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Adopt a Font

 

proof sheet

Recently the AADL acquired 125+ cases of handset lead type from the former Jackson Typesetting Company.  In preparation of making this amazing resource available for use in printing at the weekly Letterpress Lab program, we will be pulling proof sheets of each drawer of type. 

A proof sheet is a letterpress print which incorporates all the letters from a particular font of type.  Project goals are to get an accurate character sort count, and a representation of the physical condition of the type.  The proof sheets will also enable the creation of an electronic database containing an accurate character count of all fonts.

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Blog Post

TONIGHT ONLY: Get ON BOARD and get BIG POINTS!

by eli

Here at Summer Game HQ, we work for YOU. Like, literally. Through the transformative magic of REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY and the arcane power of ORG CHARTS, there is direct line of authority that flows through library staff up to Josie, the Library Director. (we hope you've visited her office for her 2,500 point badge!) But who does Josie report to? Well, Josie reports to the AADL Board of Trustees, and unlike many libraries, here at AADL the board is ELECTED AT LARGE by the citizens of the district! That means WE work for THE BOARD but THE BOARD works for YOU! Therefore, through the transitive property of local governance (that's a thing, right? hello?) WE work for YOU!

AND WHAT BETTER WAY to UTILIZE that authority than by coming to TONIGHT'S MEETING OF THE AADL BOARD OF TRUSTEES! Tonight's meeting will be the first AADL Board meeting to be recorded on video and streamed LIVE, and you can watch it right here! Jamie, the Board President, will hold up the code for the meeting right at the beginning of the meeting at 7 PM, and if you miss it, later this week the recording will be posted and you can find it then! That's a 250-point code, plus, it will get you the 250-point bonus for the BODY ELECTORATE badge, and you don't even have to SHOW UP to get it!

BUT! There are TWO more codes worth some SERIOUS points that you can ONLY GET by showing to tonight's AADL Board Meeting IN PERSON! (Or, if you have some sort of telepresent robot, we suppose that would work too.) The meeting will take place in the Multipurpose Room in the basement of the Downtown Library at 7 PM on July 17, 2017, and if you're there in the room, you can not only get a special 500-point code that's only available to those who show up in person or via robot, AND you'll have a chance to get a 1000-point bonus FOR MAKING A PUBLIC COMMENT TO THE LIBRARY BOARD!

That's right; there are two opportunities to comment; one at the beginning of the meeting and one at the end. You can sign up in advance by calling the admin office at 734-327-8311; or you can sign up in person right before the meeting starts at 7 PM. If you miss the beginning of the meeting, there's another chance at the end! Commenters have 3 minutes to talk about anything they'd like to tell the Board about the Library, and on the podium, you'll find that 1000-point code!

For you SUMMER GAME L33TS, if you come or watch, you'll not only get an enticing SNEAK PREVIEW of the ALL-NEW AADL.ORG coming in January 2018, you might even hear a little bit about THOSE BIG SUMMER GAME 2018 CHANGES we keep dropping hints about!

There's another AADL board meeting scheduled for August 21st, but it is not uncommon for the board to cancel the August meeting. AUGUST IN ANN ARBOR AMIRITE? So, TONIGHT might be YOUR ONLY OPPORTUNITY to not only get some amazing POINTS and BADGES, but also to tell the BOARD -- and the STAFF -- what we can do better for YOU!

Let us know if you have any questions, and we hope to see you all there tonight for POINTS, CODES, and CIVIC ENGAGEMENT GALORE!

THANKS FOR PLAYING!

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Blog Post

What is the Reggio Emila Approach?

by Beth Manuel

The Reggio Emilia Approach is an educational philosophy based on the image of the child, and of human beings, as possessing strong potentials for development and as a subject of rights who learns and grows in the relationships with others.

This global educational project, which is carried forth in the Municipal Infant-toddler Centers and Preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy, and has inspired other schools all over the world, is based on a number of distinctive characteristics: the participation of families, the collegial work of all the personnel, the importance of the educational environment, the presence of the atelier and the figure of the atelierista, the in-school kitchen, and the pedagogical coordinating team.

