Although Ann Arbor is in a period of social distancing, the Ann Arbor District Library is keeping the community engaged and connected through introducing “Bummer Games,” a new digital spin-off to their popular summer games.

Everyday at noon, they will announce three badges, which are puzzles that can be solved using the internet and the library’s online catalog. After you earn a badge, you can earn points, which can be spent at the summer games shop in July. 

“We run our annual Summer Game at the end of the school year, and when we learned of the closure, the Summer Game team jumped at the chance to create something similar for kids and parents and basically anyone stuck at home,” Rich Retyi, manager of communication at AADL, said.“The team started working on online badges and our designers started making the logo and badges and we got everything ready to launch quickly.”

Additionally, AADL unveiled their brand new video programs on AADL.TV. Everyday, they will stream a variety of video content on their YouTube channel. In the morning, they will broadcast a story-time, which will hopefully keep young learners passionate about reading during this period without in-person school. In the afternoon, they have a variety of unique programs that all ages can enjoy including crafts, tutorials, and trivia. 

“AADL.TV was our response to not being able to hold regular AADL programming. Rather than hosting our storytimes and crafts in person, we decided to experiment with live streams of popular AADL programming, plus some fun and experimental programs,” Retyi said.  “So far the response has been amazing and heartwarming.”

Aside from the new programs, encourages community members to explore their vast collection of audio and electronic books.