Join Ann Arbor District Library staff and University Musical Society President Ken Fischer as AADL launches two new online collections celebrating UMS's concert history. You will see how to browse and search thousands of pages of historical concert programs from the first 100 seasons of the University Musical Society. They will also unveil a growing collection of images that include both performance and rare backstage photographs of celebrated UMS artists over the past century. Refreshments will be served at this kick-off event, which will include a demo of these new online resources (soon available at aadl.org) as well as a talk by UMS President Ken Fisher on the history of UMS and the future of its archives.

This film, produced in 1991 by Lola Jones of Another Ann Arbor, chronicles the history of African American women in Ann Arbor from the mid-nineteenth century to the late nineteenth century. The film uses interviews with prominent African American women of Ann Arbor and historical photographs to illustrate the complex history of Ann Arbor from the Abolitionist Era to Desegregation. Another Ann Arbor is an organization founded by Lola Jones and Carol Gibson to document the history of African Americans in Ann Arbor. Through two documentaries, a long-running television series, and a book, Another Ann Arbor has brought the story of African Americans forward and made that story a conscious part of Ann Arbor's identity. Another Ann Arbor continues their work today with their website and work in the community and schools.

Geoff Larcom, Dave DeVarti and Coleman Jewett all grew up in Ann Arbor and each has intricate personal stories about the city and its residents. Come hear about the city as they knew it and how they view changes in Ann Arbor over the decades. Along with the discussion, the Library will show a sampling from 'Picture Ann Arbor' (aadl.org/pictureAnnArbor), the online collection of local photos. Find out what these 'townies' have to say and gain an intimate look at Ann Arbor.

The Ann Arbor District Library and the Ann Arbor Observer are extremely pleased to unveil 'Ann Arbor Observer: Then & Now' to the public. Local historian Grace Shackman and Ann Arbor Observer editor John Hilton will discuss the history of the Ann Arbor as viewed by the Observer and staff will introduce 'Ann Arbor Observer: Then & Now' an online collection of local history articles published in the Ann Arbor Observer over the past three decades. These articles give a rich picture of the various themes, people, and places that make up Ann Arbor. Accompanying the articles is an image gallery with photographs from Ann Arbor's past. Refreshments will be served at this event, which will include a demo of this new historical resource.

Are you curious about how the 1854 Detroit Observatory came to be -- and why it is in Ann Arbor, NOT Detroit? Michigan is not the most likely place to build a state-of-the-art astronomical observatory. However, the Detroit Observatory, named in honor of major donors from Detroit, was the centerpiece of President Henry Philip Tappan's efforts to transform the University of Michigan into one of the first research universities in the United States.

Each year, Library Director Josie Barnes Parker chooses a current topic of interest as the director's program for National Library Week. This year's event features local historian Grace Shackman who will examine the relationship of Ann Arbor and its German sister city, Tübingen. Grace will explain Ann Arbor's historically strong German roots and discuss why a sister city pact with Tübingen made sense -- it is a university town in the southern part of Germany where most of Ann Arbor's Germans came from.

Are UFO's real? In conjunction with Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads 2009, William J. Konkolesky, Michigan director of the Mutual UFO Network, will discuss UFOs and Michigan sightings during the 1960s in Hillsdale and Ann Arbor. MUFON is the world's largest civilian UFO research organization.The theme of Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads 2009 is The Universe: Yours To Discover.

Campus sit-ins, Vietnam War protests and the Black Panther Party: In "War As They Knew It," Michael Rosenberg perfectly captures what life was like both on and off the football fields of college campuses during the remarkable era of the 1960s - '70s. He details how both Schembechler and Hayes strived to make their football programs a model for the rest of society ???????? a counter to the counter-culture.

On November 6, 2008, the Downtown Ann Arbor Historical Street Exhibit program dedicated and celebrated four new wall panels that will be on permanent display near the corner of South University and East University, and South University and Forest Avenue. Speakers at the event include Ann Arbor Mayor John Hieftje; Dennis Tice, President of South University Area Association; Sandy Odell, daughter of Fred Ulrich; Maggie Ladd, Executive director, South University Area Association; Cynthia Shevel, owner of Middle Earth; and Ray Detter, Street Exhibit coordinator. The panels cover the following topics: "The Corners of South University and East University Avenues," "Like a Small Village," "Houses to High Rises on South University Avenue," and "South University and Forest Avenues."

On October 2, 2008, the Downtown Ann Arbor Historical Street Exhibit program dedicated and celebrated two new wall panels that will be on permanent display on the northeast corner of Washington and Ashley streets. Speakers at the event include Ann Arbor Mayor John Hieftje, Thomas Aprill, grandson of Theophil Aprill; John Metzger, third generation owner of Metzger's Restaurant; and Ray Detter, Street Exhibit coordinator. The panels cover the topics "From Horses to Cars: Early Autos, Service and Parts" and "Three Generations of Metzgers on Washington Street."