2014 is the 10th Anniversary of Malletts Creek Branch – celebrate with this special afternoon concert with the Paul Keller At Sundown Quartet!

Also, at 4:15 pm, Library Board President Prue Rosenthal and special guests will remark on the history of the Branch.

Refreshments will be served and the afternoon will also include special souvenir giveaways.

HAVE YOU VISITED MALLETTS CREEK BRANCH RECENTLY?
Opened in 2004, The Branch was designed by Luckenbach|Ziegelman Architects PLLC, with InSite Design Studio serving as the landscape architects and Skanska USA Building, Inc. as construction manager. Malletts Creek Branch is a unique model of sustainable design and in 2005 was awarded the American Institute of Architects Michigan (AIA Michigan) Award for Sustainable Design.

The Branch boasted over 761,000 visits last year by the public (an average of over 2,000 visits a day). Over 428,000 items from the Malletts Creek Branch were checked out last year and attendance at Branch events was 15,956. Branch computer use was all high with sessions for individual computer workstations numbering 63,508. The community's record high use of Malletts Creek Branch is one of the several reasons AADL is consistently named a top “5 Star” Library in the US!

Celebrate with us!

Join us for a fascinating discussion on the history of art tiles with Nawal Motawi, the founder and artistic director of Motawi Tileworks and Joseph A. Taylor, the founder and president of the Tile Heritage Foundation.

The early 20th Century was the golden age of the American art tile. Decorative tiles were a popular medium among affluent consumers wishing to furnish their homes in the latest fashions. Dozens of manufacturers from across the country produced tiles to satisfy their local and national clientele.

Motawi Tileworks traces its ancestry to this movement, finding inspiration from such tile makers as Rookwood Pottery, Grueby Faience, and Ernest Batchelder. Today, Motawi continues to render traditional designs with methods firmly rooted in this historical moment.

This event is co-sponsored by AADL and Motawi Tileworks and kicks off Motawi Tileworks' annual Tile Tour which will occur on Saturday, March 29.

What's ArborWiki? ArborWiki is the community generated source for details on everything from birthday deals to local history to the lowdown on local playgrounds.

Since it's a "civic wiki" it's created, edited and maintained by locals. Who are those locals? That could mean you! If you have an interest in any aspect of the Arbor/Ypsi area - parks, history, local happenings - you might be a perfect ArborWiki contributor or editor.

Come hang out and grab a frosty beverage at Arbor Brewing (114 East Washington in Ann Arbor), meet some of the current crew of editors, and hop in to edit or create entries about your community. Bring your laptop or use one one of ours!

What’s ArborWiki? It’s the community generated source for details on everything from birthday deals to local history to the lowdown on volunteer opportunities for youth and teens. Since it’s a “civic wiki” it’s created, edited and maintained by locals. That could mean you!

If you have an interest in any aspect of the Arbor/Ypsi area—parks, history, local happenings—you might be a perfect ArborWiki contributor or editor. Meet some of the current crew of editors and hop in to edit/create entries about your community. Bring your laptop or use one of ours!

Join the Washtenaw County Historical Society (WCHS) and AADL for the unveiling of the Geddes Letters, an online collection of letters, written between Ann Arbor settler, John Geddes, and his brother William Geddes of Pennsylvania, between 1825 and 1844. The letters will be fully accessible for browsing and searching online on the Library website at aadl.org.

The Geddes name figures prominently in our rich local history. Dating from the early settlement of Ann Arbor, the brothers' correspondence, fully transcribed by local historians, details the daily life of early 19th century settlers, while shedding light on the origins of our community and the national concerns of the day.

Members of the Washtenaw County Historical Society will be on hand to discuss some of the surprises and historical treasures to be found in this invaluable research collection. AADL staff will also provide a brief demonstration of the site.

David Trotter has been involved in searching, diving, exploring and documenting new discoveries in Great Lakes Shipwrecks for over 35 years.

His discoveries have been featured on the Discovery Channel, PBS, and NBC and in The New York Times, Detroit Free Press, and more. His articles on Great Lakes Shipwrecks have been published in historical journals and national scuba diving publications. He has searched and discovered shipwrecks in all of the Great Lakes (except Lake Ontario). I

David’s company, Undersea Research Associates, was founded to present the Great Lakes community with an electronically sophisticated means of underwater search and survey for archaeological and commercial purposes. Utilizing state-of-the-art side scan sonar, with outstanding skilled operators, David offers high resolution bottom profiling at depths to 1,000 feet, underwater site survey and underwater photographic documentation.

