Blog Post
MeLCat is Back!
by eli
We are so pleased to announce that MeLCat interlibrary loan is back up and running! You can browse the catalog of all participating libraries in Michigan and request an item to be sent to your AADL pickup location of choice.
Once you've placed a request with MeLCat, the request will show up at the bottom of your aadl myaccount page, along with a link to MyMelCat where you can cancel your request if you'd like.
While your pending requests won't show your pickup location, rest assured it was set, and the item will be sent to your pickup location when it arrives. You can see the pickup location in MyMelCat to be sure.
Blog Post
Westgate Branch Closed for Construction on Tuesday (Sept. 25)
by richretyi
Westgate Branch will be closed due to construction on Tuesday (Sept. 25), reopening for regular hours on Wednesday (Sept. 26). Tuesday evening's A2Energy Power Hour event will be held as planned, with attendees entering Westgate through the Sweetwaters Cafe entrance. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Blog Post
MeLCat Returns October 1st!
by eli
Good news, everyone! The long-awaited return of the MeLCat interlibrary loan system is finally happening! Beginning October 1st, 2018, AADL cardholders will regain the ability to request items from the MeLCat network, and AADL will resume loaning items to other libraries via the MeLCat network. Thanks to all of you for your patience through this unexpectedly long service interruption; we apologize for the delay, and we're thrilled to be bringing MeLCat back at last.
In addition, we'll be rolling out some other useful new features on October 1st for power users, including some improvements to the performance and capabilities of your My Account page, a new Points-o-Matic mode where you can help us organize scanned newspapers from microfilm, and another special surprise for those of you suffering from Summer Game withdrawal.
One thing to know for MeLCat aficionados; we used to be on the same system as MeLCat itself, so some features could be more tightly integrated. Now that we run a different system than the one MeLCat uses, if you want to renew or cancel your MeLCat items, you'll need to log in to MyMeLCat to do so. Your MeLCat checkouts and requests will show up in their own section on your My Account page, and they'll have a link to MyMeLCat where the renew or cancel buttons would be. MelCat requests cannot be frozen or have their pickup location changed once they've been placed.
Blog Post
Badge Drop #12: Drop the Mic
by andrewjmac
It's the FINAL BADGE DROP of Summer Game 2018, time to drop this year's MASTER BADGES! What is a Master Badge? Why, its a badge you earn for having completed an entire badge series on the Badge List. So if you've been keeping up with your badges all summer long today IS A HUGE BONUS POINT DAY FOR YOU! And if you haven't...well, we have other news.
Today is more than just the Master Badge Drop, it's also the FINAL DAY OF SUMMER GAME, with just SEVEN HOURS LEFT to earn Summer Game 2018 points. AND SINCE it's the last day of the game, that ALSO means that tonight is one of the biggest events in the Summer Game calendar, the Game Over Gala! So drop by the Downtown Library tonight between 6 and 8 pm for cookies, coloring, camaraderie, and CODES!
This alignment comes along only rarely, like a solar eclipse or the passing of a comet or a parking space right in front of the place you are actually going! The game ends at MIDNIGHT TONIGHT, you have to get your last-minute scrambling done by then!
So today we get to do that rarest of things and in one day deliver unto you a healthy load of Master Badges AND send Summer Game 2018 off in style. IT'S ALMOST AS THOUGH WE HAD PLANNED IT (note: we have no control over which days of the week certain dates fall on, so we did not in fact plan it).
And now, it's time to bid adieu to catalog badges, wave goodbye to hidden branch codes, say bearwell to ursine puns, cry "GORBLE!" to the Goblin Games, and--
Hold on, I'm just getting word that while Summer Game may be over THE GAMES GO ON! But with no goblins or banners or green sheets or silly catalog searches, what could these games possibly BE?
-REVIEW REVIEWER reviews on, loaded with reviews for you to review from here to eternity!
-FRESH Points-O-Matic modes to be delivered in the coming weeks!
-UNHEARD OF and NEVER-SEE-BEFORE off-season games to astound and delight (and probably seriously stump) you!
But you'll be busy with school and work and soon enough shoveling the driveway out. How could we possibly tempt you to keep playing ALL YEAR LONG? How about if we told you that THESE GAMES ARE THE ONLY WAY TO EARN SUMMER GAME 2019 POINTS BEFORE IT EVEN STARTS?! That's right, the only way to start racking up points NOW for Summer Game 2019 is to play away at the off-season games. And who knows, you might also have some FUN, right?
If only there were a convenient location to visit to check up on when all of these new games might start and exactly what they are and how you can GET THEM POINTSSSS! A convenient location like play.aadl.org! Oh, WAIT. IT'S PLAY.AADL.ORG.
Remember that the Summer Game Shop will stay open until September 9th, so spend time today earning those points so you can take the next two week to deliberate on WHICH AWESOME PRIZES YOU WANT TO BUY.
In the meantime, we've only got one thing left to do between now and when we flip that big GAME OVER switch, and that's to tell you once again and fur real...THANKS FOR PLAYING!
Blog Post
AADL Closed On Labor Day
by TimG
All AADL locations will be closed on Monday, September 3 for Labor Day.
Regular hours resume on Tuesday, September 4.
Blog Post
Badge Drop #9: Finally!! A Badge Drop Post with REAL and IMPORTANT CONTENT!
by nicole
It's crazy to think that this time two months ago, Summer Game was just a twinkle in our eye and now we are ALL THE WAY IN at badge drop NINE!
