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Ames Public Library
Today's Hours: 9:00am - 9:00pm

Ames Public Library

(515) 239-5646
515 Douglas Avenue
Ames, IA 50010
See map: Google Maps
Sun: 1:00pm-5:00pm
Mon: 9:00am-9:00pm
Tue: 9:00am-9:00pm
Wed: 9:00am-9:00pm
Thu: 9:00am-9:00pm
Fri: 9:00am-6:00pm
Sat: 9:00am-6:00pm

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  • Summer Reading Challenge for all ages: June 1 - Aug. 23, 2022
    Summer Reading Challenge for all ages: June 1 - Aug. 23, 2022
  • Photos of a lion, dinosaur skeleton, tropical plants, and museum display surrounding the Adventure Pass Logo
    Photos of a lion, dinosaur skeleton, tropical plants, and museum display surrounding the Adventure Pass Logo
  • Free Summer Meals for Kids & Teens
    Free Summer Meals for Kids & Teens
  • Park Packs: Explore nature with outdoor gear, field guides, and more!
    Park Packs: Explore nature with outdoor gear, field guides, and more!
  • Free Tools for School: online tutoring, research, read-alongs, & more
    Free Tools for School: online tutoring, research, read-alongs, & more
  • User silhouette next to key for the User Account button

    My Account

  • Two message bubbles contact us button

    Contact Us

  • Stream and Download

    Stream & Download

  • Meeting Rooms calendar button

    Meeting Rooms

  • Support the Library button

    Support the Library

Family

Teens

Bookmobile

  • Cover image for Zora Neale Hurston: Novels & Stories (LOA #74)

    Zora Neale Hurston: Novels & Stories (LOA #74)

    Zora Neale Hurston

    This Library of America volume, with its companion, brings together for the first time all of Zora Neale Hurston’s best writing in one authoritative set. When she died in poverty and obscurity in 1960, all of her books were out of print. Today Hurston’s groundbreaking works, suffused with the culture and traditions of African Americans and the poetry of black speech, have won her recognition as one of the most significant modern American writers.

    View Catalog EntryView Details
  • Cover image for Year of Wonders

    Year of Wonders

    Geraldine Brooks

    Eighteen-year-old Anna Frith tells the story of her remote English village, Eyam, which was infected by the plague in 1666 and where, persuaded by their vicar, the townspeople decided to quarantine themselves.

    View Catalog EntryView Details
  • Cover image for Running with Scissors

    Running with Scissors

    Augusten Burroughs

    The author describes his bizarre coming-of-age years after his adoption by his mother's psychiatrist, during which he witnessed such misadventures as a fake suicide attempt and front-lawn family/patient sleepovers.

    View Catalog EntryView Details
  • Cover image for The House of the Spirits

    The House of the Spirits

    Isabel Allende

    The Trueba family embodies strong feelings. This family saga starts at the beginning of the 20th century and continues through the assassination of Allende in 1973.

    View Catalog EntryView Details
  • Cover image for China Dream

    China Dream

    Ma Jian

    Blending fact and fiction, this darkly comic fable “may be the purest distillation yet of Mr. Ma’s talent for probing the country’s darkest corners and exposing what he regards as the Communist Party’s moral failings” (Mike Ives, The New York Times). Called “Red Guards meet Kurt Vonnegut . . . powerful!" by Margaret Atwood on Twitter, China Dream is an unflinching satire of totalitarianism. Ma Daode, a corrupt and lecherous party official, is feeling pleased with himself. He has an impressive office, three properties, and multiple mistresses who text him day and night.

    View Catalog EntryView Details
  • Cover image for Bless Me, Ultima

    Bless Me, Ultima

    Chronicles the story of an alienated New Mexico boy who seeks an answer to his questions about life in his relationship with Ultima, a magical healer, in a twenty-fifth anniversary edition of the classic novel, which comes complete with a special reading group guide. Reprint.

    View Catalog EntryView Details
  • Cover image for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

    Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

    Jonathan Safran Foer

    Oskar Schell, the 9-year-old son of a man killed in the World Trade Center attacks, searches the five boroughs of New York City for a lock that fits a key his father left behind. Reissue.

    View Catalog EntryView Details
  • Cover image for Native Son

    Native Son

    Richard Wright

    Traces the fall of a young black man in 1930s Chicago as his life loses all hope of redemption after he kills a white woman.

