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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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  • March Madness: Book vs. Book. You Vote. They Battle
    March Madness: Book vs. Book. You Vote. They Battle
  • Taxes: Information & Resources @ Your Library
    Taxes: Information & Resources @ Your Library
  • Get FREE online tutoring, test prep, and writing lab with Brainfuse HelpNow and your Library card.
    Get FREE online tutoring, test prep, and writing lab with Brainfuse HelpNow and your Library card.
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    Swirls with black fill next to swirls with graphics for Hoopla, Kanopy, and Libby stream and download services
  • 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
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Family

Teens

Bookmobile

  • Cover image for Magic for Liars

    Magic for Liars

    Sarah Gailey

    Sharp, mainstream fantasy meets compelling thrills of investigative noir in Magic for Liars, a fantasy debut by rising star Sarah Gailey. Ivy Gamble was born without magic and never wanted it. Ivy Gamble is perfectly happy with her life – or at least, she’s perfectly fine. She doesn't in any way wish she was like Tabitha, her estranged, gifted twin sister. Ivy Gamble is a liar.

    View Catalog EntryView Details
  • Cover image for Three Rooms

    Three Rooms

    Jo Hamya

    A piercing howl of a novel about one young woman's endless quest for an apartment of her own and the aspirations and challenges faced by the Millennial generation as it finds its footing in the world, from a shockingly talented debut author.

    View Catalog EntryView Details
  • Cover image for Future Feeling

    Future Feeling

    Joss Lake

    Longlisted for the 2022 PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel An embittered dog walker obsessed with a social media influencer inadvertently puts a curse on a young man—and must adventure into mysterious dimension in order to save him—in this wildly inventive, delightfully subversive, genre-nonconforming debut novel about illusion, magic, technology, kinship, and the emergent future. The year is 20__, and Penfield R. Henderson is in a rut.

    View Catalog EntryView Details
  • Cover image for Of Women and Salt

    Of Women and Salt

    Gabriela Garcia

    AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER THE WASHINGTON POST NOTABLE BOOK OF 2021 A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK WINNER of the Isabel Allende Most Inspirational Fiction Award, She Reads Best of 2021 Awards • FINALIST for the 2022 Southern Book Prize • LONGLISTED for Crook’s Corner Book Prize • NOMINEE for 2021 Goodreads Choice Award in Debut Novel and Historical Fiction A sweeping, masterful debut about a daughter's fateful choice, a mother motivated by her own past, and a family legacy that begins in Cuba before either of them were born In present-day Miami, Jeanette is battling addicti

    View Catalog EntryView Details
  • Cover image for The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois

    The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois

    Honorée Fanonne Jeffers

    The great scholar, W.E.B. Du Bois, once wrote about what he called "Double Consciousness," a sensitivity that every African American possesses in order to survive. From an early age, Ailey fights a battle for belonging that's made all the more difficult by a hovering trauma. To come to terms with her own identity, Ailey embarks on a journey through her family's past. In doing so Ailey must learn to embrace her full heritage, a legacy of oppression and resistance, bondage and independence, cruelty and resilience that is the story -- and the song -- of America itself.

    View Catalog EntryView Details
  • Cover image for The Lesson

    The Lesson

    Cadwell Turnbull

    An alien ship rests over Water Island. For five years the people of the US Virgin Islands have lived with the Ynaa, a race of superadvanced aliens on a research mission they will not fully disclose. They are benevolent in many ways but meet any act of aggression with disproportional wrath. This has led to a strained relationship between the Ynaa and the local Virgin Islanders and a peace that cannot last.

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  • Cover image for The Girl with the Louding Voice

    The Girl with the Louding Voice

    Abi Daré

    AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A READ WITH JENNA TODAY SHOW BOOK CLUB PICK! “Brave, fresh . . . unforgettable.”—The New York Times Book Review “A celebration of girls who dare to dream.”—Imbolo Mbue, author of Behold the Dreamers (Oprah’s Book Club pick) Shortlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize and recommended by The New York Times, Marie Claire, Vogue, Essence, PopSugar, Daily Mail, Electric Literature, Red, Stylist, Daily Kos, Library Journal, The Everygirl, and Read It Forward!