And we know that by the time badge brop number NINE rolls around, many of you have run out of energy to read these EXCESSIVELY ENTHUSIASTIC posts! We're GRATEFUL for this, because we have almost run out of energy to WRITE these posts! We tapped our reserves of BEAR and TREE and WOOD JOKES weeks ago, but THAT'S OKAY because we know that it's incredibly unlikely that you'll even bother to glance at this OBNOXIOUSLY DENSE paragraph before you commence CLICKING FRANTICALLY through the catalog in search of CODES! We're pretty sure that by AUGUST no one will BOTHER TO CHECK whether we write real words or, for example, just a series of nonsense phrases, like LOG your UNDERWEAR! REVIEWS are WALLABIES! PANTS for CANADA!!! As long as we display the RIGHT amount of UPPER CASE ENTHUSIASM, we are ALMOST POSITIVE that no one will even NOTICE that we have said NEXT TO NOTHING in this ENTIRE POST! In fact, we hope if we keep BOMBARDING YOU with EXCLAMATION POINTS that you will simply GIVE UP on finishing this LONG-WINDED NOVELLA and HAPPILY SETTLE for a THINLY-VEILED DISTRACTION!!
Hey, look over there! It's BADGES!
That's IT! I mean, we would be HAPPY to write more nonsense things for you--like, RATE your DALAI LAMA! CODES are MAYONNAISE! SHOP plus SOUP equals SHOUP!--but we are pretty sure our EXCELLENT distraction has worked and you are already in the CATALOG, searching for CODES and thinking about how ADORABLE it is that your Summer Game Makers are still bothering to write stuff in their badge drop posts AT ALL!
THANKS FOR PLAYING!
Blog Post
It's CLASSIC SHOP DROP #2: TOYS!
by eli
It's Friday at 7 PM, and that means another CLASSIC SHOP DROP! We've got a handful of great toys from the DEEP and MEANINGFUL history of the Summer Game Shop for you to spend your CLASSIC SHOP BALANCE on! Plus, items from Classic Shop Drop #1 that are still available have been INCREMENTALLY MARKED DOWN! Whether you draw inferences about future events from this ocurrence is entirely up to you. (Inferences not included.) So, head over to the very bottom of the Summer Game Shop, and GET SHOPPING!
Blog Post
Badge Drop #8: Let's Review!
by Sara W
What, dear Summer Gamers, has this summer brought us? Let's review!
There's been BUNCHES of badges, PILES of points, prizes of ALL sizes, pun FUN, games with GOBLINS, and LOADS of codes!!!
It's also brought REAMS of reviews, and next week, it will bring us something new!!!
The Review Reviewer!
This AMAZING tool will allow you - YES, YOU - to rate other players' reviews to help us determine what's HELPFUL and also to weed out the rubbish. Should we REVIEW what makes a review helpful?
Here's some sample reviews of the Summer Game:
A GOOD review:
Title: Summer Game, Heck Yes!
Review: The Summer Game is so great! I like finding codes at the branches but the badges are super fun too!
And now for a RUBBISH review:
Title: Summer Game
Review: asdf;
or
Review: go0000d
or
Review: avocado
Here's the best review advice of all - if you're not sure if your review is good and helpful, just WRITE SOME MORE! More helps!
And now, let's get to those badges!!
Stay tuned for a SHOP DROP this evening! We'll see you in the comments, and the reviews, and the Review Reviewer (coming next week!), and the libraries, Summer Gamers!
And as always, THANKS FOR PLAYING!!!!!!!
Blog Post
2019 Washtenaw Reads Finalists have been announced!
by howarde
The Washtenaw Reads Screening Committee has chosen two titles as finalists for the 2019 Washtenaw Read: Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (fiction) and Reading with Patrick by Michelle Kuo (nonfiction.) One of these two books will be chosen as the 2019 Washtenaw Read by a panel of local judges from communities around Washtenaw County.
What is Washtenaw Reads?
Washtenaw Reads is a community initiative to promote reading and civic dialogue through the shared experience of reading and discussing a common book.
Blog Post
Badge Drop #7: Downtown
by andrewjmac
When you need points and summertime seems so pointless you can always go DOWNTOWN! When you need points, all the codes in the joints seem to help, I know. DOWNTOWN.
Just look for a new badge from Vault of Midnight in the city! Linger at the UMMA where artwork is so pretty. HOW CAN YOU LOSE? The points are so shiny there; you can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares and go:
DOWNTOWN! Things will be GREAT when you're DOWNTOWN! No finer place for sure: DOWNTOWN! EVERYTHING'S WAITING FOR YOU!
Don't hang around and let your problems surround you, there's Stamps Gallery DOWNTOWN! Maybe you know some little places to go to like the Art Center DOWNTOWN!
Just come and grab the codes from Zingerman's and also Hatcher! At the Robot Shop or Literati, you'll be a code-catcher! Happy again! And head to the Library. You can forget your malaise, make summer not so lazy and go:
DOWNTOWN! Take a quick walk around DOWNTOWN! Where all the codes are found! DOWNTOWN! This joke has run aground...DOWNTOWN! DOWNTOWN! DOWNTOWN!
[Editors note: It's possible that by Badge Drop #7, the staff of the summer game have gotten a little loopy and have started to run out of dumb jokes to make in their posts. It's also possible that this entire post can lead you to a nice bonus code if you are willing to go...well, you know. THANKS FOR PLAYING!]