Ypsilanti District Library

Because everyone deserves a shot 🎯

Happy release day to all who celebrate ✨ Enclosed is your one-size-fits-all excuse to disappear into the Night Court.

Last call, partners. 🤠 The Banned Books Saloon closes its doors this Friday (Oct 30), and your chance to win a raffle basket rides off into the sunset with it! Swipe to size up the loot, then mosey into the Community Room at YDL-Whittaker to drop your entry in the box before it’s locked up for good.

Here’s what’s happening for kids this week at the library! From Pokémon Club to coding and Halloween Storytime, there’s something for every age. 🎃 Don’t forget weekly storytimes, Youth Chess Club, and drop-in hours with our Library Social Worker. See our full calendar at ypsilibrary.org/events!

Here’s your week at YDL! Fiber arts, meditation, book clubs, chair fitness, and Guitar Club. 🧶🎸 Plus tutoring, tech help, and Library Social Worker drop-in hours all week long. Visit ypsilibrary.org/events to see our full calendar and register for events!

Our ~What's Underneath the Floor?🕳️~ Short Horror Story finalists aren't messing around! Read Week 3’s top three, then tell us in the comments which was the most skin-crawling. Up next: Week 4’s theme is “My Other Body.” Stories due Wednesday, Oct. 28! Find the submission link at ypsilibrary.org.

Good news, Libby users! You can now filter AI out of your next read. 🚫🤖 Open Menu → Settings → Content Controls → AI Contributions Choose “Human only” for each category Make sure “Deep search only” is OFF Drop a 🙌 once your settings are updated!

Spooky season is the perfect time to learn a new skill. We suggest terrifying people. 🌙 This Saturday, join local horror author Ken MacGregor & YpsiWrites for a crash course in writing horror: the basics, the (many) sub-genres, and what makes a story truly scary. Register at ypsilibrary.org/events!

Support during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum isn’t one person’s job. 💗 This Thursday, come to Dads as Doulas: a free, hands-on class for fathers and partners. Two experienced community doulas from Wrapped in Love Doula & Lactation Services will help you feel prepared to support your loved one.

#booksky

This Friday, the library parking lot becomes the best trick-or-treat spot in town. 👻 Bring the whole family to YDL-Michigan from 5:30–7pm for Halloween Downtown! Come in costume, meet local community orgs, and stick around for putt-putt, the BOO-kmobile, and the Spooky STEM Tent.

Here’s what’s happening at YDL this week! From euchre and crochet club to a doula workshop for dads-to-be and our first bilingual financial class, the calendar is packed. Don’t miss Trivia Night on Tuesday or Halloween Downtown on Friday. 🧠🎃 Full calendar at ypsilibrary.org/events

Tomorrow’s plan, sorted. 🧠💛 Bring the kids to Neuroscience Storytime at our downtown branch from 1–3pm for stories and hands-on activities all about the brain, led by our friends at Ruvvy Resilience Lab and Wayne State’s Silberstein Institute for Brain Health. Free, no registration needed!

Anyone can vote for the best of these three 100-word stories!

Didn't think we might need to develop a bear policy for @ypsilibrary.org

Our ~Don’t Turn Around~ Short Horror Story finalists are right behind you! 😱 Read Week 2’s top three, then tell us in the comments which one made you shudder the most. Up next: Week 3’s theme is “What’s Underneath the Floor?” due Wednesday, Oct 21 at 1pm! Submit at ypsilibrary.org.

Join us this Saturday to unwind at a mindful coloring session for adults. Settle in with colored pencils, slow your thoughts down, and make a card for someone you love. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, this is a space to breathe, create, and take care of yourself. 💗

The library closes. The doors lock. And for one night, it’s ALL yours. 🔑 This Saturday, teens are invited to take over the library and try to escape! Team up to solve puzzles and break out, then refuel with pizza, dessert, and prizes.