    View Catalog EntryView Details
  • Cover image for The Handmaid's Tale

    The Handmaid's Tale

    Margaret Atwood

    A chilling look at the near future presents the story of Offred, a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead, once the United States, an oppressive world where women are no longer allowed to read and are valued only as long as they are viable for reproduction. Reissue.

    View Catalog EntryView Details
  • Cover image for Little Women

    Little Women

    Louisa May Alcott

    Open your heart to the unforgettable March sisters . . . Sensible Meg, hot-headed Jo, quiet Beth, and pretty Amy might be sisters, but they're not alike, and they don't always get along. But when the going gets tough, they know they always have each other. Oxford Children's Classics present not only the original and unabridged drama of Little Women, but also help you discover a whole new world of heart-warming, fun stories, with an amazing assortment of recommendations and activities.

    View Catalog EntryView Details
  • Cover image for Fahrenheit 451

    Fahrenheit 451

    Ray Bradbury

    A totalitarian regime has ordered all books to be destroyed, but one of the book burners suddenly realizes their merit.

    View Catalog EntryView Details
  • Cover image for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

    The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

    Mark Haddon

    Despite his overwhelming fear of interacting with people, Christopher, a mathematically-gifted, autistic fifteen-year-old boy, decides to investigate the murder of a neighbor's dog and uncovers secret information about his mother.

    View Catalog EntryView Details

Upcoming Events

This event is in the "Adults" group.
Aug 22 2022 Mon

Conversation Circles: English

12:30pm - 1:30pm
This event is in the "Adults" group.
Aug 22 2022 Mon

Conversation Circles: English

12:30pm - 1:30pm
Library Branch: Ames Public Library
Room: Danfoss Room
Age Group: Adults
Program Type: Language Learning, Meetup
Program Details:
  Gather for casual conversations in English. The focus of this group is to help English Language Learners gain confidence and fluency in a comfortable and fun setting. Library staff will pair native and non-native speakers and provide them...


Ames Public Library connects you to the world of ideas through diverse and inclusive resources and programs. We welcome program proposals via our website at www.amespubliclibrary.org/programproposal.

This event is in the "Teens" group.
This event is in the "Adults" group.
Aug 23 2022 Tue

The Bridge Home

11:00am - 2:00pm
This event is in the "Teens" group.
This event is in the "Adults" group.
Aug 23 2022 Tue

The Bridge Home

11:00am - 2:00pm
Library Branch: Ames Public Library
Room: Jonie & John Fitzsimmons Study Room - 1st Floor
Age Group: Teens, Adults
Program Type: Special Event
Program Details:
  Ames Public Library is partnering with The Bridge Home to provide easy access to critical services in our community. Staff from The Bridge Home will be available in the Library to assist individuals and families on the verge of—or experie...


Ames Public Library connects you to the world of ideas through diverse and inclusive resources and programs. We welcome program proposals via our website at www.amespubliclibrary.org/programproposal.

This event is in the "Adults" group.
Aug 23 2022 Tue

Conversation Circles: Spanish

7:00pm - 8:30pm
This event is in the "Adults" group.
Aug 23 2022 Tue

Conversation Circles: Spanish

7:00pm - 8:30pm
Library Branch: Ames Public Library
Room: Dale H. Ross Board Room
Age Group: Adults
Program Type: Language Learning, Meetup
Program Details:
  Gather (in person or online) for casual conversations in Spanish. Chat in your native language or get comfortable speaking in another language.   To join via Zoom, click here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84042020863?pwd=U2F2...


Ames Public Library connects you to the world of ideas through diverse and inclusive resources and programs. We welcome program proposals via our website at www.amespubliclibrary.org/programproposal.

This event is in the "Family" group.
This event is in the "Adults" group.
Aug 24 2022 Wed

Lutheran Services in Iowa (LSI)

11:00am - 12:00pm
This event is in the "Family" group.
This event is in the "Adults" group.
Aug 24 2022 Wed

Lutheran Services in Iowa (LSI)

11:00am - 12:00pm
Library Branch: Ames Public Library
Room: Youth Services
Age Group: Family, Adults
Program Type: Meetup, Special Event
Program Details:
  Ames Public Library is partnering with Lutheran Service in Iowa (LSI) to provide families with easy access to critical services in our community. Staff from LSI will be available in the Library to assist individuals and families with f...


