YPSILANTI DISTRICT LIBRARY

YPSILANTI, MI - Families can enjoy craft making, cooking workshops and book clubs as part of the Ypsilanti District Library’s annual Family Read, featuring nationally-acclaimed author Lisa Yee and her book “Maizy Chen’s Last Chance.”This year, Family Read programming and events will take place in both the Ypsilanti and Belleville areas. The Ypsilanti libraries have hosted Family Read since 2018 and decided to team up with the Belleville library this year as an “opportunity to share (Family Read) with a larger community,” Ypsilanti District Library Community Relations Coordinator Sam Killian said. In previous years, Ypsilanti library staff members have selected Family Read books that offer a unique perspective, Killian said. This year’s Family Read features polymer clay workshops, a cream cheese wonton-making class and a family story album workshop led by volunteers. Readers can access a full schedule of 2023 Family Read events here.

ANN ARBOR, MI - With the calendar turning over to March, there is a hint of optimism for warmer weather in the air, even if inclement weather might be on the horizon. Tree Town Comedy Festival makes debut in Ann ArborThere will be laughter in downtown Ann Arbor this weekend, with national headliners and local comedians highlighting the first Tree Town Comedy Festival. The festival takes place March 1-4, with performances scheduled throughout the weekend at venues including The Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase, The Blind Pig and Bløm Meadworks. Gina Chavez returns to Ann ArborAfter an appearance in the 46th Ann Arbor Folk Festival a month ago, bilingual Latin pop songwriter Gina Chavez is back in Ann Arbor this weekend. Chavez performs at 8 p.m. Friday, March 3, at The Ark, 316 S. Main St. in Ann Arbor.

WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI -- Celebrate Black History Month throughout Washtenaw County this year with a variety of in-person and online events. Participants will practice their hand-lettering skills with a quote for Black History Month. Ypsilanti District Library:Find out more about Ypsilanti District Library’s events for Black History Month on its website. University of Michigan:The University of Michigan is hosting a variety of events throughout Black History Month. Later in the day, the university is formally celebrating Black History Month with a Black Excellence Gala from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Browse titles for $1 and below at the Friends of Ypsilanti District Library Annual Book Sale this month.

WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI - When the Ypsilanti District Library’s newest branch opens in November, hundreds of hands will have helped stock its shelves. “(It was) kind of a leap of faith because you need a certain amount of people to make it happen,” said Superior Branch Manager Mary Garboden. “But our community showed up, like Ypsilanti does.”Library officials were inspired by similar “book brigade” events put on at other libraries and bookstores. “It’s unheard of that anyone would walk into the library and handle 2,000 books,” Garboden said, referencing the rough number of items moved on Saturday. The program requires its own room, a luxury not provided by the little Superior branch.

WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI -- Although Ypsilanti District Library’s newest Superior Township branch has yet to open, officials are already planning a mural project. With the help of a local artist, Yen Azzaro, a 650-foot ground mural is set to come to the new branch at 1900 Harris Road in Superior Township. Ypsilanti District Library (YDL) hopes to have this interactive mural complete in April or May 2023. “I hope that (this mural project is) a reminder that we deserve beautiful things (and) we deserve nice, new things,” Azzaro said. “I think that ... the entire team at the Ypsilanti District Library has just shown so much perseverance to fundraise ... to make this library a reality.

WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI - People power will fill the shelves of the Ypsilanti District Library’s newest branch. If it rains, the event will be canceled, library officials said. The new, 7,800-square-foot Superior branch is slated for a grand opening week beginning with a formal ribbon cutting at 4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 14. Plans for the library stretch back more than a decade, when Superior Township joined the library district, which serves Ypsilanti, Ypsilanti Township and now parts of Superior. Voters approved a millage in 2018 to fund the project, but library officials had to fundraise to meet rising costs of the project amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

YPSILANTI, MI – The Ypsilanti District Library offers its cardholders the opportunity to check out more than just books. YDL kickstarted its Library of Things at its 5577 Whittaker Road location on June 26. Library of Things has 11 different categories to choose from including crafts, fitness items, games, garden tools, kitchen items, medical items, office items, outdoor games, science items, sports, technology and tools.

