Introducing LearningExpress Library 3.0!

Tue, 02/18/2014 - 2:37pm by krayla

MeL, or the Michigan eLibrary, has just updated its LearningExpress Library for all ages. The new website features a brand new interface, additional options for users, and more intuitive organization.

What is the LearningExpress Library? It's a database offered by MeL to help students of all ages test themselves in various categories, including:

• Adults (also available in Spanish): Reading and math skills, becoming a U.S. citizen
• High School: GED, TASC, HiSET, basic skills
• College: ACT, SAT, AP, TOEFL
• Elementary/Middle: content in core subjects

Who can use this service?
Anyone who is a permanent resident of the state of Michigan!

• AADL Library Card holders: Log in to your AADL online account
• AADL visitors: Log in to LearningExpress while visiting any AADL branch
• Other option: Use your Michigan Driver's License or State I.D. to log into mel.org

Where can I go to start using LearningExpress Library?
You can access the LearningExpress Library in two ways:

• Go to aadl.org and click on the Research tab. Click Test Prep.
• Go to mel.org and click on Mel Databases. Scroll down to LearningExpress Library.

Note: Once you select a test to take, you will have to register (it's free!) with a username and password.

I was using version 2.0. What does this change mean for me?
You will have until June 30, 2014 to access your old testing sessions and results in version 2.0. Version 3.0 requires a new username and password.

Free Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research Symposium

Fri, 02/14/2014 - 12:47pm by schoenbaechlere

Are you interested in learning more about patient-centered health research and strategies for building partnerships with community-based health organizations? Do you participate in research and have in interest in sharing your findings with members of the community? The 2014 OPIS Symposium: Partnerships for Patient-Centered Outcomes Research welcomes all participants to the free symposium to engage in this worthwhile conversation about health in our community.

The symposium will take place on Wednesday, March 26th from 8:00 am - 3:45 pm in the Dining Hall of the North Campus Research Complex at the University of Michigan. The program is free, but registration is required. Follow this link to learn more about the Keynote Speakers and the Agenda.

Great Library Collections At Your Fingertips!

Thu, 12/05/2013 - 3:25pm by schoenbaechlere

If you've always been curious about the treasures hidden deep inside the Vatican Library or the University of Oxford's Bodleian Library, wonder no more! The two libraries are in the midst of a four-year project to digitize many of their most important works, including various Hebrew and Greek manuscripts and Gutenberg Bibles. Accessing the digitized content can be done by visiting http://bav.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/.

And if you've always wanted to check out the Vatican and Bodleian Libraries in person but just can't find the time, you're in luck! From DVDs about the collections, to Books about the buildings, to Audiobooks about the people who have shaped them, AADL has you covered!

U-M Star Billy Taylor & AADL's Old News

Tue, 12/03/2013 - 1:43pm by TimG

Record-setting, 3-time All-American and team MVP Billy Taylor began his career at U-M at the same time as coach Bo Schembechler. Despite his amazing college achievements, he later saw his world come crashing around him as he battled addiction, incarceration and homelessness on the streets of Detroit.

If you missed the inspiring Monday, December 2 AADL screening of the documentary of Billy's life - or if you want to know more about this amazing individual who faced despair but turned his life around. - AADL has an online collection of information about this and other compelling local stories. Documentary filmmaker Dan Chace used AADL resources to research content for the film. Here is a selection of articles gathered on Billy Taylor.

You can easily view thousands of similar articles from local Ann Arbor newspapers over the years, including the Signal of Liberty, The Ann Arbor Argus, The Ann Arbor Courier, and The Ann Arbor News by visiting oldnews.aadl.org.

The African American Cultural & Historical Museum Of Washtenaw County Living Oral History Project

Sunday September 22, 2013: 2:00pm to 4:00pm
Traverwood Branch: Program Room

FREE Tutoring @ the Downtown Library Youth Department Starts Monday, September 16!

