Spooky Reads
by Tracy BriseñoI bet as you start to read this, you are expecting some wonderful recommendations of scary, thriller, ghost-filled spooky titles to check out. That is not what is going to happen.
I’m not a fan of horror books, spooky books, or dark fantasy. I don’t like jump scares or psychological thrillers. You might say I’m a bit of a scaredy cat. However, my daughter loves spooky reads. Year-round she wants to read books with ghosts, and she enjoys dark and terrifying young adult reads.
Unfortunately, that means I’m not a great help to her with book recommendatio... 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
An EPIC Summer at the Library
by Brianne AndersonAn 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
Tools for School
Get homework help with the Library's free online resources, check out a Wi-Fi hotspot for Internet access, and use our space for quiet study time!
Your Library card gets you free access to premium online resource, like Brainfuse Homework Help, Britannica Library, and many more to help students reach their educational goals. Best of all, they're available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!
You the library also lends many helpful resources, from books to Wi-Fi hotspots to STEM learning kits. All you need is a Library card.
Library staff are happy to help you find... Read Full Blog
Books for Babies
by Brianne AndersonDid you know that almost 1,200 babies are born at Mary Greeley Medical Center (MGMC) every year? That seems like a strange statistic to read in a library’s news column, but every one of those babies left MGMC with a connection to Ames Public Library (APL).
There’s almost an unlimited number of services the public library provides beyond the materials on our shelves, but one of my favorite programs APL sponsors is one that has thrived since its creation in 1998. The Books for Babies program doesn’t get a lot of hype and runs mostly silently in the background, but is ... Read Full Blog
Great Reads from Great Places: 2024 Youth Author Event
Come meet the author of Ten Beautiful Things, Iowa's youth selection for the 2024 Great Reads from Great Places, Wednesday, November 13, at 10am. The event at Ames Public Library will be livestreamed on Zoom.
Molly Beth Griffin will share her writing process and the Iowa connections and inspirations behind this book. She’ll also offer tips and tricks for learning to notice the beautiful things all around us, and making art from what we find.
Books will be available to purchase at the event.
This free event is presented in partnership w...
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Visit a Park, Visit the Library
by Anastasia TucknessAmes is a city of parks. The convergence of Ioway Creek and the South Skunk River in South Ames results in many square feet of floodplain, not always great for commercial development but excellent green space for parks! Ames boasts 38 parks covering over 1220 acres that have been developed over many years. Brookside Park celebrates its 100th anniversary next year! And new parks and green spaces spring up often—we recently discovered the new shared use path along Ioway Creek/South 5th Street from South Grand Avenue extending to half a mile east of South Duff Ave... Read Full Blog
New Play Space!
Come see the new play space on Ames Public Library's first floor!
Young children can practice their motor skills, while older children can exercise their imaginations with a play kitchen and more.
Thank you to the Ames Public Library Friends Foundation who helped support the Library’s new play structure!
... Read Full Blog
“I Survived” Summer Reading at the Library
by Jill Philby
June is right around the corner, and Ames Public Library has exciting news!
First, save the date of June 24. Why? Because Lauren Tarshis, author of the kid-favorite “I Survived” chapter book series, will be visiting Ames Public Library!
Each “I Survived” book tells the story of a young person who experiences, and lives through, an amazing event from history. The books tell the stories of everything from the San Francisco earthquake and the destruction of Pompei, to September 11 and the Battle of D-Day. Perfect for elementary school rea... Read Full Blog
Music: An Important Component of Early Literacy
by Ben SchragIf you know me, you know I love to write songs. (Technically speaking, I’m an award-winning songwriter. Though, to be sure, receiving commendations for songwriting from an educational theatre organization, however prestigious, feels a bit like little like winning “best dressed” at a swimming meet!)
I’ve been writing, singing, and playing in Iowa for years and have enjoyed playing at everything from Ames Main Street shops to the Des Moines Arts Festival. But one of my favorite gigs is getting to sing and play for toddlers at the Ames Public Library.
... Read Full Blog
Spooky Stories at the Library
by Jill PhilbyWith Halloween just around the corner, Ames Public Library lends more spooky stories than usual. Older children and teens love a good scare and will read books like Aaron Reynolds’ “Creepy Tales!” series, “The Jumbies” by Tracey Baptiste, or Katherine Arden’s “Small Spaces” series at any time of year. But books like Alvin Schwartz’ “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” are especially popular the closer we get to Halloween.
Kids and teens love books that are scary, and the thrill in feeling the goosebumps on your arms or the shiver down your spine c... Read Full Blog
20 Minutes Makes a Difference
by Brianne Anderson
Way back in the 1982, Jim Trelease published the book, “The Read-Aloud Handbook.” Over the years, the book has gone through eight updates (the latest coming in 2019) and has sold millions of copies. In the world of books and publishing, 41 years is an incredible time for a book to stay in print, especially when the book addresses child-rearing topics which we know experts often debate.
This book has longevity because Jim Trelease captured in print one thing almost everyone can agree on: reading aloud to children is important. But not on... Read Full Blog
Tools for School
Did you know...
Ames Community School District students get a FREE Ames Public Library account through their school!
Use your account all year long for access to books, Wi-Fi hotspots, online tools, STEM Kits, and much more!
Get ready for school with these great online tools for free using your Ames Public Library card:
Chillin’ with a Good Book
by Danielle ZieglerWhen I was a kid growing up in the 90s, we didn’t have air conditioning at home. Instead, during long, hot summer days, my sister and I joined our friends in activities meant to make us feel cooler. We saw many matinees at the movie theater, spent hours hanging out at our library, and watched and read things meant to make us cold. Kids can still do that during the summer with the Ames Public Library. Check out these cold and snowy books!
One of my absolute favorite picture books, “Big Snow” by Jonathan Bean is set while a young boy anxiously... Read Full Blog
Keeping Up with the Kiddos
by Tracy BriseñoMy children are voracious readers. I love that they are often deep in a book, entranced, pulled in, and thoroughly engaged. I am thankful that they have a plethora of trusted adults in their life to recommend new titles, from teachers and librarians to grandparents, aunts, and uncles. They also share recommendations with friends.
When my children started reading I wanted to read what they read, have them read what I enjoyed as a child, and be involved in all their reading decisions. Now, three children later, I know I would hold them back.
Instea... Read Full Blog