ANN ARBOR, MI — The Ann Arbor District Library plans to acquire the Ann Arbor Observer, a local monthly news publication serving the community since 1976.
AADL leaders announced the move Monday night, Sept. 29, saying the acquisition is subject to the parties finalizing terms of a purchase agreement.
“The mission of the Ann Arbor District Library includes assuring public ownership of, and access to, print and digital resources for the community, and there is no publication in Ann Arbor that is as valuable to the people in our community as the Ann Arbor Observer,” AADL Director Eli Neiburger said in a statement.
AADL already has been archiving and digitizing the Observer’s past content going back decades to ensure it remains publicly accessible online in perpetuity.
“We thank its owners, publisher Patricia Garcia and editor John Hilton, for all that they’ve done for the community in building, nurturing and bringing the Observer to this point where its future is assured,” Neiburger said.
Founders Don and Mary Hunt published and edited the magazine for its first decade before Garcia and Hilton purchased it in 1986.
It’s been an honor to lead the Observer the past 39 years, Garcia and Hilton said in a joint statement, saying they’re thrilled and grateful the library is committed to its future as an independent local news source.
“The Observer would remain an independent, ad-funded business owned by the AADL, maintaining its own finances, management structure and editorial independence,” they said.
“We’re grateful to the library for its vision, and to all who sustain the Observer: our amazing advertisers, our incredible staff and our wonderful readers and Observer Friends.”
The Observer is expected to continue to be available for free home delivery to all permanent residents with Ann Arbor ZIP codes and in the Ann Arbor Public Schools district.
“The prospective Ann Arbor Observer acquisition is a perfect fit, aligning local journalism with the library’s mission to foster an informed public,” AADL Board Vice President Aidan Sova said in a statement. “Such thoughtful partnership can ensure that the Observer’s rich, local reporting will continue to thrive.”
It’s yet another addition to the library’s “suite of community-centered solutions for Ann Arbor,” Sova said.
More specific details about the publication’s staffing and plans for editorial oversight were not immediately available.
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