Cinema Night Special: Discover Fresh Takes on Storytelling Through Animation, Plus Live Music

Fri, 04/05/2013 - 12:05pm by mariah

Friday, May 3 | 6:30-8:30 PM | Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room | Adults

This coming Friday, Cinema Night Special will present two vastly contrasting examples of storytelling through animation. The evening kicks off with a fanciful Oscar-winning short, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore -- created in a "hybrid style of animation that harkens back to silent films and M-G-M Technicolor musicals."

The 80-minute, critically accritically-acclaimed Czech film "Alois Nebel," (Best Animated Film, 2012 European Film Awards) draws from vastly different inspiration —classic film noir. Rendered in mesmerizing black-and-white rotoscope, this darker film traces the haunted memories and mysterious visions of a troubled Czechoslovakian train dispatcher, haunted by events in the Second World War.

Between films, local band Cash Harrison & The Terrible Decisions will perform a live set, and fresh popcorn will be served.

Enjoy this special evening of film and music!

America's Music: Saturday Looks Good To Me

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 1:35pm by mariah

March through early May, AADL has been presenting America's Music Project, celebrating and tracing the history of American popular music through film, discussion and free performances. Prior weeks have talked about Blues, Gospel, Jazz, Tin Pan Alley.

The week of April 22 is devoted to the history of Rock and Roll, and Saturday Looks Good to Me will perform Monday, April 22, at 7pm in the Multipurpose Room Downtown.

From its year-2000 birth as a home recording project to its prolific 2002-7 stretch of releases to its recent return to playing and recording, Saturday Looks Good To Me has consistently brought together the jubilant fun of Motown and Northern soul with an indie approach. Thomas and an evolving cast of musicians draw on a variety of past influences while remaining firmly rooted in the present.

No tickets or registration required, no admission fee.

The AADL is one of fifty sites nationwide to host the America’s Music series, a project of the Tribeca Film Institute in collaboration with the American Library Association, Tribeca Flashpoint, and the Society for American Music.

The AADL series is cosponsored by Kerrytown Concert House, UMS, WCBN 88.3 FM, and the Friends of the AADL. America’s Music has been made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.

Shadow Puppet Show With Patrick Elkins

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 1:00pm by manz

Sunday, April 21 | 2-2:45pm | Downtown Multi-Purpose Room | K-5th Grades with an adult

It's National Library Week! Let's celebrate with a live performance!

Join us for a shadow puppet show with master puppeteer Patrick Elkins. Perhaps you saw him wandering and performing downtown a few weeks ago during FoolMoon?! The Ypsilanti-based Elkins will be performing a wonderful shadow puppet show geared towards kids in grades K-5. Adults welcome! See you there!

Citizen Workshop @ AADL

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 11:59am by Beth Manuel

If you've been thinking of becoming a U.S. citizen, AADL is holding a workshop on the topic. You can meet with an attorney or law student to begin the steps in the process. Attorney Ruby Robinson from the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center will discuss the steps in becoming a citizen. It's best if you call the MIRC ahead to register so they can get some documents ready for you at 734-998-6100 ext. 459. Bring copies of your documents or plan on making copies at aadl.org. The workshop is Sunday April 14 from 1:00-4:00 on the 4th Floor of the downtown library. For a list of documents you'll need to bring, click on 'Read More'.

Documents to Bring to the Workshop:
A copy of your Permanent Resident Card (also known as Green Card)- both sides
Two passport-style photos (2”x2”) of yourself.
Your driver’s license or state identification card.
Your Social Security number (we do not need the card itself)
Tax returns for the past three years
If you are married to a U.S. citizen, his/her birth certificate and/or certificate of naturalization
All marriage certificates and divorce records
Your children’s birth certificates
A list of your residences for the past 5 years.
A list of your employers (and/or schools) for the past 5 years.
A list of every trip you’ve taken outside the U.S. (including trips to Canada and Mexico) since you became a permanent resident.

Wednesday, April 3rd Tutoring from 4:00-6:00 pm Only

Tue, 04/02/2013 - 1:02pm by schoenbaechlere

Circle K Tutoring will be available on Wednesday evening from 4:00 to 6:00 pm only. Due to a last minute conflict, no tutors will be available from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Regular tutoring sessions from 4:00 to 8:00 pm will resume on Monday, April 8th. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Leading a Healthy Lifestyle - Maintaining Motivation

Thu, 03/21/2013 - 8:16pm by Caser

Thursday, April 4 | 7 - 8:30 pm | Downtown Library | Grade 9 - Adult

John Farah and Nelson Williams, authors of Let's Pick It Up A Bit: A Guide To A Running Lifestyle, return to AADL to discuss fitness as a lifestyle, including ways to get in shape and get healthier. They will also review general run-training concepts and answer questions about the training plans in their book.

