Blog Post
The Thunderdrome: Unearthing a Gem in Detroit
by Caser
Let's time travel. It's 1969 and we're in Dorais Park, Detroit, near E. Eight Mile and Mound Road. Construction has just been completed on a brand new velodrome -- a cycling venue consisting of a steeply banked, concrete oval loop, 250 meters long -- in anticipation of the U.S. National Track Championships held there later that year. This Championship and the many that follow are bright spots in a declining neighborhood. For the next 20 years, the city maintains this bastion of bike racing against urban devastation, marked here by the closure of the Chrysler assembly plant across the street.
Eventually, the Dorais Park Velodrome is abandoned by the city and handed over to the elements. Illegal car races are sometimes held here, accelerating the cracking of the concrete that was only designed to sustain bicycles, while bushes, grasses, and trees split apart the fissures. Two decades of neglect take their toll.
Welcome to 2010. A group of renegade urban landscapers, known as The Mower Gang, take their lawn care equipment to Dorais Park, unearth the velodrome, and begin rehabbing the battered beauty. It's renamed The Thunderdrome, an homage to the post-apocalyptic Mad Max film series from the '80s, and a race is staged for two-wheeled vehicles that October.
As race organizer Ben Wojdyla writes, "the Thunderdrome wouldn't be limited to just bicycles. We wanted higher speeds and more excitement. We wanted loony subcultures, weirdos, a scene, a spectacle—something people could get excited about. So in addition to traditional fixed-gear road bicycles, geared bikes and mountain bikes, we also invited racers on mopeds, scooters and pit bikes". The Fall race is a success, drawing hundreds of spectators and racers and spawning the demand for a Spring race, which will take place this Saturday, April 30, at noon. Detroit reinvention and DIY spirit charge headlong into the future of the city.
The latest issue of Bicycling Magazine, with holdings at all AADL locations, has an article on the Thunderdrome, as does the October 2010 issue of Popular Mechanics. Check out the Thunderdrome's website for more details on the race.
Blog Post
Magazine Update -- Beauty, Money, Drama ...and Recycling
by MariaK
As some gear up for the chocolate bunny and jellybean eating of Easter weekend, others are excited about our new teen and youth magazines!
Teen magazines have a bumper crop this month:
Celebrity Hairstyles -- Learn how to choose the right makeup for your hair and steal the hairstyle secrets of the cast of Modern Family, plus "350 Summer Hair Secrets."
ESPN Magazine -- This issue is "All About the Money." Find out how athletes splurge, and what they do when the money runs out.
Teen Voices -- Learn about henna, as well as serious issues like child marriage and teen runaways. Includes an interview with Liz Murray, who wrote Breaking Night as a memoir of her own experience as a homeless teen in New York.
Us Weekly -- The drama behind the scenes on "Dancing With the Stars," and the Style Stars of 2011!
For the kids and parents we have:
Family Fun -- With crafts for Easter, Mother's Day and Father's Day, as well as recycle crafts for turning trash into treasures.
New Moon Girls -- The issue shares girls' true travel stories, and asks the question "What's your definition of beauty?"
AADL youth and teen magazines -- as colorful as a spring treat, but 100% sugar free.
Blog Post
New York Times databases
by lucroe
The library subscribes to two slightly different New York Times databases. The first provides full text articles of the newspaper from 1980 to the present. The second is the New York Times Historical database covering the period 1851-2007. The historical database provides scanned copies of the original newspapers including obituaries and images when available as PDFs. A great resource for genealogists and history buffs alike! The daily New York Times in print is available at all our branches and we retain 6 weeks worth.
Blog Post
Magazine Update -- Giraffes, Plays and Magical Neurology
by MariaK
You may have noticed that Ann Arbor is steadily sinking into the ground. Shocking news! But as you await the inevitable plunge towards the center of the Earth, at least you can read these cool new magazines.
For the kids:
Zootles is all about Giraffes, the tallest animals on Earth!
Plays Magazine gives you seven all new scripts for aspiring thespians, including "The Adventure of the Norwood Builder" inspired by the classic Sherlock Holmes story!
Dig magazine digs into the Aztecs (get it?), and Muse magazine tells you about the weird brain glitches that make magic tricks work.
For the parents:
American Baby is ready to tell you all about decoding your baby's mood signals, dealing with kid-caused embarrassment, and going on baby-friendly vacations.
Have fun!
Blog Post
Teen (and Parent) Magazine Update -- Home Schooling, Conspiracy Theorists and Luchador Socks
by MariaK
As winter and spring duke it out for supremacy, a beautiful new collection of magazines has blossomed in our teen room. Check out these lovely flowers:
For Teens:
Audrey -- All about Actress Olivia Munn, plus an article on the presence of Asian-Americans in mainstream TV shows.
ESPN Magazine -- See athletes strut their stuff in this special Style Report, in more ways then one, plus Derrick Rose shows off his luchador socks.
