9:00am-6:00pm
Ames Public Library
515 Douglas Avenue
Ames, IA 50010
United States
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
Search
Join Ames Public Library for free special activities and a reading challenge for all ages this summer!
Everyone from babies to adults can earn prizes just for tracking their reading in the Summer Reading Challenge. Pick up a game board or sign up online starting June 1.
Once again this summer, children and teens can eat a nutritious free lunch at Ames Public Library. Lunch is available weekdays form Monday, June 5, through Friday, August 18 (except July 4).
Check the Library's calendar for…
by Megan Klein-Hewett
The acclaimed American author, Willa Cather, would have been 150 years old on December 7, 2023. On February 28, from 7-8 pm, join the Ames Writers Collective, the National Willa Cather Center, and Ames Public Library to honor Cather’s great life and works in the Library’s Auditorium, or on Zoom.
Some of Cather’s most popular works, like “My Antonia” and “O Pioneers!” were heavily influenced by her time spent in Red Cloud, Nebraska, now the home…
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.
Ames Public Library has entered into a new Strategic Plan.
The process of creating this plan began in the fall of 2019. Library staff gathered community input, analyzed data, reviewed library best practices, and looked at overall societal trends.
“Our goal was to have an open and inclusive process,” said Ames Public Library Director Sheila Schofer. Library staff read the results of 1,000 completed surveys, held staff and board input sessions, and hosted six community stakeholder…
by Ellen Wanamaker
Library books are free, of course. What’s not free is the trip you take because you read about it in a library book and JUST HAD TO GO THERE.
Last spring I was feeling restless (like everyone else) and picked up a copy of Lonely Planet’s “The Vanlife Companion” by Ed Bartlett and Becky Ohlsen, a book about how to rent a camper van, and how to outfit it for epic rolling adventures. This book also features some ambitious road trip itineraries. Some of those were very cool but…
by Danielle Ziegler
Yesterday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day and here are some books for you and your kids to read! But wait. Why would I write an article about books to read with your children about Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and publish it the day after? Simply put, reading diverse books and thinking about antiracism are activities that should happen all year long, not just in January. This is one very small way that we can carry on Dr. King’s work throughout the year…
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…
byJerri Heid
Summer reading and activities are back at your Ames Public Library! Thanks to technology the Library has continued reading challenges and activities throughout the pandemic, but this summer will be more like a normal summer.
For youth, a normal summer means school’s out. It means time for activities, reading, and exploring and learning in a different way than they do in a classroom. After a hectic school year, participating in special Library events and the reading challenge can…
by Jillian Ocken
Most people who have spent time in Ames, Iowa, know the names of Jack Trice and George Washington Carver. Many are just now becoming familiar with James Herman Banning, with the possible renaming of the Ames municipal airport in his honor. These three African American men broke down barriers and left their mark on Ames and Iowa State College. Their portraits are being featured as part of Ames Public Library’s Black History of Ames Exhibit this month in the Library’s entryway,…
By Chelsie Gohlmann
Interested in practicing your language skills and connecting with others? Come join one of the Ames Public Library's Conversation Circles programs! Our programs provide a welcoming environment where language learners of all levels can improve their skills by chatting with others in their chosen language.
Conversation Circles: English is led by myself and my colleague, Ellen, every Monday from 12:30-1:30pm. It is the only Conversation Circles program that is…