YPSILANTI, MI -- After not performing for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Neighborhood Theatre Group is back with free shows at the Ypsilanti District Library. “Annie Ypsi and the Case of the Bestest Big Wheel” will premiere Saturday, July 9, at the library’s Whittaker Branch, 5577 Whittaker Road. “Annie Ypsi and the Case of the Bestest Big Wheel” is about Annie, a sixth-grader who solves mysteries with her best friend Max. In this show, they enter a big wheel race, but their vehicle is sabotaged and they must find out who did it. “Making shows and theater accessible is extremely important, especially after coming out of a pandemic where we weren’t able to share these live experiences together,” Danko said.

ANN ARBOR, MI – Library cards can get you a free weekend ride on TheRide in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti this summer. The Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority, TheRide, is partnering with the Ann Arbor District Library and Ypsilanti District Library to offer free local fixed route rides for library cardholders every Saturday and Sunday from June 11 to Aug. 28. Passengers simply need to show the driver their library cards.

YPSILANTI, MI -- If you have not turned in that overdue book to the Ypsilanti District Library yet, now is the perfect time to do it, as overdue fines are being eliminated. “It’s important to be welcoming to all,” Library Director Lisa Hoenig said in a statement. After 28 days officials said they will assume the book is lost or stolen and hold card-owners responsible. By eliminating late fees, YDL is following a trend that is happening with other libraries in Washtenaw County, including Chelsea, Dexter and Manchester. “Our hope is that eliminating late fees will inspire people to return materials, even when they’re late, rather than having them go into lost status,” Hoenig said.

YPSILANTI, MI -- The Ypsilanti District Library’s seed library is resuming after a donation of 500 seed packets, ranging from vegetables and herbs. The seed library contains a collection of seeds that also includes flower and fruit seeds. YDL locations also provide a community garden, food education courses and seed-saving programs. YDL also is taking part in “One Seed, One State” campaign in which participating libraries come together to spread the word about seed spreading. ALL YDL locations and hours can be found here.

YPSILANTI, MI -- The newest exhibit at Ypsilanti District Library was inspired by the financial crisis of 2008, but it’s more relevant now than ever. The traveling exhibit, now open at YDL’s Whittaker branch, draws on Desmond’s data-driven reporting and a similar humanist sensibility to represent the eviction crisis through infographic-style installation art, mini-documentaries and shocking statistics. The exhibit opened earlier this month, and with the end of the federal moratorium on evictions, it couldn’t have come at a better time. We have a national problem with housing insecurity and eviction,” Smith said. “It’s a terrible, terrifying and humiliating experience.”The exhibit inside YDL’s Whittaker branch, 5577 Whittaker Road in Ypsilanti Township, is free and open to the public.

Two events are coming to local libraries to celebrate literacy.

For more than a decade, the Superior Township and Willow Run areas have been served by a library branch the size of a two-car garage. Meanwhile at 1900 Harris Road, the site of the new Superior branch, workers have installed sewer lines and are laying masonry and wiring electrical systems. Plans for the library stretch back more than a decade, when Superior Township joined the library district, which serves Ypsilanti, Ypsilanti Township and now parts of Superior. Construction costs are “skyrocketing” library officials said in a news release last week. The child and the dog need to be alone, which is impossible in the library’s current space in Superior Township.

A walking tour in Ypsilanti is encouraging community members to enjoy public art and creative writing.

SUPERIOR TOWNSHIP, MI — The Ypsilanti District Library is launching the next phase of its capital campaign to help build a new library branch in Superior Township. Superior Township residents Bill and Vivienne Young, who have contributed $400,000 to the library, will match every dollar raised up to $100,000. Ypsilanti District Library held a groundbreaking ceremony on April 7 at the site of the new building. Construction on the facility is set to begin Monday, May 24, according to Sam Killian, Ypsilanti District Library community relations specialist. People can donate online at ypsilibrary.org/nextchapter, or mail checks made out to Ypsilanti District Library: Next Chapter Capital Campaign / Ypsilanti District Library / 5577 Whittaker Road / Ypsilanti, Michigan, 48197.

