by Ellen Wanamaker

Shopping for holiday gifts at the library seems counter-intuitive, since, well… libraries let you borrow things for free! While you can check out armfuls of books, movies, music, magazines, games, puzzles and puppets for free, there are ways to do holiday shopping at Ames Public Library as well.

Literary Grounds is Ames Public Library’s bookstore, located on the first floor. You can shop for gently-used books, puzzles, and more. Most items cost between $1 and $5, and all proceeds benefit the APL Friends Foundation, which serves to enhance APL’s services, programs, and collections. Literary Grounds also sells book bundles—festively wrapped batches of books on a theme—and gift certificates.

Fit in some last-minute shopping for friends and family at the Literary Grounds holiday book sale from December 21^st through January 3^rd, with $1 off items with a red sticker.

Our librarians have also created 2023 gift lists for the book-lover in your life. Each list highlights books published this year in a chosen genre or category. You’ll find recommendations for thrillers, fantasy, biography, romance, sports, nature, historical fiction, and more. Grab a list from the display in the Lobby. You can also find a link to the lists via the “Books, Movies, and More” tab on our website, under “Recommendations.” Ideas abound, and books always make good gifts. They’re easy to wrap too!

If you need extra assistance in choosing a perfect book, you can also try our “Personalized Picks” service. Just fill out the form on the Library website, and our experts will put together a custom book list based on your responses, then email it to you. (Be sure to leave a little time for us to work our magic!)

Maybe you’re more interested in a cool t-shirt to give as a gift? If so, you’re in luck. RAYGUN (the greatest store in the universe) and Ames Public Library Friends Foundation are teaming up to bring you the greatest t-shirts in the universe. You can buy locally-printed, library-themed shirts for friends and family with 40% of the price benefitting the library. Designs include “proud library person,” “everyone is welcome at the library,” “the book was better,” and “Ames loves its library.” I’ve just about worn out my “America needs librarians” RAYGUN shirt, and now it’s time to add a new one to my collection.

Happy holidays to the best library patrons in the universe.