John and Nelson have been active in marathons for years. Let's Pick It Up A Bit is more than a collection of their tips for runners -- it is about creating a strong foundation to keep active, fit and healthy, not just physically but mentally, emotionally and spiritually as well. The challenge of life is to learn how to keep growing to keep getting better! Books will be on sale at this event, which will also include a book signing.

This event is for adults and teens (grade 9 and up).

Film & Discussion: Unnatural Causes

Sat, 03/16/2013 - 1:19pm by Bertha

Is inequality making us sick? It turns out there's more to our health than bad habits, healthcare or unlucky genes. The social conditions in which we're born, live, and work affect well-being and longevity. Two episodes from the documentary series Unnatural Causes will be screened at this event: Episode 2: 'When the Bough Breaks,' highlights how racial justice and civic engagement are instruments for improving health and birth outcomes, and Episode 7: 'Not Just a Paycheck,' shows how layoffs, unemployment, and job security have a negative effect on health.
Unnatural Causes is the acclaimed 2008 documentary series broadcast by PBS tackling the root causes of our alarming socio-economic and racial inequities in health.

A discussion after the film will be led by UM faculty and physicians, Terence Joiner, MD, and Matthew Davis, MD.

This event is co-sponsored by the University of Michigan Community Scholars Program.

March 26 | 6 - 8:30pm | Downtown Library 4th Floor Meeting Room | Grades 9 and Up |

America's Music Project: Explore Popular Music March through May with Films, Concerts, and Talks

Thu, 02/28/2013 - 3:32pm by mariah

AADL presents America's Music: A Film History of Our Popular Music from Blues to Bluegrass to Broadway, an eight-week series featuring documentary film screenings and discussions at the Downtown Library.

Wednesday evening sessions, led by Mark Clague, Associate Professor of Musicology and Director of Research, University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, will focus on various genres of twentieth-century American popular music, including:

• Blues and Gospel Music
• Broadway and Tin Pan Alley
• Swing Jazz
• Country and Bluegrass
• Rock
• Latin Rhythms From Mambo To Hip Hop

A final session on May 8 will center on the history of performances at Ann Arbor’s own Hill Auditorium.

Throughout the series, the Library and Kerrytown Concert House will present related concerts performed by some of the area’s prominent musicians.

The series begins March 13 with a concert by Mr. B and a film preview at the Downtown Library.

The Ann Arbor District Library is one of fifty sites nationwide to host the America’s Music series, a project of the Tribeca Film Institute in collaboration with the American Library Association, Tribeca Flashpoint, and the Society for American Music.

The AADL series is cosponsored by Kerrytown Concert House, UMS, WCBN 88.3 FM, and the Friends of the AADL.

America’s Music has been made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.

8-Bit Stitch

Fri, 02/22/2013 - 12:40pm by mariah

If you like classic video games and dig DIY and crafty things, we've got a chance for you to combine the two!

Sunday, March 24 at 2pm, convert classic video game graphics into cross-stitch patterns and make over-sized stitched version of Mario, Pac-Man (or Pac-Man Ghosts) or Link!

Working through the process, you'll learn the basic technique for turning other classic characters into patterns you can make later.

This event is for teens (grade 6 and up) and adults.

Fanfare for the Common Cold

Thu, 02/21/2013 - 10:38am by iralax

Join other piano music lovers on Sunday, March 17, 4-5 pm at the Downtown Library to hear original selections from the recent recording project, Sweet Geriatrics by pianist/composer Waleed Howrani. From “Bifocal Boogie Woogie” to “Balding Balalaika,” the pieces cover a wide range of topics and musical styles with aplomb. “Old to Joy” reflects on the happy free time of retirement via Beethoven backwards in a minor key, while the joyful “Great-Grandsonata” winds six elements of a sonata into 27 playful seconds. “The journey through life into middle age and beyond is a lot like a symphony,” said Howrani. “It takes place in movements and phases and has many different tones and moments along with recurring themes." You will be amazed and thoroughly entertained by how Howrani tickles the ivories and plays with mother time right before our very eyes!