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
The Wonder of Wonderbooks
by Emma BravardIf you are looking to stay inside, cozy up with a good book, and want to get the whole family involved, check out our Wonderbooks and VOX Books! Wonderbooks and Vox Books provide a great opportunity for everyone of any age to be able to engage with reading.
If you have never seen or checked out one of these books, they are printed books that come with a charged audio player inside the front cover that allows you to have the book read aloud as you flip through the pages. It is a physical book and an audiobook all in one! These books can be especially useful f... Read Full Blog
Start the Semester Right
by Jillian OckenIt’s a new semester, with the chance to start on the right foot! Ames Public Library is here to support students, parents, and teachers with a wide variety of resources.
If homework is hard at home because you don’t have internet, you can request a Wi-Fi hotspot to check out from the Library. We have a limited number available, so there will usually be wait. Try to get on the list early!
If you have internet access, Ames Public Library has some fantastic online resources available 24/7. They have the types of tools and articles you’d usually have to pay for, but ... Read Full Blog
Digital Media Grows in Popularity
by Anessa OlsonThe turning of the year is an invitation to consider continuity and change. What’s trending? What’s over? What’s next? At the Ames Public Library, we’re thinking not just about the latest titles going viral on social media, but also about which formats you are reading them in.
In 2024, Ames residents borrowed 133,625 e-books and e-audiobooks from the library’s two digital media apps, Libby and Hoopla, a 14% increase over 2023. The Ames Public Library (APL) is able to provide access to these apps thanks to your funding as taxpayers, your generosity as donors, and t... Read Full Blog
All the things you can do from home
By Tracy BriseñoDuring winter I would prefer to snuggle up under a blanket at home and leave as few times as possible until it is spring. If you are like me and would like to therefore see what the library has to offer to your wintering self, let’s hop onto the Library’s website and apps and explore.
You can stream and download a wide variety of titles in e-book and e-audiobook as well as a selection of magazines, movies, tv shows, music, comics and more through the library’s apps Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy, and Comics Plus. When you login to Libby, scroll down to recommendations rel... Read Full Blog
Take A Road Trip with an Audiobook!
by Ben SchragThere’s nothing quite like sharing the road trip with your loved ones! But to help pass the time, you need something to focus on while you drive. Audiobooks offer hands free entertainment that keeps everybody in the car entertained and keeps the driver safe.
Road trips are also opportunities for unforgettable shared literary experiences. I can still vividly remember books I’ve listened to on road trips from years past, who I listened to them with, and where we went together.
I recall a beautiful summer drive across South Dakota my wife and I took as a ne... Read Full Blog
Back to School
by Danielle ZieglerWe can feel it in the air at Ames Public Library’s youth department. School is starting soon. You can buy all the school supplies and figure out what teacher the kids will have, but how can you feel really ready? Why not try reading some books about school?
Young readers can be really worried, especially if they are going to start school for the very first time. One of my favorite books about starting school is “Mr. S” by Monica Arnaldo. It will have you and your child giggling up a storm! Another sweet picture book that deals with feelings is “First Da... Read Full Blog
Audiobook Revolution
by Megan Klein-HewettHave you started using downloadable or streaming books and audiobooks in the last five years? If so, you are not alone! Whether you love the ease of access that digital books provide, or you’re a road warrior who’s always on the hunt for their next audiobook, the library’s Libby and Hoopla apps are great options for free access to digital books and audiobooks.
There has been significant growth in use of digital books and audiobooks over the last five years, in part due to the critical access that these services provided during the pandemic. Suddenly, ... Read Full Blog
Digging into Digital
by Amanda MolumbyNow that summer is here, maybe you have a little more time to read some books or magazines, watch a movie, or browse online. Or perhaps you have even less time than usual and are looking for ways to wind down in the spare time you do have. While I highly recommend visiting the library—we have some pretty amazing programs happening during summer, and it’s a nice, cool spot to get out of the summer heat—if you find yourself unable to swing into the library itself, try looking for some excellent online resources on the Ames Public Library website!
You can us... Read Full Blog
A Frightfully Good Time
by Max GuldenIt’s that time of year again. As the air becomes crisp, leaves turn color and fall. Sunlight takes on a different hue, and the days grow noticeably shorter, while the nights grow inexorably longer. Around this time every year, my movie viewing takes a predicable turn. A turn to horror!
While horror movies can be enjoyed at any time of year, there is a certain appeal to treating oneself to a horror binge in the lead up to that spookiest of holidays: Halloween. If you too enjoy making a seasonal commitment to ramp up your horror movie viewing, you have a number... 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:
E-Magazines for Days!
by Max GuldenElectronic resources provide excellent library content that more and more people use each day. They are convenient on the go, as you can access them anywhere with the right apps and an internet connection to download or stream. One electronic resource format that is sometimes overlooked is e-magazines. We have thousands to choose from and they’re available any time!
One way to access e-magazines is the online catalog BRIDGES. To use BRIDGES, you can download the free app Libby on your tablet or smart phone. BRIDGES can also be accessed through the webpage ame... Read Full Blog
Projects and Papers and Tests, Oh My!
Ames Public Library is here to help students finish out the semester with success!
Your Library card gets you free access to online tutoring, test prep, and writing lab with Brainfuse HelpNow. Get started at www.amespubliclibrary.org/databases.
The Library has also reserved space just for quiet study time. Drop in any of the following times, or ask about our regular study rooms!
Monday-Tuesday, December 5-6: 1-8:45pm, Rotary Room Wednesday, December 7: 1-8:45pm, Danfoss Room Friday-Saturday, December 9-10: 9am-5:45pm, Rotary RoomSunday, De... Read Full Blog
Trice, Carver, Banning, Martin
by Jillian OckenMost 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, along with portraits of Archie and Nancy Martin.
Archie and Nancy Martin may not have ... Read Full Blog
Earn Your High School Equivalency with Library Resources
by Clelia SweeneyAs someone with a GED, I feel very strongly about the importance of helping people earn their high school equivalency. It opens doors for employment, training programs, military careers, and applying to college. Through a conversation with a patron last week, I learned that Iowa does not use the GED test but the HiSET (High School Equivalency Test, a much more straightforward acronym!) I hadn’t heard of the HiSET, but 23 out of 50 states currently offer it instead of the GED. It was developed in 2014 to better suit the needs of adult students, be more affordable, a... Read Full Blog