Blog Entries

PBS Kids Show to Visit Ames Public Library

On Wednesday, July 9th, the Ames Public Library will host two very special guests from the PBS Kids show Wimee’s Words (pronounced WHIM-ee). Michael Hyacinthe, founder of the interactive educational app Wimage and creator of Wimee’s Words, will be joined by the lovable robot Wimee who will livestream onto the library auditorium’s big screen!

Wimee’s Words began in 2016 as part of Michael Hyacinthe’s mission to spark children’s creativity through the Wimage app, which transforms words into images. Believing in the app’s potential for interactive storytelling and learning, ... Read Full Blog

Iowa Center for the Book Announces Selections for 2025 Roadmap to Reading

The Iowa Center for the Book is pleased to announce the two books that will represent Iowa’s rich, literary heritage at the National Book Festival in Washington, DC, on September 6, 2025.  

The Center for the Book (www.read.gov/cfb) in the Library of Congress works with its 56 Affiliate Centers for the Book (the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and Northern Marianas) to fulfill each Center’s mission of promoting literacy and the literary ar... Read Full Blog

Libraries and Dragons

This summer, Ames Public Library is challenging you to “level up.” You might choose to level up your backyard projects, your reading time, or any number of skills. Personally, I’ll be leveling up in roleplaying games.

If you’ve never heard or Dungeons & Dragons or roleplaying games, or you aren’t sure what they are, here are the basics. “Tabletop” roleplaying games like Dungeons and Dragons are kind of a shared storytelling game, usually played in a small group with one person acting as the game master. The game provides the rules and structure. The players step in... Read Full Blog

Everyone Should Celebrate Juneteenth

Juneteenth is a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. It began in 1865, when enslaved people in Texas were first informed that they had been freed by the ending of the Civil War and President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Although slavery legally ended two years before, official enforcement by the Union Army began in Texas on June 19, 1865. The passing of the 13th Amendment later that year eradicated slavery for good. Since then, Juneteenth has remained a nation-wide celebration of Black identity, culture, and achievements.

You ... Read Full Blog

Level Up Your Summer

Have an EPIC summer at the Library with free special activities and a reading challenge for all ages!

Everyone from babies to adults can earn prizes just for tracking their reading in Ames Public Library's Summer Reading Challenge. Pick up a game board, sign up at amespubliclibrary.beanstack.org, or download the Beanstack app to get started.

Once again this summer, children and teens can eat a nutritious free lunch at Ames Public Library. Free Summer Meals available weekdays (except July 4) from 11:30am-12:30pm. Thank you to Chevron Renewable Energy Group, Mary Greeley Medical C... Read Full Blog

Bored? Games! to Liven Up Wednesday Nights

Picture if you a will, a household of four adults sitting around the dinning table. So far, the evening is going great. The dinner was delicious. Conversation flowed. You even managed to avoid the disapproving eye roll of your mother chastising your wardrobe. For after dinner entertainment, you stay gracious as you slide that final tile into your web of design during Azul. When you count your points, you have in fact, demolished your father’s score by double digits. 

Is this scene paradise? Well maybe not for everyone. For me, I have never felt more perfectly fulfil... Read Full Blog

An EPIC Summer at the Library

An EPIC Summer at the Library

Summer is here! Right now, you can feel the excitement in the air as kids say goodbye to another school year. Honestly, summer is hands-down the BEST time to be a youth librarian. Here’s my top ten reasons why.

10. Kids are excited to be here! They get to spend more time playing in our space freely and exploring ways to creatively interact with the toys and make new friends with other kids.

9. Reader’s Advisory: During summer kids get to self-select their reading, which means we get to book-talk and... Read Full Blog

Bike Rodeo at Ames Public Library

Rodeo fans! Swap out your cowboy hat for a bike helmet and come on over to Ames Public Library for the Bike Fair and Rodeo this Saturday, May 31.

The Bike Fair will be held from 10:00 to 1:00 in front of the library. Learn more about biking in our community by meeting local bike-friendly organizations. You can also learn how to load a bike onto a CyRide bike rack. Skunk River Cycles and other community volunteers will be on-site providing free maintenance and basic repairs. Bike locks will be available for free to those who need them (while supplies last).

The ... Read Full Blog

Growth Mindset

All my life I have had the opposite of a green thumb. I was notorious in my family for killing plants, no matter how much I strived to keep them alive. It was frustrating and disappointing and a bit embarrassing, too. I could keep my pets and my kids alive, but not plants? 

Then a few years ago my kids brought me home plants for Mother’s Day, and my youngest got a fairy tree plant from her sister, and the stakes got higher. I put the plants together in my kitchen windowsill and vowed to water them every week. That became “water me Wednesdays.” To my surprise, a ye... Read Full Blog

Illuminating the Past

Imagine you live in the 1800s. Your family read in the newspaper about a new form of entertainment and traveled in a wagon to the next town over. You hustle inside and gather closely with dozens of other excited participants, waiting for the show to begin. The lights go out. Suddenly, the room is filled with a bright, larger-than life image. How amazing!

The magic lantern was invented in the mid-1600s, but magic lantern shows became popular in the 1800s. Essentially an early type of slide projector, magic lanterns used a light source (like an oil lamp, candle, or bulb),... Read Full Blog

Free Seeds at Your Library!

I’ve been checking out our new gardening books in preparation for the growing season ahead, but the best thing I have been taking home are the seeds from the Seed Library. The Ames Seed Library is a collaborative effort between the Ames Public Library, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Story County, Ames Repair Café, and Mustard Seed Community Farm. This partnership underscores the shared commitment to fostering self-sufficiency, environmental stewardship, and a stronger, more connected Ames community, one seed at a time.

The seed library is located on the ... Read Full Blog

Spring into Sustainability

The birds are chirping, the sun is shining, the grass is greener…what’s not to love about spring? If you are ready to put winter behind us and focus on the beauty of new life all around, I encourage you to join us on May 19 from 6:30-7:30pm for a Backyard Composting workshop. Perhaps you’ve discovered the Ames Seed Library and are ready to start turning waste into food for your new plants. Carissa Thoma from Down to Earth Living will share her years of experience composting!  The compost process, compost bin options, acceptable materials, and t... Read Full Blog

Fit to Print

At the Ames Public Library, our in-house newspapers have a dedicated core userbase. There are regulars who come every day just to catch up on the news.

But you don’t have to make a trip to the library to peruse the news. That’s because the library offers multiple newspaper resources that you can access through our online resource list for free.

Accessing online library resources is easy. You can start by navigating to the library homepage at AmesPL.org. Next, select “Learn and Explore” (you may need to first select “More” or “Menu”) and then select the option “Onlin... Read Full Blog

Battle of the Books Bravery

A few weeks ago, on the last Thursday in March and the first Thursday in April, you could feel the tension and excitement in the air. The Ames Public Library was filled with fifth or sixth graders and their families, as well as their teachers or librarians. It was our annual Battle of the Books! 

Ames Public Library’s Battle of the Books is a huge trivia competition for teams of up to four fifth or sixth grades. They read and talk about the year’s chosen books. Then, they come to the main event at the Library for two rounds of trivia competition.  The top ... Read Full Blog

Sensory Processing Aids

We have a new set of tools for anyone to use while at the Library! These tools offer options for anyone who needs a little help regulating their sensory input while they visit the Library, no matter their age. 

Noise-reducing headphones make the Library a little less overwhelming, especially when using the play area or at story time programs. When I put them on, I can feel my body relax immediately; auditory chaos around me becomes just a little more manageable. Similarly, we have weighted lap pads, which can calm and soothe someone feeling anxious. Sometimes... Read Full Blog