Special Collections
Park Packs
Explore nature with a Park Pack! Each backpack is filled with guidebooks, tools, and ideas for exploring a different topic.
Check them out >>
Wi-Fi Hotspots
Need internet access? Check out a wi-fi hotspot and get online for free!
Supported by Ames Public Library Friends Foundation and First National Bank, Ames.
Request a hotspot >>
Launchpad Learning Tablets
Check out a kid-focused tablet with themed educational apps for preschoolers and elementary age kids.
Check them out >>
Adventure Pass
Check out a free pass to participating museums and attractions.
Start your adventure >>
Quick Picks
Quick Picks are extra copies of super-popular items that go fast and come back fast, so you have more chances at a lucky find.
Learn More >>
STEM Kits
Have fun with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math at home! Each kit has books and activities to help your family explore a theme.
Request a kit >>
Book Store & Sales
Buy books, movies and more at great prices from Literary Grounds or our Book Sales.
Learn more >>
Grab and Go Bags
Stop by the Library's lobby and check out a whole bag of books or movies for a specific age group or featuring a topic or genre.
Book Club Collection
Ames Public Library has multiple copies of many books that are popular with book clubs, and they can be checked out for 6 weeks! See the Book Club Collection list in the online catalog or view the PDF.
Find a book >>
Farwell T. Brown Photo Archive
The images in this unique photo archive are from Farwell T. Brown's lifetime collection of original photographs, postcards, advertisements, and news articles which chronicle the history of Ames, Iowa.
Farwell T. Brown Photographic Archive >>