Off to an AMAZING start, here's your first BADGE DROP of 2013!

Fri, 06/14/2013 - 7:39pm by eli

WOWZERS! You guys are CRAZY! Summer Game has only been turned on for half a day, and we've already got 240 players on the leaderboard! And while our early adopters have been plugging away all afternoon, it's Friday Night, and that means it's time for a BADGE DROP!

You might have noticed that badges now have difficulty ratings of Beginner, Advanced, or Expert; we're still filling these out for older badges so stay tuned! But for now, you know the drill; click on the badges or visit the Badge List to get the first clue for each badge and see hints and progress as you hunt through the catalog for game codes!



Also, remember that EVERY SINGLE SUMMER EVENT at YOUR LIBRARY has its own Game Code; come to the events and don't miss the code! As always, Contact Us if you have any trouble with your account or info, or just leave a comment if you're stuck and want help from other players! Don't forget our unwritten convention of badge help; give a clue, don't give the answer! Avoid badge spoilers and keep it fun for everyone. Have at it, players, and...



THANKS FOR PLAYING!

SUMMER GAME HAS BEGUN!

Fri, 06/14/2013 - 9:01am by eli

School is out! The weather is gorgeous! Summer Festival begins tonight! And on top, over, around and through all of it is your favorite thing to do ALL SUMMER LONG.... AADL'S SUMMER GAME at PLAY.AADL.ORG!

Get Started, Read Books, Watch Movies, Listen to Music, Go to Events, Find Codes, Solve Puzzles, Experience new things and get SUMMER GAME POINTS all along the way! And it's not just Online... you can also play the CLASSIC PAPER GAMES for Kids, Teens, or Adults, and win free new books, courtesy of the Friends of the Ann Arbor District Library and the Scott and Marcy Westerman Fund, plus Temporary Tattoo sheets, mini gardening sets, coupons for free Cookies, Burritos, Bowling or AADL Zoom Lends... AND THAT'S JUST THE BEGINNING!

On July 5th, the 2013 SUMMER GAME SHOP will open, filled with amazing new SUPER USEFUL products, including Picnic Blankets, Coolers, THE NICEST MESSENGER BAG WE'VE EVER OFFERED, and many more surprises throughout the summer! Earn points, climb the leaderboard, get stuff and have fun all summer AT YOUR LIBRARY!

The biggest new feature this year is RECRUITMENT BONUSES! On your Player Page, you can generate a Recruitment code you can give to friends and family who aren't summer game players! If a new player with a library card attached enters your code, YOU get a 500 point bonus, and THEY DO TOO! That's a big step up and it will surely be interesting to see as the summer goes on which players recruit the biggest networks! Just remember, to get the bonus, your recruit has to be a NEW PLAYER with an AADL LIBRARY CARD on their account!

We've also tweaked some other points values and will be rolling out changes during the day today. So hardcore players, stay tuned! And new players, dive in and just post a comment here for the expert players if you have any questions!

THANKS FOR PLAYING!

Summer Game 2013 Starts June 14th! ARE YOU READY?

Thu, 06/13/2013 - 7:25pm by eli

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?! Summer is almost here, and SUMMER GAME 2013 is just around the corner! Get ready for new badges, new items, new challenges, and NEW WAYS TO EARN POINTS to keep you moving ALL SUMMER LONG! It is the triumphant return of Ann Arbor's hottest bucket of chuckles, the AADL SUMMER GAME!

You can pick up your CLASSIC paper reading log starting Friday, June 14th at any AADL location, or print one yourself, or just play online! Complete the paper game for 1000 points and the Super Summer Reader Badge, then keep playing online, earning badges, finding codes, attending events, and using your library for MORE POINTS! Then, starting July 5th, you can spend those points in the ALMOST ENTIRELY NEW AADL SUMMER GAME SHOP, filled with amazing new items you can order and pick up at your favorite library branch.

Plus, don't miss the SUMMER GAME KICKOFF CONCERT on Sunday June 16th at Top of the Park, featuring Chicago kid-friendly rockers ICE CREAM VENDORS! Come see us at the AADL tent for a special game code, and come back the next two sundays for even more, featuring crazy activities like LIFE-SIZE CANDYLAND, JOHANN SEBASTIAN JOUST, and more, including AADL's presentation of tower-sized one-of-a-kind experience SUPERHERO at TOP June 28-30!

Then, the points JUST KEEP ON COMING with AADL events, codes, points, and challenges hidden ALL OVER TOWN and new badges dropping EVERY FRIDAY! It all starts FRIDAY JUNE 14th and wraps up on FRIDAY AUGUST 30th! Stay tuned right here to PLAY.AADL.ORG to get all the latest Summer Game news and have fun at your library ALL SUMMER LONG!

THANKS FOR PLAYING!

Happy Summer! It's time for the 8th Annual LEGO Contest!

