 onward? It’s true! Browse through the issues day by day, look at an exact date, or search for a particular topic. Check the scores on that game you remember. Print off an obituary, graduation announcement or wedding notice. It’s all there. AADL cardholders can even do all this from the comfort of your own home.

Access to this database is available at every branch of the Ann Arbor District Library, as well as off-site provided you have a valid Ann Arbor District Library card. Log in to your aadl.org account to obtain full access to the Ann Arbor News.

Curious about the history of the homes and buildings around us in Ann Arbor? Be sure to visit our beautiful Ann Arbor Architecture Archive. Packed with a gallery of images and text about Ann Arbor's historic structures, this reference resource includes the full text of Historic Buildings, Ann Arbor, Michigan by Marjorie Reade and Susan Wineberg. Learn about old local breweries that were wiped out by prohibition, the Ann Arborites who had peacocks roaming their lawn in the 1800s, and so much more. For example, every year people from around the globe make pilgrimages to Rocco Desderide's grocery store here in Ann Arbor without even knowing it. If you have visited Zingerman's Deli on Detroit Street, then you've been to Rocco's too. Built back in 1902 by Italian immigrant Rocco Desderide, the iconic brick-veneered building, with bands of corbelled bricks fanning out above arched windows, served as the home of the Desderide grocery and confectionery business until 1921.

To access the Ann Arbor Architecture Archive, you can always go to the research page and select Ann Arbor Architecture Archive from the Ann Arbor category.

henry simmons frieze house