Blog Entries

Reopening the Library: Phase 1

Starting July 1, Ames Public Library’s lobby will be open for limited “grab and go” services.

We’re excited to welcome the community back into the building!

However, this first phase is a limited reopening of only the lobby for quick holds pickup and checkouts. The focus is on short visits and reduced interaction with staff for the health and safety of visitor and staff.

Please do not come into the Library if you or a member of your household are sick or have been exposed to someone with Covid-19 in the last 2 weeks. 

 

Phase 1 Detail... Read Full Blog

Now Offering Curbside Holds Pickup

Ames Public Library has introduced a new, contact-free Curbside Holds Pickup service. Curbside Holds Pickup will allow Library cardholders to request physical items like books and DVDs, then schedule an appointment to pick them up in front of the Library.

Director Sheila Schofer says staff is excited to get materials moving out the door again. “We’ve been working hard to safely provide as many of our services as possible to as many people as possible. We were able to ramp up our online offerings quickly when this started, but we wanted to be very thoughtful in planning a safe way ... Read Full Blog

How many holds can the holds shelf hold?

How many holds can the holds shelf hold? A holds shelf can only hold as many holds as the holds shelf currently holds!

We're sending out information to people with holds on these shelves to sign up for curbside pickup starting May 19. Once we've got a little breathing room, we'll open it up so anyone can place new holds and schedule curbside pickup!

... Read Full Blog

Returning Library Items

We're ready for you to start returning your Library items! 

If you're ready to get the Library books out of your house, drop them off in the drive-up drop box in the alley behind the Library. (The drop box by the front door is also available.)

Please continue to hold onto oversize items, puppets, or anything else that shouldn't go in the drop box. We'll quarantine returned items before re-shelving them as a precaution.

Stay tuned for updates as we get ready to reintroduce some library services!

... Read Full Blog

COVID-19 Closure Update

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ames Public Library is closed for the safety of our visitors, staff, and community.

We are working with the City of Ames and health officials to plan for a gradual reintroduction of services. 

Watch for updates as we approach mid-May.

... 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

Online & On the Air

There are lots of new ways to connect with your librarians online!

Watch for videos, book recommendations, and more on our Facebook page and our YouTube channel

Hear us on Reading Radio on KHOI Community Radio Wednesdays at 12pm.

Catch storytime on Facebook Live Tuesdays and Fridays at 10am. (Many are available on our YouTube channel.)

Try the weekly Stay Inside & Thrive Challenges.

... Read Full Blog

Behind the Scenes

As always, Library staff are hard at work behind the scenes. We're still ordering books, movies, and music and getting them ready for you to check out when we reopen. We're shelving any returned items and packing the holds shelves as new books come in. (If you don't need an item you've put on hold, please be sure to cancel it online or by calling us.)

We're also answering questions by phone and e-mail and rearranging some collections to prepare for our reopening. We can't wait to see you again!

... Read Full Blog

Library Closed through May 15

Ames Public Library will be closed starting Tuesday, March 17 through May 15 for the safety of our visitors, staff, and community. During this time, please take advantage of our e-books and other online resources.

Please keep all materials you currently have checked out until the library re-opens. No items will be due and no fines will accrue while the Library is closed. Held items will not expire, and will be available when we reopen.

Home delivery, deposit collections, Project Smyles, and Bookmobile stops are also suspended during this time.

We will cont... Read Full Blog

Small Talk Builds Babies' Brains

Did you know that Ames Public Library is part of an exciting research program about brain development in babies?

Small Talk Story County is a program that not only trains parents how to help their child’s brain development through talk, but also performs research on the outcomes of the training! The program uses an innovative “talk pedometer” to give parents feedback on how much they are talking with their baby.

We’ll have a special event Thursday, August 15, at 7pm in the Library’s Auditorium to share what the research tells us educating parents to better... Read Full Blog

Experiment with a MERGE Cube

Would you like to hold the sun in the palm of your hand? Try it out at the Library!

Visit Ames Public Library's children's area this summer to explore a MERGE Cube. Using an app and the camera on one of our tablets, you can interact with a virtual object that moves, tilts, and rotates with the cube. Different apps bring you different augmented reality experiences, from the solar system to the human heart to a pirate island.

 

... Read Full Blog

Dog Man Wins March Madness

After a month-long, no-holds-barred brawl, Dog Man (along with Cat Kid) has claimed the title of most popular children's book at Ames Public Library.

The Library's annual March Madness bracket invited visitors to vote on their favorite book in four weeks of match-ups. Mo Willems' Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus flew to the top of the Picture Books brackets, going on to beat Willems' own Let's Go for a Drive, the winner of the Easy to Read Books brackets. Magic Tree House: Dinosaurs Before Dark topped the Juvenile Chapter Books brackets, but couldn't stand up to Juveni... Read Full Blog

Sheila Schofer Named Ames Public Library Director

After a national recruitment, the Ames Public Library Board of Trustees has named Iowa native Sheila Schofer as the new director of the Ames Public Library. Schofer, who has worked for the Brooklyn, N.Y., library system for more than 20 years, will begin her tenure in Ames on May 31.

“We are delighted to welcome Sheila to this leadership role in Ames,” said Charles Glatz, Library Board President. “We are confident her previous experience and commitment to community-wide collaboration will continue to move our Library in the right direction. The many comments we received from the L... Read Full Blog

March Madness

It’s March Madness, book-style! We’re pitting the most popular books in our children’s section against each other in a literary showdown. Each week, vote for you favorite from each face-off by visiting www.bit.ly/APLMarch2019. (Paper ballots are also available at the Youth Services Desk.)

You can track your favorite books' progress on the bracket displayed on the south side of the Youth Services area. In the end, there can be only one!

 

... Read Full Blog

Library Director Candidates to Visit Ames

Ames Public Library's Director Search Committee has been hard at work reviewing candidates to replace retired Library Director Lynne Carey.

Following several video conference interviews, two finalists have been invited for interviews and public presentations in March.

Amy Phillips, current Division Manager of Adult and Technical Services at Loveland Public Library in Colorado, will give a public presentation Thursday, March 7 at 4pm in the Library's Auditorium.

Sheila Schofer, current Neighborhood Services Director at Brooklyn Public Library in N... Read Full Blog