On Friday, November 11, 2011 author/illustrator Jan Brett will be visiting Ann Arbor and stopping at The Library for a program from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. She is touring to promote her new book, Home for Christmas. This title will be released on November 1st.

Ms. Brett tours with a big bus decorated with her drawings. The bus will park beside the Library on William St. She'll do a short program in our Multi-Purpose Room and then she'll meet with her fans and sign books. Nicola's Books will be selling Ms. Brett's books that evening.

There will also be the opportunity for kids to have their picture taken with Ms. Brett's character Hedgie the Hedgehog.

Chess in the library, an opportunity to play against all levels; everyone is welcome! Come away with new ways to open, how best to make checkmate happen, and all the tactics in between. Learn from each other.

"Chess is everything: art, science, and sport." - Anatoly Karpov

Sunday, September 18 | Traverwood branch | 1:00-4:00

If you're like me, you can't wait for the Autumnal Equinox on September 23rd to roll around so you can officially say It's Fall! for those that are excited for the cooler weather and changing colors, check out the Michigan.org website for information about the changing colors and where and when to go to get the best view. Also be sure to check our catalog for books about fall/autumn in the aadl.org catalog!

Filling a dozen squares with colors and circles, Wasilly Kandinsky, created a rich and whimsical painting entitled Squares with Concentric Circles in 1913. Piet Mondrian was inspired to work with squares and rectangles filled with bright primary colors in his abstract paintings in the 1920’s.

You can make your own squares, filled with color and design, at the Downtown Youth Department Art Table, or create patterns with our colorful magnetic squares.

Imagine an A2 scavenger hunt for squares in art and architecture, from the paper work wall sculpture, entitled Winter Solstice by Sabra Richards, in the stairwell of the Downtown Library, to the Cook Law Quad, or Tony Rosenthal’s cube, Endover, near the Student Union. Of course a visit to the University Of Michigan Museum of Art will inspire you to search for various shapes within sculpture, painting and more.

SquaresSo many squares, so little time!

THIS IS IT! At midnight tonight, scoring for SUMMER GAME 2011 will come to a sudden end, but that doesn't mean we're OUT OF SURPRISES! First, it's the news you've all been waiting for, players; we've just stocked the Summer Game Shop with this summer's final shipment of stuff, including:

20 more PENULTIMATE SUMMER GAME SILVER SETS
20 more GIGA CHOCOLATE LOGO VICTORY PACKAGES
100 more AMAZING AADL MAGIC BAGS

Plus, our final 5 new items, leading off with the hotly demanded STANDALONE SILVER STAFF WATER BOTTLE! Yes, after demand that can only be described as INTENSE, we've been able to obtain an additional 20 of these SLICK and SHINY bottles, previously only available to AADL staff on their first day, or as part of that PENULTIMATE SUMMER GAME SILVER SET! But that's not all... we've also got the last 4 of this year's Classic Summer Reading Game Collector's Buttons, including some truly special and unusual items!

REMEMBER, the Summer Game Shop will stay open for orders through Sunday, September 18, so you'll have plenty of time to spend your Summer Game Points. Also, any unspent Summer Game Points in your player account will still be available when next summer's game rolls around!

One more note, we're having a bit of a supply problem with AARFIDS, so some of this week's orders, including a few silver sets, did not go out in this Friday's deliveries. We've got the stock sorted now though, so we should get caught up next week... but please allow 3 - 4 weeks for Magic Bag orders, as we work through the final weeks of shopping!

Finally, don't think we're out of surprises yet; there's some yet to come over the weekend, early next week, and then on the first of every month between now and next summer... what could they be? Stay tuned to play.aadl.org to find out!

This is ALMOST IT, players! Only 7 days remain in AADL's Summer Game 2011! We've now crossed 5000 players and a truly staggering 37 MILLION points earned! With only one week to go, that doesn't mean that you're not hungry for one last crop of NEW BADGES, does it? We hope not, because here you go:

Take a look at the Badge Page for some clues on how to start hunting these badges down. If you need help getting started on the Smart Cookie badges, finding the only AADL local history product about food will really get you cooking with gas.

In addition, we've got another load of 5 Classic Summer Reading Game Buttons for the Summer Game Shop, and while the GIGA CHOCOLATE VICTORY PACKAGE is unfortunately SOLD OUT for this year, we will have another big load of the super-popular AMAZING_AADL_MAGIC_BAG restocking in the shop next Friday! And what will happen next friday, as scoring AS YOU KNOW IT comes to a sudden end? What will we all do with ourselves? There's only one way to find out, and that's wait until next Friday! You can stare at that clock if you'd like, but maybe you'd prefer to FIND THOSE NEW BADGES instead! Also, remember that the Summer Game Shop will stay open for orders until Sunday 9/18, so you'll have time to spend your points! Any unspent points will still be in your account when next Summer rolls around, so you won't lose them, or your hard-earned badges!

While you're waiting, check your badge page and make sure you've got that ALL-IMPORTANT Summer Reader Badge, as that's what qualifies you for the Summer Game GRAND PRIZE Drawing where you could win an iPad2, an iPod touch, or a Nintendo 3DS! You've only got until next friday to earn that badge, so make sure to complete your Classic Summer Reading Game and take it to an AADL desk to get your badge!

AADL's Biggest Summer Yet is almost over... and then what? Stay tuned to play.aadl.org to find out!

Thursday, August 18 | 7:00-8:30 PM | All Ages

Join us for a nature walk through Furstenberg Nature Area with the City of Ann Arbor Natural Area Preservation staff. We’ll walk through prairie and woodlands viewing native plants and trees, and learning about the ecological restoration going on at this site. Mosquitos are likely to be abundant so bring along some protection.

Park in the lot off Fuller Road (across from Huron High School). We’ll meet near the restrooms.

The National Library Service added several titles to its Native American collection, which includes works by Native American authors as well as folklore, history, mythology and fiction. Titles are for both younger & adult readers. Many are available in both our aadl and WLBPD collection or in Large Print, too. You can find items tagged as Native American in aadl's catalog. The more items tagged, the more points to score for the Summer Reading Game!

learningexpress

Did you know that you can access dozens of practice tests and 150 e-books by going to the LearningExpress Library from our Research Pages? Just click on the Research Tab and then the click on the link that says "Test Prep". LearningExpress Library is the sole item with that heading. You will need an additional log in to access this database to take practice tests. Believe me, it's worth having a look-see for Academic preparation, Civil Services exams, Skill Building for kids and adults and So MUCH MORE!!!

Come to the Pittsfield Branch Library on Tuesday, August 9 from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. for a Family Camp-in. We'll sit around the campfire, tell stories and sing songs. The music will be led by musician Sara Melton Keller. We'll also play a game and do some crafts. No campfire is complete without s'mores. We'll make some of those, too!

For some fun books about camping, click here.