Blog Entries

A Visit from The Nutcracker

“The Nutcracker Ballet” is coming to CY Stephens Auditorium on December 14 and 15, 2024, but you can get a sneak peak with excerpts from the performance at Ames Public Library on Saturday, November 23, 2024 at 10:30am. The performance will be followed by an opportunity from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach to use your engineering and artistic skills in a Nutcracker design challenge using LEGO® or other materials. In addition, attendees will be entered into a drawing for free tickets to see “The Nutcracker” at Stephens Auditorium courtesy of Iowa State Center.

“When My Husband Ran for President…”

If you’ve lived in Iowa for any amount of time you probably know the last name Harkin. When you hear it, you probably think of Tom Harkin, long-time Senator from Iowa. Did you know that it was his wife, Ruth, who was the first in their family to run for office? She not only ran for, but won, the seat of Story County attorney in 1973, making her one of the first female prosecutors elected in the United States.

Ames Public Library, the Iowa Center for the Book, the Ames Writers Collective, and KHOI Community Radio are thrilled to host Ruth Harkin in pre... 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... Read Full Blog

Building Bridges Through Culture and Connection

The Ames Public Library is fostering intercultural understanding and friendships through two upcoming events: the International Friendship Fair and the International Community Meetup.
 

International Friendship Fair

Date: Saturday, November 9, 2024 Time: 10:00am - 12:00pm Location: Ames Public Library Auditorium

The International Friendship Fair promises to be a vibrant celebration of cultural diversity, providing an opportunity for participants to immerse themselves in the global tapestry of Ames' international community... Read Full Blog

Calling All Readers! It’s the Author Fair!

Looking for your next favorite author? They might (literally) be just around the corner. Join us Saturday, October 12 from 2-5 pm for Ames Public Library’s 2nd Author Fair, presented in partnership with the Iowa Center for the Book. We’ll have 28 Iowa authors spread throughout our Auditorium on the main floor and Gallery space on the second floor, as well as representatives from two Iowa publishers.

If you’re already a fan of one of our authors, bring your copy of their book to have it signed. If you’re exploring and hoping to discover a new favorite, come ... Read Full Blog

Trivia Fundraiser for Library Lovers

When I was young my siblings and I loved reading “The People's Almanac” by David Wallechinsky and Irving Wallace.  Different from traditional almanacs that were mainly lists of facts, “The Peoples Almanac” aimed to be a reference book to be read for pleasure; a book that would tell the often-untold true tales of history.  We read predictions of Nostradamus, memorized famous epitaphs, learned about famous natural disasters, all the while stockpiling random bits of information.  In retrospect I can see how this encouraged me to seek out informatio... Read Full Blog

Great Reads Authors coming to Ames and Zoom

The authors of Iowa's 2024 selections for Great Reads from Great Places are coming to Iowa! 

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Join Swine Republic author, Chris Jones, for an author talk and book signing Wednesday, October 30, at 7pm. The event at Ames Public Library will be livestreamed on Zoom. 

The Swine Republic: Struggles With the Truth About Agriculture and Water Quality is Iowa's 2024 selection for adults for Great Reads from Great Places and an unexpected hit across Iowa. 

Jones, a retired University of Iowa researcher, writes for a popular ... Read Full Blog

Speed Friending, Take Three

by Clelia Sweeney

Speed Friending is the library program I find myself bringing up in conversation the most. I think any busy adult can relate to difficulty in making new friends, and finding social situations to make it happen. We have had great turnout to the two Speed Friending events we have held at the library so far. Come participate in our third on Saturday, September 28th, from 2-4:30pm in the library’s Auditorium!

This month, we have a display on the second floor of the library highlighting friendship stories and non-fiction help for making social connections. S... Read Full Blog

S.T.E.M. Reading

Looking for something to do this fall? Starting September 13th, every Friday at 10:30am the library runs our Storybook S.T.E.M. program in the Farwell T. Brown Auditorium! Enjoy a range of activities as the weeks go by all focused on an area or subject in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. We’ve had dance parties to make butter, LEGO challenges to create your own zipline car, and a slime lab where we made ooblek! Come sing and dance with us, read a book, and join us in creating!

Here are some fun books to check out from the library so that you can ... Read Full Blog

Visit a Park, Visit the Library

Ames 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

Pub Fic D.I.Y. Costumes for a Cause

When I read, I create pictures in my mind, visualizing in detail the book’s setting and characters. That’s why it’s fun to see books made into movies. We get to see the characters brought to life – even if they don’t always cast the actors we would have picked!

Lucky for you, the Ames Public Library Friends Foundation offers a fun event each summer where you can join fellow booklovers while supporting a good cause, your local public library!

Pub Fiction, dubbed the most literary pub crawl in Ames, invites you to dress up as your favorite literary cha... 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

SEL at APL

My day is not complete at the Library without a caregiver hauling out a screaming toddler, tears streaming down their little face, kicking, screaming and wailing. Boy do I feel for those caregivers when trying to manage a screaming child, but I also kinda feel good inside. That child had so much fun at the library today that they don’t want to leave! That’s a win in my book. (Sorry, parents.)

Throwing a temper tantrum is completely developmentally appropriate for a two-year-old. A young child’s brain is just developed enough to understand they have inde... Read Full Blog

Black Arts Festival at the Ames Public Library

Stocked on our shelves are stories from individuals and communities located all around the globe. They are stories that inspire greatness, encourage learning, bring new perspectives, amplify often unheard voices, and so much more between their pages. They gather here together in the Ames Public Library to show us the joy and connectedness that comes from us all sharing our lives, our skill, and our art with one another.

These stories do not just sit here in our collection holding their knowledge or keeping their glance into another’s world secret. Rather, they g... Read Full Blog

Humor Me: First Amendment Days 2024

Parody, satire, and comedy have always been at the forefront of the First Amendment. This year, the 22nd annual First Amendment Days will explore the freedom to laugh.  Join Ames Public Library and Iowa State University for a series of events that celebrate comedy and the power of free expression. 

Pun-damental Rights – April 16, 7 p.m. Ames Public Library

Celebrate by participating in (or laughing at) a First Amendment themed pun battle.  It promises to be a lot of pun(s)!  Presented in partnership with Ames Public... Read Full Blog