There's more to borrow at AADL than books, music, and movies. Check out these unusual items during your next library visit.

Art Prints

Do you get tired of the same pictures on the wall month after month? Are you a student who doesn't want to spend a lot on decor? Then AADL Art Prints are for you. AADL has hundreds of reproductions and original pieces. Up to three art prints can be checked out for eight weeks at a time. Browse the prints in the catalog or visit the first floor of the Downtown Library.

Art Tools

Our newest collection, Art Tools offers gear to help you get creative and make stuff! We are happy to offer Sizzix Big Shot die-cutting kits. Each kit contains a variety of dies and one rolling machine, you just supply the consumables like paper and glue. Die-cutting kits are great for back to school projects, scrap booking, card making, party decorations and more. The Big Shots are shelved Downtown, currently circulate for one week and are requestable. Parental supervision is recommended as the dies contain sharp edges. More Art Tools are coming soon!

Book Clubs to Go

A successful book club can take a lot of preparation, but AADL's Book Clubs to Go (BCTG) can help. For a variety of popular and lesser-known titles, both fiction and non-fiction, AADL has collected ten copies of the featured book, one copy of a movie DVD (if available), and a resource folder with summaries, reviews, discussion questions, etc. BCTG kits can be checked out for six weeks and browsed in the catalog.

Express Shelf

Express Shelf is the newest way that you can borrow materials from AADL. Think of Express Shelf as on-the-spot rentals, where we set aside a few of our most popular items to be available for walk-in checkouts. Express Shelf items are non-requestable and non-renewable, though you can still place requests on their non-Express Shelf counterparts. They currently circulate for 1 week for DVD & Blu-ray, 2 weeks for books and are available on a first come first served basis. Express Shelf items have a special sticker so that you can find them on the shelf, and their own call number so that you can find them in the catalog. So if you’re deterred by long request lists then keep an eye out for Express Shelf!

Games

Get outside, or not, it's entirely up to you with our collection of Games. We've got giant versions of normal size games and miniature versions of giant games. Even Scandinavians love lawn games with our regulation Kubb set. Try one today and let us know what you think.

Home Tools

Home tools are things that come in handy around the house. We’re starting with some uncommon tools that you might not have lying about, like an indoor air quality meter, a thermal leak detector and an infrared thermometer to accompany our existing energy meters.

Michigan Activity Pass

Library users with a valid library card from one of Michigan’s public libraries can print a pass, either from home or at the library, to one of the participating organizations, including museums and state parks, through the Michigan Activity Pass website. Some cultural partners offer complimentary or reduced price admission; others, discounts in their gift shop or other exclusive offers for MAP pass holders only. Each Michigan Activity Pass expires within one week from the date it's printed. Each library will have five passes for each of the participating organizations available.

Music Tools

AADL's Music Tools collection offers you a chance to get your hands on some very uncommon, unusual, and fun musical instruments! The Music Tools collection features musical gear that you can check out from the Library, from such noted manufacturers as Moog, Korg, Maywa Denki, Bleep Labs, Chamber of Sounds, Critter & Guitari and more!

Science Tools

Science Tools help you explore the world around you in fun and creative ways. Get an up close look and discover secret details invisible to the human eye with a powerful stereomicroscope, or go mobile in the field with a digital pocket microscope and see what you can turn up under logs and in puddles; devise experiments with a variety of handheld meters for measuring ultraviolet light, electromagnetic fields, sound, radio frequency microwaves and environmental quality; and gaze into the cosmos with a Dobsonian telescope. New Science Tools are coming soon!

Stories to Go

Teachers, parents and caregivers will love these Stories to Go kits. Inside each is a collection of picture books, CDs or DVDs, and a resource folder of games and activities for young children all related to a theme. Each kit can be checked out for four weeks. Browse the catalog to request these themed kits.

Telescopes

Our circulating Orion Starblast 4.5" Astro Reflector Telescope, brought to you in partnership with the University Lowbrow Astronomers, is a powerful yet fully accessible scientific instrument and a perfect family-friendly scope for entry-level and intermediate astronomy enthusiasts. Telescopes circulate for two weeks, with an option for renewal if there are no outstanding requests, and you can return them to any branch location. Read more about the collection and viewing tips for stargazing near Ann Arbor.