Blog Entries

A Winter of This Content

by Max Gulden

It’s that time of year again when the air starts to turn decidedly chillier and the threat of wintery weather becomes ever more pronounced. At the same time, there are always more errands to run and people to keep in touch with. If only there were some way to make managing these obligations more convenient from the comfort of one’s home and on the go on one’s phone. But wait, there is in the form of a variety of useful online databases freely available to Ames Public Library cardholders!

To access the library’s databases, navigate to amespl.org and select the... Read Full Blog

Brainfuse HelpNow: Your Family’s New Tutor

by Rosie Francis

This is a special year for our family. We have a high school senior, and it has been a heady time of trying to record and take pictures of all the “last time to do this” events on our list.  It is also an exciting time because just around the corner is the future that holds many possibilities, one of which we hope includes going to college. 

Visiting different college campuses and making new connections have all been part of this exciting process as my senior decides where to spend the next four years. While my family has thoroughly enjoyed and e... Read Full Blog

Your Library is a Center of Civics

by Megan Klein-Hewett

Ames Public Library values the role we play as a connector of information to help you be an informed citizen in our community. The Library always strives to make access to information easy, through events like voter registration drives and local candidate forums, but also through the Civics Center webpage at AmesPublicLibrary.org and through materials you can borrow. 

Are you registered to vote? Have you moved and need to update your voter registration records? Next Tuesday, September 28, is National Voter Registration Day and it provides the per... Read Full Blog

Next Generation of Homeschooling Resources

by Brianne Anderson

At the end of last school year, most of us parents were celebrating a return to “normal” over the summer. The pool was opening again, the summer reading program was back at the Library, and we could again look forward to spending time outside with our families at summer concerts and fun events.

I don’t know about you, but the fact that we are not totally back to pre-COVID normal is still a hard pill for me to swallow. Masks are again donning faces as cases surge and social distancing is definitely still an important part of being out in society. Our are... Read Full Blog

Database Daze

by Max Gulden

In the midst of the sweltering heat of summer, finding ways to avoid the glare of the midday sun is a worthy goal in itself, yet many might want to beat the heat while stimulating the mind as well. For this, the library has your back. Of course, you could drop by the air-conditioned main library downtown and settle in to read one of the captivating novels or inspiring memoirs that line the shelves. You could also pop in to the Bookmobile at one of multiple stops this rolling library on wheels visits across Ames each week. For those who want to avoid a trip downtown and... Read Full Blog

Better Together

by Jill Philby

When kids ask for help finding books here at the library, it seems as if they fall into one of two camps.  They like either fiction or non-fiction, and there isn’t much overlap.  Once in a while someone will ask for non-fiction books about dragons or some other magical creature—which always makes me chuckle—but in general, it’s a definite one or the other. 

But the few kids who ask for both are on to something.

When you pair fiction with nonfiction, you learn better.

Reading fiction works on your emotional brain.  Fict... Read Full Blog

Library Shifts to Curbside Service

In response to increased community spread of COVID-19, Ames Public Library will shift from “grab and go” lobby service to curbside service starting Sunday, November 22.

Curbside Holds Pickup will allow Library cardholders to request physical items like books and DVDs, then pick them up in front of the Library safely and easily. “We’ve got a new, flexible curbside system,” says Library Director Sheila Schofer. “Instead of making an appointment, you can come by when it’s convenient for you.”

After requesting items using the Library’s online catalog, customers need to ... Read Full Blog

What's Happening During the Closure?

New York Times Online
You asked for it! Ames Public Library now offers free access to The New York Times online! Connecting you with news and information sources is more important than ever.

Book Give-Way
Did someone say free books? Kids can pick up a free book along with their Grab & Go lunch from Ames schools thanks to the Ames Public Library Friends Foundation, United Way of Story County, and Ames Community School District!

Little Free Libraries
Working with Raising Readers in Story County, the Ames Public Library Friends F... Read Full Blog