    View Catalog EntryView Details
  • Cover image for Four Treasures of the Sky

    Four Treasures of the Sky

    Jenny Tinghui Zhang

    Daiyu never wanted to be like the tragic heroine for whom she was named, revered for her beauty and cursed with heartbreak. But when she is kidnapped and smuggled across an ocean from China to America, Daiyu must relinquish the home and future she imagined for herself. From a calligraphy school, to a San Francisco brothel, to a shop tucked into the Idaho mountains, we follow Daiyu on a desperate quest to outrun the tragedy that chases her

    View Catalog EntryView Details
  • Cover image for Black Buck

    Black Buck

    Mateo Askaripour

    For fans of Sorry to Bother You and The Wolf of Wall Street comes a blazing, satirical debut novel about a young man given a shot at stardom as the lone black salesman at a mysterious, cult-like, and wildly successful startup where nothing is as it seems.

    View Catalog EntryView Details
  • Cover image for Behold the Dreamers

    Behold the Dreamers

    Imbolo Mbue

    A compulsively readable debut novel about marriage, immigration, class, race, and the trapdoors in the American Dream—the unforgettable story of a young Cameroonian couple making a new life in New York just as the Great Recession upends the economy New York Times Bestseller • Winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award • Longlisted for the PEN/Open Book Award • An ALA Notable Book NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR • The New York Times Book Review • San Francisco Chronicle • The Guardian • St.

    View Catalog EntryView Details

Upcoming Events

This event is in the "Adults" group.
Mar 29 2023 Wed

Ames History Museum - Exploring the Trice Connection

7:00pm - 8:00pm
This event is in the "Adults" group.
Mar 29 2023 Wed

Ames History Museum - Exploring the Trice Connection

7:00pm - 8:00pm
Library Branch: Ames Public Library
Room: Farwell T. Brown Auditorium
Age Group: Adults
Program Type: History/Genealogy
Program Details:
  Topic — Exploring the Trice Connection: Jack's African-American ISC Friends, Family, and Classmates Speaker — Gloria Betcher, Historical Researcher; Teaching Prof. of English, Iowa State University October 1923 marks the centen...


Ames Public Library connects you to the world of ideas through diverse and inclusive resources and programs. We welcome proposals via our website for programs at www.amespubliclibrary.org/programproposal and exhibits at https://www.amespubliclibrary.org/exhibit-proposal.

This event is in the "Family" group.
Mar 30 2023 Thu

Family Storytime

10:30am - 11:00am
This event is in the "Family" group.
Mar 30 2023 Thu

Family Storytime

10:30am - 11:00am
Library Branch: Ames Public Library
Room: Storytime Room
Age Group: Family
Program Type: Storytime
Program Details:
  Children of all ages and their grown-ups are invited to this storytime to build listening, language, and literacy skills through music, movement, song and action rhymes. The same presentation is given on both Tuesdays and Thursdays. &n...


Ames Public Library connects you to the world of ideas through diverse and inclusive resources and programs. We welcome proposals via our website for programs at www.amespubliclibrary.org/programproposal and exhibits at https://www.amespubliclibrary.org/exhibit-proposal.

This event is in the "Teens" group.
This event is in the "Adults" group.
Mar 30 2023 Thu

Community and Family Resources

11:00am - 1:00pm
This event is in the "Teens" group.
This event is in the "Adults" group.
Mar 30 2023 Thu

Community and Family Resources

11:00am - 1:00pm
Library Branch: Ames Public Library
Room: Lisa Fawcett Nilsson Study Room - 2nd Floor
Age Group: Teens, Adults
Program Type: Special Event
Program Details:
  Staff from Community and Family Resources will be available in the Library to provide information about addiction, substance abuse treatment, problem gambling treatment, and mental health therapy.  They can also provide assistance...


