Michigan Museums - Visit Them For Free

Do you love the museums and area cultural events, but are less than thrilled with the prices? Macy's is teaming up with area public libraries to offer free passes for two or four at many Michigan museums. Visit http://www.detroitadventurepass.org/ for more information.

Other sites to check out for upcoming events include:

The Michigan Humanities Council: http://michiganhumanities.org/
The Mid-Michigan Art Guild: http://www.midmichiganartguild.org/

Librarians and Football...No, We Aren't Kidding...

It's that time of year. The air is cold and crisp, the leaves are changing colors, St. Mary's football team is in the playoffs, and librarians/football fans across the country are screaming at their TVs every Saturday, Sunday and Monday night. The staff of the Maida Alumni Library happens to know one librarian with Indianapolis Colts season tickets...needless to say, she is still recovering from the game versus the Patriots and has lost her voice.

To celebrate this fun time of year, we would like to present "Football Museums and Displays ONLINE"! We know you can hardly stand the excitement. So put on your cleats and start clicking.

Professional Football Hall of Fame - http://www.profootballhof.com/ Lots of neat information plus a multimedia center with downloads, like great computer wallpaper

College Football Hall of Fame - http://www.collegefootball.org/ Take a look at the fun exhibits they currently have...most you have to see in person, but South Bend isn't that far away!

A Bo Schembechler Exhibit - http://www.lib.umich.edu/exhibits/bo/bo.html Brought to you by the Hatcher Graduate Library at the University of Michigan

Michigan and Ohio State Rivalry Online Exhibit - http://www.lib.umich.edu/spec-coll/ohio-mich/ Sponsored by the University of Michigan and Ohio State University

St. Mary's Athletics Home Page - http://www.olsmathletics.com/frames/Main1.htm - Your information center for all things related to St. Mary's Athletic Programs

Hey Michigan State Fans...we are looking furiously for an online exhibit dedicated to Michigan State Football or coaches! If you know of one...email us at library@orchardlakeschools.com

Ah, we know we didn't include Central, Western, and so many other teams (Albion, Lake Superior State, the list goes on and on). Send the links...we'll post them...

MIT Offers Classes for Free

Most people will never attend MIT...while it is prestigious, it
is also expensive and far away. And, dear readers, though you are all brilliant, it is tough to get into that particular institution. However, MIT and many of the world's top institutions are offering their courses for free as part of an initiative called Open Course Ware.

You don't need to sign up, just click on the class you are interested in and start downloading the readings, audios of class lectures and more: http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/home/home/index.htm

Other participating schools are located at: http://www.ocwconsortium.org/use/index.html

Our January and February Speakers

Just when you thought it couldn't get any better - the Maida Alumni Library announces new speakers coming up in January and February.

Thursday, January 10 - 7:00 PM - David Crumm of the Detroit Free Press will present "The Future of the Word". David will talk about his new website www.readthespirit.com , the future of reading as technology changes, and the future of Scripture. This event will kick off ReadTheSpirit.com's "Interfaith Heroes Month" and the Maida Alumni Library's "Understanding Faiths Book Club".

Tuesday, February 12 - 7:00 PM - Kevin Govern from Ave Maria School of Law will discuss "A Catholic Perspective on Advancing The Rule of Law in an Islamic Iraq" - Kevin will discuss the historical, political and religious aspects of achieving Rule of Law in Iraq following the commencement of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.

More speakers to be added soon. Times and dates are subject to change, but we will try to provide as much advanced warning as possible should that occur.

Little Known Library Secrets

InterLibrary Loan - You got a need, we got a lead. Through a system called OCLC, we can access billions of books, journals, magazines, musical scores, sound recordings - you name it. Check out http://www.worldcat.org/ to search this immense catalog. If you find it, call the library and ask to speak to Mary Gunn, our InterLibrary Loan Specialist. She'll put in an order and VOILA! You'll be getting your request in about a week! *

Study Space - You have a group working on a project or you are seeking an alternative to your classroom to mix things up, then come on in, we have plenty of space for you to work with!

Dinner for 30? - Did you know that the downstairs conference room is available for rent? Contact us and we'll put you in touch with Kris Daick, our facilities manager. With great views of Orchard Lake and nice acoustics, it's a good spot to host meetings and dinners.

It's NOT just about books! - January begins many fun events, including a Speakers Series and a Book Club. Jump into alternative forms of learning if books aren't your thing...from journals to the Internet, we have it!

* okay, sometimes it takes a bit longer than one week, but sometimes it takes less!

And our favorite bumper sticker this week comes from Wyoming: