Ann Arbor District Library

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Ann Arbor District Library
Ann Arbor District Library.jpg
Ann Arbor District Library
Type Public
Branches5
Other information
DirectorEli Neiburger
Website https://aadl.org

The Ann Arbor District Library (AADL) is a public library system that serves the residents of the Ann Arbor, Michigan school district. The Downtown Library, located at 343 South Fifth Avenue, was dedicated in 1957 and had building additions in 1974 and 1991. AADL also includes four branch libraries: Malletts Creek, Traverwood, Pittsfield, and Westgate. At the beginning of the fiscal year of 2021–2022, the library reopened for full service after a year of vestibule service during the COVID-19 pandemic. 8,403 new library cards were issued during the fiscal year, and AADL saw a total door count of 909,101. [1] The library's system holds over 480,000 materials - including books, DVDs and Blu-rays, CDs, audiobooks, tools, art prints, language materials, and more. These materials saw almost 5 million checkouts in the 2021-2022 fiscal year. The library also offers access to databases and Libby, an online source of ebooks and audiobooks. While these numbers don't fully compare to pre-COVID-19 numbers, they're approaching an equilibrium. [2]

Contents

In 1997, the Library was named “National Library of the Year” by Library Journal, the first library in Michigan to receive the honor. [3] In 2022, for the 15th year in a row, AADL earned five stars in the Library Journal's annual ratings of public libraries across the nation. [4]

Board of trustees

All trustees are elected at large from the District. The Library District has the same boundaries as the Ann Arbor School District. Terms are four years long beginning January 1 of the year they are elected.

Officers are elected by the Board at the Annual Board Meeting in January. Officers serve for a one-year term and for no more than two consecutive years in the same office. Board members as of December 2023 are: [5]

Locations

Malletts Creek Branch Ann Arbor District Library Mallets Creek Branch.JPG
Malletts Creek Branch

Expansion

The vision of branch libraries for the Ann Arbor District Library system began with former Library Director Homer Chance. Recognizing the need for access to materials and facilities beyond the Downtown Library, Chance opened the first branch library in Ann Arbor, the Loving Branch, in 1965. In 1977, the West Branch (now called "Westgate") opened its doors. The Northeast Branch began serving the community in 1981.

Expansion continued in 2004 with the opening of the Malletts Creek Branch as a replacement for the Loving Branch. This branch is a unique model of sustainable design featuring solar heating, natural day lighting, a vegetated green roof, convection cooling, naturally captured and filtered storm water, native plants and grasses, and many uses of materials that are renewable resources. The Malletts Creek Branch was awarded the 2005 American Institute of Architects Michigan (AIA Michigan) Award for Sustainable Design. [6]

In 2006, AADL opened the Pittsfield Branch, a community-based learning center serving the residents of the southwest quadrant of Ann Arbor and Pittsfield Township. This branch, along with its surrounding landscape, capitalizes on environmental principles, allowing the overall project to operate more in harmony with the ecosystem and the community in which it serves.

On June 30, 2008, the Traverwood Branch opened, replacing the Northeast Branch. The Traverwood Branch is designed to have as little impact on natural landscape features as possible. Sustainable design features include an innovative stormwater management system and the reuse of harvested ash trees from the building site. A rain garden is located on the south side of the building. The design of the Branch takes advantage of natural day lighting.

Since 2004, the Library's branch expansion program has emphasized sustainability. By using sustainable design in the construction of each branch, the Library will teach, by example, responsible coexistence with the natural environment.

The West Branch closed for renovation in November 2015, reopening in September 2016 as the Westgate Branch. Formerly the smallest in the system, the Westgate Branch quadrupled in size to 21,000 square feet (2,000 m2), adding a cafe. [7]

AADL.org

The AADL website provides access to the Library's catalog, events, services, research databases and users’ Library accounts management. Website users can post blogs, comment on blogs, subscribe to RSS feeds, tag, create a personal card catalog, and write reviews. Video on Demand of past Library events is available, and users can subscribe to a video or audio podcast through iTunes that will automatically download new video of library productions as they are added to the collection.

The AADL website also includes a section for Old News, upkept by the AADL Archives Team. [8] They have made arrangements with permission to scan and provide an archive of the following publications: Signal of Liberty, The Ann Arbor Argus, The Ann Arbor Courier, and most recently, The Ann Arbor News. The site is full text searchable and each article includes links for the article author, keywords, people and photographer.

