Library Blog
Posted on Mon, July 01, 2024 - 03:15pm
Hey readers!
Are you signed up for AFL’s summer reading program yet? We have programs for all ages with great incentives to keep you reading all summer long. Get signed up today! And if you need a break from your book, be sure to join us for our Family Garden Shows and Queset Garden Concert Series…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Mon, June 03, 2024 - 10:57am
Hey readers!
We’ve officially hit summer reading season! Whether you’re reading at the beach, on a plane, or just in your own backyard, be sure to join AFL’s summer reading program. We have programs for kids, teens, and adults with great incentives to keep you reading all summer long. And if you…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Wed, May 01, 2024 - 12:29pm
Hey readers!
Sometimes a story can’t be told with words alone. Use this month’s challenge to explore stories told through words and images!
May’s challenge is: A graphic novel
New to this challenge hosted by Mass Center for the Book? You can learn more about the challenge from our introductory…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Mon, April 01, 2024 - 11:24am
Hey readers!
Spring is in the air and so are the proverbial April showers. Celebrate the new season and Earth Day with this month’s challenge theme.
April’s challenge is: A book about nature, the environment, or climate change
New to this challenge hosted by Mass Center for the Book? You can…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Fri, March 01, 2024 - 01:34pm
Hey readers!
As we get ready to turn the clocks ahead and count down the final days to spring, it’s time to kick off a new month in the Mass Center for the Book Reading Challenge.
March’s challenge is: A book whose protagonist has a different culture or lifestyle from you
New to the challenge?…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Thu, February 01, 2024 - 05:09pm
Hey readers!
Feeling blue about the winter weather? The grass may be greener (or at least not covered in a layer of white) in warmer climates, but the yellow, pink, and purple of spring flowers is right around the corner. Keep all those colorful thoughts in mind for this month’s Mass Center for…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Wed, January 03, 2024 - 12:34pm
Hey readers!
We hope you’re as excited to join the 2024 Reading Challenge as we are. You can learn more about the challenge from our previous blog post or the challenge website. Each month, we’ll be sharing some suggested titles on our blog, social media channels, and in displays at the library.…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Thu, December 28, 2023 - 05:09pm
The Ames Free Library is excited to be a reading partner for the 2024 Reading Challenge hosted by the Massachusetts Center for the Book. This 12 month, 12 book challenge features a different prompt for every month of the year. Participating is as easy as 1, 2, 3!
Choose a book that fits the…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Wed, September 21, 2022 - 08:00pm
Fall may be announcing itself with a dreary deluge, but all this rain can’t dampen my spirits. This month I get to share a special summer reading wrap-up edition of the Librarian’s Lounge with you! Keep reading for highlights from this year’s summer reading program, including a list of books that…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Sun, September 18, 2022 - 08:00pm
What is NaNoWriMo? An Introduction
Who, me, you say? Write a book? (NaNoWrimo-no!) You can probably come up with several reasons why you don’t want to spend the month of November writing a novel. So why do it? Participating in NaNoWriMo is an excellent way to develop discipline as a writer, an…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Sun, August 21, 2022 - 08:00pm
Things have been busy since my last post! We made it through two heat waves and the library has been in full swing with all of our summer events and the summer reading program. If you’re reading this before August 27, there’s still time to log your reading and earn points to spend on raffle tickets…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Sun, August 07, 2022 - 08:00pm
Ever been curious what your neighbors are reading or watching? Here are just some of their suggestions! As we receive more recommendations, we'll post them here on the AFL Blog.
If you would like to suggest something you've loved to your neighbors, fill out our Your Neighbors Recommend form!
The…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Sun, July 10, 2022 - 08:00pm
Ever been curious what your neighbors are reading or watching? Here are just some of their suggestions! As we receive more recommendations, we'll post them here on the AFL Blog.
If you would like to suggest something you've loved to your neighbors, fill out our Your Neighbors Recommend form!
The…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Tue, June 28, 2022 - 08:00pm
I have a complicated relationship with JK Growling – not with the bear herself, of course (she’s my BFF!), but with her name. First, a bit of history:
When I began working at the Ames Free Library, back in the Fall of 2019, I found a slightly mangy, decidedly grumpy, and hugely adorable bear…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Thu, June 16, 2022 - 08:00pm
This Summer, families can "Read Beyond the Beaten Path" and play Nature Bingo! We have five themed bingo cards waiting for you in the Children's Room: Flora, Fauna, Sky, Water, and Rainbow. You can check off at least one square on each card by reading a book from the list on the back of your bingo…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Thu, June 16, 2022 - 08:00pm
This Summer, families can "Read Beyond the Beaten Path" and play Nature Bingo! We have five themed bingo cards waiting for you in the Children's Room: Flora, Fauna, Sky, Water, and Rainbow. You can check off at least one square on each card by reading a book from the list on the back of your bingo…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Thu, June 16, 2022 - 08:00pm
This Summer, families can "Read Beyond the Beaten Path" and play Nature Bingo! We have five themed bingo cards waiting for you in the Children's Room: Flora, Fauna, Sky, Water, and Rainbow. You can check off at least one square on each card by reading a book from the list on the back of your bingo…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Thu, June 16, 2022 - 08:00pm
This Summer, families can "Read Beyond the Beaten Path" and play Nature Bingo! We have five themed bingo cards waiting for you in the Children's Room: Flora, Fauna, Sky, Water, and Rainbow. You can check off at least one square on each card by reading a book from the list on the back of your bingo…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Thu, June 16, 2022 - 08:00pm
This Summer, families can "Read Beyond the Beaten Path" and play Nature Bingo! We have five themed bingo cards waiting for you in the Children's Room: Flora, Fauna, Sky, Water, and Rainbow. You can check off at least one square on each card by reading a book from the list on the back of your bingo…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Sun, June 12, 2022 - 08:00pm
Ever been curious what your neighbors are reading or watching? Here are just some of their suggestions! As we receive more recommendations, we'll post them here on the AFL Blog.
If you would like to suggest something you've loved to your neighbors, fill out our Your Neighbors Recommend form!…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Tue, June 07, 2022 - 08:00pm
Summer is in the air!
Truth be told, I’ve had summer on the brain for what feels like months now, because we’re officially just weeks away from the kickoff of our 2022 Summer Reading Program! The fun starts on Wednesday, June 22nd. As always, we have programs for kids, teens, and adults.
When you…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Sun, May 08, 2022 - 08:00pm
Ever been curious what your neighbors are reading or watching? Here are just some of their suggestions! As we receive more recommendations, we'll post them here on the AFL Blog.
If you would like to suggest something you've loved to your neighbors, fill out our Your Neighbors Recommend form!
The…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Wed, April 27, 2022 - 08:00pm
From the aesthetically pleasing, to the historical, to the mundane, to the downright ridiculous, many of us are obsessed with picture taking. Why do I have 10,000 photos of the same sunrise? Do I really need to share what I had for breakfast with the whole world?
And is anyone’s life enriched by…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Wed, April 20, 2022 - 08:00pm
Are you interested in learning more about sustainable living or climate change? The Ames Free Library has resources for all ages! Take few minutes to browse this virtual room created by staff member California Muratore to learn more.
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Sun, April 10, 2022 - 08:00pm
Ever been curious what your neighbors are reading or watching? Here are just some of their suggestions! As we receive more recommendations, we'll post them here on the AFL Blog.
If you would like to suggest something you've loved to your neighbors, fill out our Your Neighbors Recommend form!…
Category: Staff Picks