Ames Public Library connects you to the world of ideas through diverse and inclusive resources and programs. We welcome proposals via our website for programs at www.amespubliclibrary.org/programproposal and exhibits at https://www.amespubliclibrary.org/exhibit-proposal.

This event is in the "Teens" group.
Mar 30 2023 Thu

Teen Videogames

4:00pm - 6:00pm
Cancelled
This event is in the "Teens" group.
Mar 30 2023 Thu

Cancelled

Teen Videogames

4:00pm - 6:00pm
Library Branch: Ames Public Library
Room: Teen Space
Age Group: Teens
Program Type: Meetup
Program Details:
  Need a brain break? Teens are invited to hang out and play videogames in the Teen Space! A virtual reality system will be available to try out too.   ...


Ames Public Library connects you to the world of ideas through diverse and inclusive resources and programs. We welcome proposals via our website for programs at www.amespubliclibrary.org/programproposal and exhibits at https://www.amespubliclibrary.org/exhibit-proposal.

This event is in the "Teens" group.
This event is in the "Adults" group.
Mar 30 2023 Thu

The Bridge Home

4:00pm - 7:00pm
This event is in the "Teens" group.
This event is in the "Adults" group.
Mar 30 2023 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 proposals via our website for programs at www.amespubliclibrary.org/programproposal and exhibits at https://www.amespubliclibrary.org/exhibit-proposal.

This event is in the "Family" group.
Mar 30 2023 Thu

Battle of the Books: 5th grade

4:00pm - 7:30pm
This event is in the "Family" group.
Mar 30 2023 Thu

Battle of the Books: 5th grade

4:00pm - 7:30pm
Library Branch: Ames Public Library
Room: Lobby
Age Group: Family
Program Type: Special Event
Program Details:
The annual Battle of the Books for 5th graders will be held throughout the building.  Teams check in between 3:30 and 4pm in the lobby. For more information, visit www.amespubliclibrary.org/learn-explore/family/battle-of-books. ...


Ames Public Library connects you to the world of ideas through diverse and inclusive resources and programs. We welcome proposals via our website for programs at www.amespubliclibrary.org/programproposal and exhibits at https://www.amespubliclibrary.org/exhibit-proposal.

This event is in the "Family" group.
Mar 30 2023 Thu

Baby Time

6:00pm - 6:30pm
Cancelled
This event is in the "Family" group.
Mar 30 2023 Thu

Cancelled

Baby Time

6:00pm - 6:30pm
Library Branch: Ames Public Library
Room: Storytime Room
Age Group: Family
Program Type: Meetup
Program Details:
  Bring your pre-walker to the Library for stories, songs, and baby sign language. Join with other caregivers and older siblings for 20 minutes of fun and learning. Feel free to bring a stuffed animal or doll for the older sibling to learn ...


Ames Public Library connects you to the world of ideas through diverse and inclusive resources and programs. We welcome proposals via our website for programs at www.amespubliclibrary.org/programproposal and exhibits at https://www.amespubliclibrary.org/exhibit-proposal.

This event is in the "Family" group.
Mar 31 2023 Fri

Storybook Science

10:30am - 11:00am
This event is in the "Family" group.
Mar 31 2023 Fri

Storybook Science

10:30am - 11:00am
Library Branch: Ames Public Library
Room: Storytime Room
Age Group: Family
Program Type: Special Event
Program Details:
  Families are invited to get hands-on with a fun science activity for all ages!   ...


Ames Public Library connects you to the world of ideas through diverse and inclusive resources and programs. We welcome proposals via our website for programs at www.amespubliclibrary.org/programproposal and exhibits at https://www.amespubliclibrary.org/exhibit-proposal.

This event is in the "Teens" group.
This event is in the "Adults" group.
Mar 31 2023 Fri

The Bridge Home

11:00am - 2:00pm
This event is in the "Teens" group.
This event is in the "Adults" group.
Mar 31 2023 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 proposals via our website for programs at www.amespubliclibrary.org/programproposal and exhibits at https://www.amespubliclibrary.org/exhibit-proposal.

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Our Location

515 Douglas Avenue
Ames, IA 50010

(515) 239-5646

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

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