Join us as Suzanne Price of Sunshine Special Children's Studio and Early Childhood Educator Heidi Harris share key components of the Reggio Emilia philosophy in this interactive session.

This program is in partnership with the Wonder of Learning: 100 Languages of Children Exhibit (at the U-M Stamps School of Art and Design & the James and Anne Duderstadt Center on North Campus) and the North American Reggio Emilia Alliance.

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Blog Post

Ann Arbor Arab American Parent Support Group Meeting

by Beth Manuel

The Ann Arbor Arab American Support Group, A2A2PSG, will be hosting their final meeting of the school year on Sunday, May 21, in the 3rd floor freespace of the downtown library.

The Ann Arbor Arab American Support Group:

  • Promotes the success of all students in the Ann Arbor Public Schools (AAPS) with special attention to students of Arab descent.
  • Partners with AAPS staff to create an environment of respect and appreciation for diverse cultures within and beyond the school community
  • Serves as a liaison between AAPS and students and their families

Coordinators of A2A2PSG typically meet in the freespace on the 3rd floor of the downtown AADL, once a month during the school year. You may contact the group at: annarborpsg@gmail.com, or for more information, visit: http://annarborpsg.wix.com/aapsghome (this site requires flash). New members are always welcome.

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Blog Post

Animal Magic: Donald Hall's "Eating the Pig"

by christopherporter

Donald Hall

Donald Hall's poetry is the apple of our eye.

If you’re a vegetarian, Donald Hall’s poem “Eating the Pig” might make your stomach churn.

But if you’re a meat eater and are disgusted by Hall’s imagery -- or the pictures in the Eating the Pig: A Dinner Party in Poetry, Photography & Painting exhibit, on display at the Ann Arbor District Library, that document the evening described in the poem -- you need to get in touch with where your animal-based protein comes from and the often brutal ways it gets to your plate.

(Read the "Eating the Pig" poem here or listen to Hall read it here.)

In 1975, Hall left his teaching job at University of Michigan and bought his maternal great-grandfather's farm in New Hampshire, where he spent many summers as a child. With so much of his life spent in a rural area, the 2006 Poet Laureate is deeply in tune with nature and the creatures that populate it. His poems show a clear-eyed vision of how real life is always an ongoing mix of beauty and struggle, inextricably linked and forever a source of consternation and inspiration. Hall recognizes that a gorgeous horse can become a broken down beast of burden; that a majestic but aging rooster’s final morning crow is lost to the wind before his head is chopped off; and that a cute little suckling pig can also be a source of human sustenance.

Hall has written many poems that feature animals -- and no, they aren’t all about eating them. Below is a selection of those poems, which display Hall’s reverence for animals and the many things they provide for humanity. These poems also give additional context to “Eating the Pig,” which ties a single October 1974 Ann Arbor evening spent carving and devouring an animal to a historic ritual of life and death that stretches back to the Stone Age when flint cutting tools first appeared.

Donald Hall, Pig

Piggy in the mirror.

“Eating the Pig” isn’t barbarous; ultimately, it’s about paying homage, with all the gory details, to the animals who have worked the land or been sacrificed in support of human survival (including vegetarians).

"Great Day in the Cows House"

"The Henyard Round"

"The Black-Faced Sheep"

"Name of Horses"

"The Alligator Bride"

"Wolf Knife"


Christopher Porter is a Library Technician and editor of Pulp.


"Eating the Pig: A Dinner Party in Poetry, Photography and Painting" runs through January 12, 2017, on the 3rd floor of the Downtown Branch of the Ann Arbor District Library. For more information on the exhibit, including a new essay Hall wrote about the evening and to see all the photos, visit AADL's "Eating the Pig" website. View the Donald Hall books in our collection here.