Sun, 09/08/2013 - 12:54pm by erin

School has started so it's also time to get some FREE tutoring help! Circle K students will be available three days a week: Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:00 - 8:00 PM. And Sundays (FREE Parking Downtown) from 3-5 PM. Students in grades K-12 can get homework help at AADL (all subjects), provided by volunteers for the University of Michigan chapter of Circle K. No appointment necessary - just drop by!

The Battle On Broadway Hill: When The Soap Box Derby Came To Ann Arbor

Sun, 08/18/2013 - 3:06pm by oldnews

In 1936 the Ann Arbor Daily News and Chevrolet brought the Soap Box Derby to Ann Arbor, promoting the race with page one stories, plenty of pictures of local boys and display ads meant to entice every boy in the county to enter the Derby. Officials were appointed, the rules explained and the "long, smooth and straight" Broadway Hill named as the site of the race. The lead-up to the race gave News photographers plenty of display space for their pictures of local hopefuls building and testing their cars. More than 6,000 fans watched John Mayfield win the inaugural Battle on Broadway Hill. In 1937, the page one story promoting the Soap Box Derby was bigger, the coverage more extensive and the prizes offered by local merchants really cool. The Chief of Police talked crowd control as race day on Broadway Hill approached. Controversy over his residency did not stop Merlin Hahn from winning the 1937 crown. Although there was plenty of interest by young girls in the race, the Soap Box Derby did not allow girls to compete until 1971. Enjoy the articles and pictures and, if you can, help us solve the mystery: who is Babs?

Update! Turns out "Babs" is the name of the car piloted by 1938 Soap Box Derby winner Lynn Smith and he named the winning car after his sister, Babs Smith. In an interview granted to the News after his victory, Lynn tells all.

You Call This Hot, Sonny?

Wed, 07/17/2013 - 8:39pm by oldnews

On Wednesday, July 8, 1936, the temperature in Ann Arbor reached 100 degrees. Thursday no relief was in sight so the kids took to the water. By Friday area residents were being felled by the high temperatures. On Saturday, July 11, the weatherman forecast a break in the weather, but he was wrong. The next day temperatures again reached 100. On Tuesday the weatherman again forecast a break in the weather and Wednesday, July 15, relief finally arrived. The two consecutive days of 100+ degrees set a record for Ann Arbor. The high temperature record, however, had been set in July, 1934, 105.2 degrees.

The League of Women Voters Ask: What's The Question?

Tue, 06/11/2013 - 9:10am by Debbie G.

You decide, you submit, and the League of Women Voters of the Ann Arbor Area will ask the candidates for the 3rd & 4th Ward Ann Arbor City Council August 2013 Primary. The public may submit questions to candidates via lwv.ann.arbor.area@gmail.com on a link at LWVAA website. The deadline for questions is Thursday, June 20, 5 p.m.

The Candidate Forums will be held Wednesday, July 10th, at the Community Television Network Studio, 2805 South Industrial in Ann Arbor. The forums will be broadcast until the day before the election and can also be viewed on the CTN website.

World News At Your Fingertips: Infotrac Newsstand

Wed, 03/06/2013 - 12:11pm by darla

Looking for a copy of today's Irish Times from Dublin? Daily coverage of Armenian news direct from Yerevan? This month's issue of Namibia Economist? Yesterday's Arkansas Times from Little Rock? You can find all of this, and much more, in our research database Infotrac Newsstand. This full-text newspaper resource provides access to more than 1,100 major U.S. regional, national and local newspapers as well as leading titles from around the world. It also includes thousands of images, radio and TV broadcasts and transcripts. Worried about language barriers? Infotrac will translate your selection into English (or choose from 12 other world languages). Easy-to-use citation tools will help with your research, along with options for e-mailing, bookmarking, downloading or printing.

Access to this and any of our other reference databases and resources is available at every branch of the AADL, as well as from outside the library with a valid AADL library card. For access from an outside location, please sign in to your library account, visit our reference database page, and navigate to the desired resource. To access the Infotrac Newsstand database, go to the Research page, and select Infotrac Newsstand from the Newspapers category.