A BEAR CALLED PADDINGTON was published #OTD in 1958. "I felt it would say a lot about the Brown family that they were prepared to take in a refugee like Paddington," author Michael Bond said of his beloved orphan bear from Peru, who was inspired by the displaced children of World War II. #BookSky

More than two dozen workers at three major publishing houses—HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and Hachette—tell WIRED that LLMs are being used for publicity, cover art, back cover copy, and emails, as some execs push junior staff to champion the tech. Read the full story: buff.ly/p0ymGmN

#booksky

Indigenous stories and authors should be celebrated today and every day. Discover their stories at your library and on the #LibbyApp. #IndigenousPeoplesDay #Bookish #Booksky

Senior Living Week is coming to our Whittaker branch this Thursday with three sessions on care, community, and local resources. Come for one session or stay for all three! Registration info at ypsilibrary.org/events.

Hear from your congressional candidates before you head to the polls! 🗳️ The Michigan 6th District Candidate Forum is tomorrow, 6–9 PM at YDL-Whittaker. Bring your questions! Can’t make it? The forum will be livestreamed and recorded.

Banned Books Week wraps up today, but the work doesn’t! Here’s a secret 🤫: every time you check out a challenged book, you’re showing support and helping keep it on the shelf. Here are more ways to support the freedom to read, whether you have five minutes or an hour.

Our Library Social Worker is coming to YDL-Superior tomorrow! 💙 Stop by to get connected with community resources, health services, benefits applications, legal support, vital documents, and more. It’s free, and no appointment is needed!

and no, we will not be calling it "superintelligence" 🙄 inspired by @literatibookstore.bsky.social

Starring: you. Directed by: also you. Catering by: the library. Teen STEAM Café is back this Friday with award-winning filmmaker Joel Stralnic, who'll walk you through 2D animation, stop motion, and storyboarding before you team up to shoot your own short film. 🎬

We’ve got 27 bookish reasons to celebrate the spooky season this October! From high-stakes dystopian fiction to a historical coming-of-age graphic novel, this month is full of the best books for young adult readers. 🎃 Read here: buff.ly/lLlND8Q #Booksky #YABooks #FallReleases #OctoberBooks

Got extra native plants? Bring them to the library tomorrow, swap with neighbors, and go home with something new! (Pro tip: Fall is a great time to plant natives. Warm soil and cool air help roots settle in before winter. 🌱) 📅 Sunday, Oct 4 | 1–2pm | YDL-Whittaker

TODAY: K-Pop Demon Hunters Dance Party at the library! Crafts, glitter, and the whole soundtrack on repeat. Free! Golden hour starts at 2:30 at our downtown branch. 💜🗡️

SATURDAY: Walk-in flu and COVID vaccines at our Whittaker branch! Bring your insurance card if you have one; the cost of vaccines will be covered for those without insurance. @onwhard_collaborative will also be on site with free anemia screenings, period kits, and health resources.

We identify as neutral good, obviously. Build your own FrankenToy at First Fridays, 5-7pm TOMORROW at our downtown branch! 🧟

Babysitting 101 is this Sunday, and only 5 spots are left! 🍼 Tweens and teens ages 11–16 are invited to join Denise Wieck from Lock it for Life to build the skills they need to babysit with confidence, from feeding and diapering to basic safety and keeping kids entertained. Pizza is on us!

A First Fridays mashup for the ages! Build a FrankenToy that will haunt your friends and family, tie-dye with natural dyes from our community garden, and join local artists Avery Williamson & Krista Skytta as they create a permanent community art installation for the library. See you Friday! 🧟🌿🎨

Tomorrow night! Detroit radio legend Gerald McBride, host of Mix 92.3's Old School House Party, visits YDL to share stories from his memoir. Free and open to all! Books will be available for purchase and signing from Black Stone Bookstore. 📅 Wed, Sept 30 | 7–8:30PM 📍 YDL-Superior | 1900 Harris Rd

Help us spread the word! 📣 Our Community Resource Fair is TOMORROW. Get your Michigan ID (cost covered for qualifying individuals), register to vote, and connect with tons of local resources for health, housing, jobs & more, all in one spot. 📅 Tuesday, Sept 29 | 1–5pm 📍 YDL-Michigan Library Plaza

Due to a staff illness, Jumpstart Storytime at YDL-Michigan is cancelled this morning (Sept. 28).

TODAY: Walk-in flu vaccines at YDL-Superior, 1–4pm! Ages 18+