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Blog Post

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them!

by PizzaPuppy

Calling all Harry Potter fans! The newest movie in the popular series hits theaters this weekend!

We'll be celebrating at the Downtown Library on Sunday, November 20th from 3:30-5 PM. Join us for a variety of Harry Potter-themed crafts and activities, including live owl presentations. Costumes are encouraged!

Obsessed with the new movie already? Satisfy your Fantastic Beasts craving with some of our brand new books. Learn about how the film was made with Inside the Magic: the Making of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. See the amazing concept art that helped shape the movie's aesthetic in Art of the Film, or maybe consult the movie's handbooks here and here. We even have the original screenplay for you to check out.

Looking for more Harry Potter fun? Catch up with the original series by reading Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Read about the artifacts, creatures and characters of the Harry Potter series in these specialty books. Or check out the beautiful illustrations in the newly released Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Illustrated Edition.

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Blog Post

LAST CHANCE for BIG POINTS! Don't miss the AADL BOARD MEETING MONDAY 8/15!

by eli

While you're anxiously awaiting this week's badge drop, and the 6 PM RESTOCKENING of Coffee and Tea, plus the release of 4 COMPLETELY NEW SHOP ITEMS.... we wanted to remind you that NEXT MONDAY, AUGUST 15th, is your LAST CHANCE this summer to get totally HUGE POINTS by attending a meeting of the AADL BOARD OF TRUSTEES!

It's exhilarating, we know. But if you come to the 4th floor of the Downtown Library by 7 PM on Monday, August 15th, you'll find a 500-point code with a 250-point badge bonus JUST FOR SHOWING UP, plus a staggering 1000-point code with a 500-point badge bonus for MAKING A PUBLIC COMMENT TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES! That's 2,250 points just for TELLING YOUR VERY OWN ELECTED OFFICIALS WHAT YOU THINK!

An opportunity like this won't come around again, until next summer that is, so come to the 4th floor of the Downtown Library by 7 PM to make a public comment! There are opportunities for comment at the beginning and at the end of the meeting, and the board president will ask if there are any Public Comments. You don't have to say much, but you have to approach the podium to see the code!

Hope to see you all there, and THANKS FOR PLAYING!

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Blog Post

Come see the new fairy door in the Downtown youth area!

by eapearce

Visitors to the Downtown Library in recent months might have noticed that the fairy door area was “under construction.” Just this week we installed a BRAND NEW fairy door and fairy door fans of all ages will definitely want to come check it out! Located in the same spot as the old fairy door, in the Downtown Youth Department, this new door is super special. You can peek inside to see an adorable scene with a tiny desk, fairy-sized chairs and pillows and little books. There’s even a cute hanging plant—in a thimble, of course! And, this fairy door has a special light that allows you to really see the details that make it so special. Each time you look inside, you’ll notice things that you hadn’t before—like how the walls are papered with dozens of images from old books. The new fairy door is really a treat—come see for yourself!

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Blog Post

Vinyl Records!

by manz

Saturday, April 16 was Record Store Day! On this day we launched AADL’s circulating vinyl collection. Yes, that’s right, you can check out LP records at the library again! You can browse the little collection online to see what we’ve got, or stop into the Downtown Branch to flip through the stacks of wax. Ah, the joy of flipping through a record bin.

There’s a good mix of classics and contemporary. You’ll find artists such as Taylor Swift, The Cure, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, The Beatles, and Fleetwood Mac, to name a fabulous few. Can you dig it?

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Blog Post

Come Downtown to make your own comic book bubble magnets tonight!

by eapearce

Join us Downtown in the new Secret Lab for a great event for teens and adults! Tonight, Tuesday, October 6, from 7:00-8:00pm, we'll use lots of awesome old comic books to create our own magnets!

Cut out pictures from the comic books, then glue flat glass marbles on them to magnify the image. Attach a magnet to the back and you have cool, useful decorations for metal surfaces in households, dorm rooms, and offices! You can even make a series of magnets based on your favorite comic book character.

All materials will be provided.