Rolling Stone -- Where else can you see Snooki, rock star Sammy Hagar and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones in the same place? Plus, 2011's coolest new faces.
Sorry, parents, I've only got one magazine for you this time, but it's a good one:
Home Education Magazine has ideas on teaching your kids about gardening and food, as well as a list of books for Women's History Month!
Get out your umbrella and come check out these cool magazines!
Blog Post
New feature: Magazines are now Requestable!
by eli
Good News, Everyone! AADL's mammoth collection of over 25,000 magazine issues is now requestable! That means you can search our collection of over 600 magazine titles and request a specific issue to be held for pickup for you at any of our locations, just like any other library item. The only difference is that after you choose your pickup location, you'll be asked which issue of the magazine you'd like to request.
The newest issue of each magazine is not requestable to keep them on the shelf while they're new, but as soon as the next issue arrives, the previous issue becomes requestable too. Maybe Giant Robot is what you're looking for, or the new Home Power Magazine, or maybe you're seeking one of our 100+ issues of National Geographic. No matter what you're looking for, getting your hands on magazine issues at your library just got a lot easier. Try it out and let us know what you think, either by commenting on this post or contacting us!
Blog Post
Periodicals on Disabilities
by iralax
Current and back issues of the monthly periodicals PN and NM can be found at the Downtown Library. PN is published by the Paralyzed Veterans of America in Washington, DC. NM New Mobility: Life Beyond Wheels is published by No Limits Communications Inc. in Horsham, PA. The articles cover transportation, education, travel, physical and psychological challenges and a wide variety of lifestyle topics. Both are award winners for their content and their contemporary look. If you would like to put a hold on a back issue and send it to any Ann Arbor District Library branch, just call 734-327-4200 and ask for Periodicals.
Blog Post
Magazine Update -- Lil Wayne, Edible Bugs, and Books about Sports
by MariaK
This month's magazines will stun and amaze you! Take a look...
For the young 'uns:
Creative Kids -- Featuring an interview with Katherine Paterson, author of Bridge to Terabithia!
Dig Magazine -- When is a hole in your head a good thing?
Ranger Rick -- Do you know that dolphins live in the Amazon River? And that people all over the world eat bugs? It's a strange world out there...
For the teens:
ESPN Magazine -- What's it like to be Jadeveon Clowney, who has been called the nation's number one high school football player? Read to find out!
Rolling Stone -- the Global Warming Hall of Shame and what Lil Wayne is up to these days.
For the parents:
American Baby -- baby traditions from all over the world, and a guide to scary symptoms that are really no big deal.
Horn Book -- What is 'YA Fatphobia'? Plus the favorite picture books of 2010, and a guide to good sports books for kids.
The Old Schoolhouse -- Tips for teaching technology, foreign language and writing skills at home.
I don't know about you, but I think these magazines sound fascinating. Especially that 'hole in the head' one. I'm already stunned and amazed!
Blog Post
An Epic Magazine Update -- Tigers, Fashion, and Valentine's Crafts
by MariaK
This magazine update is truly epic, folks. Our magazine "in" box is swamped -- and I mean completely flooded -- with new magazines for all.
For the kiddos:
Zoobies -- This one's all about tigers. Adorable and fierce!
Iguana -- Cuentos, poemas, leyendas, y articulos. En Espanol, claro.
Scholastic Math -- The boys of Big Time Rush lead you through some painless problems.
For the teens:
Cicada -- Creative writing for teens, by teens.
WWE Magazine -- Wrestler Kaval tells all. Or at least some.
Lucky -- Going shopping? Find out what's in now! Before you perpetrate some serious fashion crimes on your friends.
And for the parental units:
Family Fun -- Valentine's Day crafts!
Book Links -- Multicultural literature. Hey, that sounds familiar.
With so many new magazines it's almost hard to know where to start. Dive in!
Blog Post
Financial Times
by jimmyg
What will 2011 bring in politics, business, and finance? Will it bring inflation or deflation? A combination of each? And how will this impact the U.S. economy? With the stock market dominated by HFT, how can the retail investor navigate the current conditions? Many governments are prescribing fiscal austerity to address serious budget deficits. How will austerity impact economic recovery? What's the cause in the recent surge in the price of commodities and what does it mean for the cost of goods and services here in the U.S. as well as globally?
The Financial Times newspaper can help sift through these issues and others by providing commentary and analysis in international news, business, finance and economics. Based in London, it publishes several international editions. The U.S. edition is published Monday through Saturday and is now available at the Downtown location on the second floor. It's easy to spot since it's printed on salmon-hued newsprint.
Other titles available at AADL that cover international, business, and investment news include: Barron's, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, The Economist, Investor's Business Daily, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal.
For more business and investment magazine titles, click here for print titles, and here for online magazine databases.
Click here for online business databases, and here for Value Line and Morningstar investment databases.
(Note that in order to access the online databases from outside the library, you will need an aadl.org username and password.)