Ames Public Library connects you to the world of ideas through diverse and inclusive resources and programs. We welcome program proposals via our website at www.amespubliclibrary.org/programproposal.

This event is in the "Adults" group.
Aug 24 2022 Wed

Books @ Noon

12:00pm - 1:00pm
This event is in the "Adults" group.
Aug 24 2022 Wed

Books @ Noon

12:00pm - 1:00pm
Library Branch: Ames Public Library
Room: Rotary Room
Age Group: Adults
Program Type: Book Discussion, Meetup
Program Details:
Share what you've read recently—fiction or nonfiction—and hear about what everyone else is reading. Be prepared to give a brief description and your opinion about one or two books you've listened to or read. Participate in person or online. Zo...


Ames Public Library connects you to the world of ideas through diverse and inclusive resources and programs. We welcome program proposals via our website at www.amespubliclibrary.org/programproposal.

This event is in the "Teens" group.
This event is in the "Adults" group.
Aug 25 2022 Thu

The Bridge Home

4:00pm - 7:00pm
This event is in the "Teens" group.
This event is in the "Adults" group.
Aug 25 2022 Thu

The Bridge Home

4:00pm - 7:00pm
Library Branch: Ames Public Library
Room: Lisa Fawcett Nilsson Study Room - 2nd Floor
Age Group: Teens, Adults
Program Type: Special Event
Program Details:
  Ames Public Library is partnering with The Bridge Home to provide easy access to critical services. Staff from The Bridge Home will be available in the Library to assist individuals and families on the verge of—or experiencing—homelessnes...


Ames Public Library connects you to the world of ideas through diverse and inclusive resources and programs. We welcome program proposals via our website at www.amespubliclibrary.org/programproposal.

This event is in the "Teens" group.
This event is in the "Adults" group.
Aug 26 2022 Fri

The Bridge Home

11:00am - 2:00pm
This event is in the "Teens" group.
This event is in the "Adults" group.
Aug 26 2022 Fri

The Bridge Home

11:00am - 2:00pm
Library Branch: Ames Public Library
Room: Lisa Fawcett Nilsson Study Room - 2nd Floor
Age Group: Teens, Adults
Program Type: Special Event
Program Details:
  Ames Public Library is partnering with The Bridge Home to provide easy access to critical services. Staff from The Bridge Home will be available in the Library to assist individuals and families on the verge of—or experiencing—homelessnes...


Ames Public Library connects you to the world of ideas through diverse and inclusive resources and programs. We welcome program proposals via our website at www.amespubliclibrary.org/programproposal.

This event is in the "Adults" group.
Aug 27 2022 Sat

Conversation Circles: Russian

3:00pm - 4:00pm
This event is in the "Adults" group.
Aug 27 2022 Sat

Conversation Circles: Russian

3:00pm - 4:00pm
Library Branch: Ames Public Library
Room: Dale H. Ross Board Room
Age Group: Adults
Program Type: Language Learning, Meetup
Program Details:
  Gather (in person or online) for casual conversations in Russian. Chat in your native language or get comfortable speaking in another language.   To join via Zoom, click here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88434553032?pwd=SSto...


Ames Public Library connects you to the world of ideas through diverse and inclusive resources and programs. We welcome program proposals via our website at www.amespubliclibrary.org/programproposal.

This event is in the "Adults" group.
Aug 27 2022 Sat

Conversation Circles: French

4:00pm - 5:30pm
This event is in the "Adults" group.
Aug 27 2022 Sat

Conversation Circles: French

4:00pm - 5:30pm
Library Branch: Ames Public Library
Room: Dale H. Ross Board Room
Age Group: Adults
Program Type: Language Learning, Meetup
Program Details:
  Gather (in person or online) for casual conversations in French. Chat in your native language or get comfortable speaking in another language.   To join via Zoom, click here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81487664819?pwd=cWlHW...


Ames Public Library connects you to the world of ideas through diverse and inclusive resources and programs. We welcome program proposals via our website at www.amespubliclibrary.org/programproposal.

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Our Location

515 Douglas Avenue
Ames, IA 50010

(515) 239-5646

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Library Hours

Monday-Thursday: 9am-9pm
Friday & Saturday: 9am-6pm
Sun: 1pm-5pm

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