Washtenaw Library for the Blind and Print Disabled

The Ann Arbor District Library has housed and administrated the Washtenaw County branch of the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled since February 2009. The Washtenaw Library for the Blind and Print Disabled (WLBPD@AADL) is a free service which loans books, magazines, and videos in alternative formats such as digital audiobooks, Braille, large print, or descriptive video to eligible individuals who live in Washtenaw County.

Video games in the library

The Ann Arbor District Library was one of the first public libraries to experiment with using video games to attract teens and youth to the library. [9] AADL now hosts tournaments in Mario Kart: Double Dash , Super Smash Bros. , and Dance Dance Revolution .

Bond proposal

On November 6, 2012, Ann Arbor citizens voted "no" on a $65 million bond proposal for the construction of a new downtown library. The final vote was 55.17% to 44.83%. [10]

Related Research Articles

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Ann Arbor is a city in and the county seat of Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States. The 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the fifth-largest city in Michigan. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Washtenaw County. Ann Arbor is also included in the Greater Detroit Combined Statistical Area and the Great Lakes megalopolis, the most populated and largest megalopolis in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washtenaw County, Michigan</span> County in Michigan, United States

Washtenaw County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the population was 372,258. The county seat and largest city is Ann Arbor. The county was authorized by legislation in 1822 and organized as a county in 1826. Washtenaw County comprises the Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county is home to the University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University, Washtenaw Community College, and Concordia University Ann Arbor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ann Arbor Charter Township, Michigan</span> Charter township in Michigan, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Concordia University Ann Arbor</span> University in Michigan

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The recorded history of Ann Arbor began with settlers from various eastern states in early 1824.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Hieftje</span> American politician

John Hieftje is an American politician who served as the 60th mayor of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Hieftje began his political career in 1999, when he was elected to the city council for Ann Arbor's 1st Ward as a Democrat. He was first as Mayor in 2000, and was re-elected in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Toy</span> American LGBTQ activist (1930–2022)

James Willis Toy was a long-time American activist and a pioneer for LGBT rights in Michigan.

<i>The Ann Arbor News</i>

The Ann Arbor News is a newspaper serving Washtenaw and Livingston counties in Michigan. Published daily online through MLive.com, the paper also publishes print editions on Thursdays and Sundays.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delhi Bridge</span> Bridge

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Farm Park</span> Public park in eastern Ann Arbor, Michigan

Nelson Meade County Farm Park is a 141-acre public park in eastern Ann Arbor, Michigan owned by Washtenaw County and operated by the county's Parks and Recreation Commission. Consisting of a mix of woodlands, fields, and gardens, the park is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna and is a popular local destination for gardening, hiking, jogging, and biking. The park has been county land since 1836, although for the majority of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries it was used as the county's poorhouse and then as its infirmary. In 1972, the site began transitioning to parkland with the creation of community gardens, and over the next couple decades various trails and a perennial garden were created. Since 2000, the park has experienced significant ecological restoration efforts, including the removal of invasive plants, prairie restoration, and the creation of a wet meadow during the restoration of Malletts Creek.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malletts Creek</span> River in the United States of America

Malletts Creek is a stream in Washtenaw County, Michigan. A tributary to the Huron River, much of Malletts Creek's watershed lies within urban or suburban areas. Approximately 40% of the land within the creek's watershed is topped with impermeable surfaces. As a result, the stream exists in an extremely impaired state, and testing sites on the stream monitored through the "Adopt-A-Stream" program continuously indicate the streams poor quality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helen Walker McAndrew</span> American physician (1825-1906)

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References

  1. ↑ "Annual Report 2021-2022" . Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  2. ↑ "Annual Report 2018-2019" . Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  3. ↑ "Past Winners of LJ Awards". Library Journal. March 3, 2008. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  4. ↑ "AADL Named Five Star Library for the 15th Year in a Row" . Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  5. ↑ "AADL Board Information 2023" . Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  6. ↑ "2005 AIA Michigan Design Award Winners". American Institute of Architects. Archived from the original on July 5, 2008. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  7. ↑ Slagter, Lauren (2016-09-06). "Ann Arbor District Library Westgate branch reopens, celebration set". mlive.com. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
  8. ↑ "Old News". Ann Arbor District Library. Archived from the original on August 15, 2022. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  9. ↑ Barack, Lauren (July 1, 2005). "Gaming at Your Library". School Library Journal. Archived from the original on July 24, 2008. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  10. ↑ Stanton, Ryan J. (17 November 2012). "Ann Arbor downtown library bond proposal defeated: What now?". AnnArbor.com. Retrieved 5 February 2013.

42°16′44″N83°44′46″W / 42.278801°N 83.746157°W / 42.278801; -83.746157

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