YPSILANTI, MI — Plans are in the works to get a new Ypsilanti District Library branch building underway in Superior Township. The library is inviting masked members of the community to stop by the new Superior Library branch site at 3:30 p.m. April 7 for a socially-distanced groundbreaking ceremony that will take place rain-or-shine. Former State Rep. David Rutledge, D-Ypsilanti, a neighborhood resident and friend of the library, will attend the groundbreaking ceremony, along with U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn, and Superior Township Supervisor Ken Schwartz. A library millage that passed in 2018 includes funds for the construction of the new Superior Township branch, which is estimated to cost $5 million officials said. Architect Dan Whisler of Daniels & Zermack Architects, lead project architect for YDL’s Whittaker Road location, has been tapped to design the new Superior building.

ANN ARBOR, MI -- Events for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which is celebrated nationally on Monday, Jan. 18, is going virtual this year in the Ann Arbor area due to the coronavirus pandemic. University of Michigan symposiumUM will stream its annual symposium this year at 10 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 18. Throughout the month, UM will host numerous events on racial bias, politics, civic engagement and other topics for the community. She will address “Health Disparities in the African American Community.” The service is being steamed live at sbcypsi.org. Charles Reinhart, founder of Ann Arbor real estate company, dies at 96COVID-19 fueled Ann Arbor office vacancies, but employees likely to return, experts sayAnn Arbor Art Center’s ‘Artini-at-Home’ cocktail competition goes virtual

YPSILANTI, Mich. – The Washtenaw County Health Department will be setting up a no-cost, pop-up COVID-19 testing site at the Ypsilanti District Library Whittaker Branch on Saturday. Testing will be offered to anyone with or without symptoms. Ypsilanti District Library is at 5577 Whittaker Road. Once registered, you may arrive at the testing site anytime during its operating hours. For more information and for a list of permanent testing sites throughout Washtenaw County, visit the Health Department’s COVID-19 testing website.

YPSILANTI, MI -- The Ypsilanti District Library is receiving $50,000 for its new Superior Township branch. The Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved funding for the new branch at MacArthur Boulevard and Harris Road during a Wednesday, Oct. 21 meeting. Officials expect to break ground on the new library in spring 2021, according Lisa Hoenig, library director. “The library is really a lifeline for the people there but the library is so undersized for Superior Township,” Hoenig said. Superior Township joined the Ypsilanti library district in 2007 and intended to begin building a new library then but an economic downturn took away its steady revenue source, Hoenig said.

YPSILANTI – The Washtenaw County Health Department has announced a new pop-up testing site in Ypsilanti on Saturday, Sept. 26. “Coronavirus is still circulating in our community, and free testing for everyone remains important,” Jimena Loveluck, MSW, health officer for Washtenaw County, said in a statement. According to the health department, anyone who is tested should stay away from others until they receive their results. For the latest updates on cases, testing options and more in Washtenaw County, visit www.washtenaw.org/covid19. To contact the Health Department, leave a message at 734-544-6700 or email l-wchdcontact@washtenaw.org.

ANN ARBOR The Ypsilanti District Library and the University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development in Ann Arbor have received over $490,000 in combined grant monies to strengthen library services and community connectedness. The Ypsilanti District Library received $249,788 in grant funding, which will develop its early literacy program, TALK: Text and Learn for Kindergarten. Ann Arbor-based not-for-profit organization University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development, also known as Internet2, received a total of $242,640. The grant funding will go towards improving the organizations Broadband Toolkit and custom Broadband Improvement Plan. The two resources help librarians understand broadband infrastructure and internal information technology environments, as well as advocate for library broadband infrastructure needs.

YPSILANTI, Mich. – The Ypsilanti District Library may be closed but patrons are still able to sign up for library cards, renew expired cards and use the YDL online services. Find Ypsilanti District Library library card applications here. Those with a YDL digital card, or a renewed card, can download books, music, digital magazines and audiobooks. The Ypsilanti library also has a community list of resources ranging from health resources to recreation activities. Related: Here’s how to apply for an Ann Arbor District Library card remotely