Thu, 06/13/2013 - 7:24pm by erin

Mark your calendars for Thursday, August 8, 2013! Preschoolers, Kids, Teens & Adults are all invited to enter this year's LEGO contest. The top winners receive custom made LEGO Trophies, medals and Target Gift Cards. Like in 2012 the contest will be at the Kensington Court Hotel (@ Briarwood Mall). Everyone is invited to come and view the entries between 6:00-8:00PM. For all the details and full guidelines for participants see the 2013 LEGO Contest Guidelines. If you're planning to enter and have your eyes on the prize here's a tip: look closely at the photos of projects that have won in past years - what did they do that caught the judge's eye? Good luck!

Summer Game Kick-Off Concert @ TOP: Ice Cream Vendors

Mon, 06/03/2013 - 9:15pm by hillary dorwart

Sunday June 16, 2013: 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm -- Top of the Park

Kids Rock@Top Concerts return!! Kick off the 2013 AADL Summer Game at this family-friendly concert with Ice Cream Vendors on the Rackham stage!

Chicago's unique musical institution-Ice Cream Vendors-are not just a musical duo but a mysterious life force! Songs about beta data, bacon men, and sharing eyeglasses will have you smiling and geeking out right alongside them!

Sign up for the AADL Summer Game at the concert, and be one of the leaders for great summer game prizes.

Streets Quest #10: A Quest to End All Quests!

Sat, 06/01/2013 - 5:34am by andrewjmac

So, here we are, another month, another Quest. But wait! NOT just another Quest! YOUR FINAL QUEST! Because now we are June, and June means an end to Quests and the beginning of a bright and shining new Summer Game! Summer Game 2013 starts June 14 and promises to have all the great ways to earn points and badges as last year. We know we can count on our dedicated Questers to be there! But for now, you have work to do:

Now you visit your favorite stall numbers
For apples or beets or cucumbers.
But before the market stood,
You could just knock on wood:
Who'd you visit to pick up some lumber?

Quest...something...!

Streets Quest #9: Mayday, Mayday!

Tue, 04/30/2013 - 11:50pm by andrewjmac

Sorry, don't be alarmed. Just another Quest! This time zee Germans are coming. Or rather, they came. There's a lot to learn about Ann Arbor's German past, and this Quest will get you started. If you look around town, you'll see German stuff all over the place. A few of the names in this Quest you'll recognize, a few you won't. Some of the words might trip you up, too, but don't let the German expressionism stop you. We're getting closer to the end of Streets Quest, and few people have kept up, falling to a Glass Gazing here, an Old Newsmaker there. Let the Germans shepherd you on to Quest victory:

From Swabia came one groß migration;
So much came to our town from one nation!
Find one German last name
That brought Ann Arbor fame
With his musical organ-ization.

Viel Glück mit deiner Suche!

Streets Quest #8: Honest Toil and Motor Oil

Mon, 04/01/2013 - 12:18am by andrewjmac

Springtime! A time to take care of all those things you've been putting off over the long winter holidays. Like getting that old junker tuned up, getting some crops in the ground, and GETTING QUESTING! Now that the snow has melted (at least, as of this writing, who knows what's on the ground when you actually read this), it's the perfect weather to trek out to some panels and do some Glass Gazing. Online Onlooking and Old Newsmakering are a bit more appropriate for winter, so a lot of you have kept up with those. We're venturing a little further afield this time, so put on your galoshes and prepare to go as far as a few blocks away:

Climb up the courthouse and look out northeast,
See there's nothing this town is short of;
Get some marble, some gas, an Italian feast,
Even tools in what's circled above.

A time to Quest, a time to, uh, Quest. Go get 'em!

Streets Quest #7: We're Only In It for the Money

Fri, 03/01/2013 - 6:13pm by andrewjmac

This time around, Questers, your favorite game is all about money. It's still free to play, of course, but you're headed to a part of town that was once (and on some corners still is) devoted to moolah! I don't think you'll have any trouble with this one, though a few of the clues might trip you up a bit. And we're pretty heavy on the Glass Gazers this time around, so you're going to have to face the cold, hard snow and ice to learn about the cold, hard cash. At least there's a big reward in it for you: the satisfaction of a Quest well done. But no money. Sorry. Anyway:

Money, money, money, it makes the world go 'round,
They say that's the (other) golden rule.
Lots of banks and lots of shops on this panel are found,
And even a business-y school.

Go for the gold!

Streets Quest #6: Once More Round the Block

Fri, 02/01/2013 - 4:32pm by andrewjmac

Well, Questers, it was bound to happen sometime. Downtown Ann Arbor is only so big, and this time we find ourselves headed back to someplace we've already been. Well, sort of. It's a whole new quest on a whole new panel, but this one is only steps away from one you may remember before. I'm sure you won't have too much trouble finding it. Of course, finding the right panel is never really the hard part, is it? We can see that by looking at the number of people who started the last Quest and comparing it to the number of people who finished it. But don't despair of them, you more experienced Questers! Look to our very first Quest, which 44 people have now finished. I admire those of you so hardcore as to brave the snow and cold to bring home the badges. Speaking of which, you probably came here for the newest Quest:

In a place that you’ve quested before,
Turn around to go questing once more:
This time begins
With the oldest of inns;
Name the place you’d stay in days of yore.

Go Quest, Young Man!