Do not miss this fascinating evening as David shares his enjoyment of the discovery and exploration of long missing ships…where no one has gone before.

In the first 18 months after Pearl Harbor, 350,000 people came to the city of Detroit to work in defense plants. The Willow Run Bomber Plant played a key role in what became known as the “Arsenal of Democracy” by producing 8,685 B-24 bombers before it closed in 1945.

Join us the week before Veterans Day, as Yankee Air Museum's Randy Hotton shares his extensive research on the Willow Run Bomber Plant.

Randy is a retired US Navy Captain who began his aviation career as a pilot in P-3 Orion aircraft flying Anti-Submarine Patrols during the Cold War. He now flies with the Yankee Air Museum in C-47 and B-17 bombers. Randy will cover the world and national events leading up to the decision to involve the auto industry in the construction of airplanes for WWII and ultimately to build the Willow Run Bomber Plant. He will also discuss the history and future of the Yankee Air Museum.

In 1925, Clifford P. Keen came to Ann Arbor to attend Law School and promptly led the upstart U-M Wolverines Wrestling Program into Big Ten Conference prominence. He served as the head coach of the wrestling team from 1925 to 1970, leading the Wolverines to 13 Big Ten Conference championships, and coaching 68 All-American wrestlers. One of the initial inductees into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, he holds the longest tenure of any head coach in Wolverine athletics history, and is known nationally as a true pioneer in American collegiate wrestling.

Former NCAA referee Dave Taylor, who beautifully captured the story Cliff Keen in his new book "Legends Of Michigan: Cliff Keen," will recall this U-M legend for an an evening of entertaining sports and wrestling history. Copies of the book will be for sale and the event includes a book signing. The book features eloquent stories, summaries and countless interviews of former wrestlers and football players who competed for Coach Keen. It also details interesting tales of recruiting pipelines and the coaching tree of legends.

This inspiring 2012 documentary is the story of U-M’s Billy Taylor: his fall from college football’s largest stage, and the moment that led to his improbable recovery. The film will be followed by a discussion led by Billy Taylor and the film’s producer Dan Chace.

A record-setting, 3-time All-American and team MVP, Taylor began his career at Michigan at the same time that legendary head coach, Bo Schembechler, began his tenure. Despite his amazing college football achievements, Taylor saw his world come crashing in around him as he battled addiction, incarceration and homelessness on the streets of Detroit.

The film highlights Taylor’s notable football accomplishments and explores the setbacks that sidelined him, addressing themes of drug and alcohol dependency, homelessness, rehabilitation, self-determination, loyalty, parenting and faith. Taylor's fight for recovery is at the core of the story, and a powerful reminder that it's never too late to change. The film reveals Schembechler’s important role in Taylor’s story, along with others who helped Billy reclaim his life. The documentary includes interviews with former Michigan coaches Gary Moeller and Jerry Hanlon, as well as teammates David Brandon, Don Moorhead, Thom Darden and Henry Hill. Other notables include John U. Bacon, Bruce Madej and Tom Ufer.

Read about Billy Taylor on Oldnews.

The beautiful Michigan Theater was built in 1928, but it was doomed to the wrecking ball by 1979. Luckily, organist and film professor Henry Aldridge and his fellow citizens fought to save both the theater and its rare Barton organ. Today, the Michigan Theater is fully restored and provides art house films and live events to the Ann Arbor community 365 days a year.

Join Henry Aldridge as he discusses "The Michigan Theater: Ann Arbor’s Home For Fine Film And The Performing Arts Since 1928, " his new book about the Michigan Theater. You’ll learn not only about the history of the theater and how it was saved, but also how it ties into the history of film and the history of Ann Arbor.

Books will be available for purchase and the event will include a book signing.

Dr. Henry B. Aldridge is Professor of Electronic Media and Film Studies at Eastern Michigan University and has achieved national recognition for his original research on the history of American film exhibition. He is also a fine musician and has served as head organist at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor since l972. He was largely responsible for saving the theater in l979 and has served on its Board of Trustees ever since.