Tag Archives: holidays

Juneteenth book talk with Opal Lee

Opal Lee coverpage

The city of Boulder will sponsor a talk with Opal Lee–the Grand Mother of Juneteenth.
At 94 years young–Opal Lee leads a campaign with Carmelo Anthony, Sean Combs, and 
Pharrell to make Juneteenth a National Holiday.  

This virtual talk happens–Saturday (June 19th–!0:00).  
It will also be recorded and posted on youtube.
You can register for the program HERE.

Harpercollins will publish Opal Lee’s  poignant picture book biography soon.

Opal Lee coverpage

NYT artist–Keturah Bobo is the illustrator.  The pictures are stunning.  
The text is lyrical and engaging.  And it includes a a red Juneteenth punch recipe
from Texan and famous Diva Chef–Angela Medearis. 
Will you pre-order the book HERE?

RISE AND SHINE!
IT’S JUNETEENTH TIME!

LET THE JOY BEGIN!
JUNETEENTH IS FOR EVERYONE.
JUNETEENTH IS YOU AND ME!

4th of July and Holiday Hours

Image of fireworks

Image of fireworks

Image licensed through Wikimedia Commons (Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license).

The Ames Library will be closed for the 4th of July holiday on Thursday, July 4th, and Friday, July 5th. Library users will continue to have access to digital content, including full-text articles, e-books, and digital media (including streaming media). Research assistance will also remain available through online research guides.

We wish you a happy and safe holiday and look forward to seeing you when the library re-opens on its regular summer schedule on July 8th.

Holiday Gift Ideas for Book Lovers

Whether you’re looking for a book for a fiction fan or a nifty, one-of-a-kind literary print, The Ames Library has assembled a pastiche of bookish gift ideas from other websites for all of your holiday-shopping needs.

The first guide, from Paste Music, highlights ten noteworthy music books from 2018. Maybe your giftee is a Lou Reed fan, in which case Ezra Furman’s newly released Lou Reed’s Transformer ($10.37 from Amazon) is the ideal thing.

Or perhaps they have a burning desire to answer the decades-old question of whether rock ‘n’ roll is dead. In that case, Steven Hyden’s Twilight of the Gods: A Journey to the End of Classic Rock ($14.27 through Amazon) is a good pick.

If your giftee (or you) leans more toward art and fashion, then the Obvious State shop may be the perfect place to get started. They offer a variety of exquisitely designed journals ($10), art prints ($24), totes ($24), mugs ($16), and more.


The American Library Association has also gotten in on the action with a number of gifts to please the bibliophiles in your life, ranging from $3 to $95. Our favorites include a replica card catalog box from the Library of Congress ($19.95) and the ALA’s own prompt journal This Journal Is Overdue ($16.99), which is designed to get its owner thinking about the authors and books that have made an impact on them.


Finally, if your giftee is just looking for a good read in general, Library Journal has put together a slide of the 10 Best Books of 2018 in 19 categories, from graphic novels and biography to world literature and poetry.

If you’re more interested in treating yourself to all these book-related goodies, though, we promise not to tell! 📚

Holiday Gift Drive for Boys & Girls Club


Dear Campus Friends,

In the spirit of the upcoming holidays, The Ames Library is gathering presents for the Boys & Girls Club of Bloomington-Normal. Our local Club is hosting a Family Holiday Shopping opportunity for income-qualified families. Your gifts will help make this event possible.

If you would like to contribute, please bring unwrapped items to the Library Services Desk where we have a bin for donations. Suggestions for gifts have been provided by the Boys & Girls Club team:

Ages 0 – 12:

Popular asks this year include: Lego Sets, Lego Friends Sets, LOL Surprise, Shopkins, Hatchimals, Art Kits (Slime is a very popular item, Friendship bracelets), Unicorn themed items, Play Sets (like Melissa and Doug food, kitchen, construction), Littlest Pet Shop, Dress Up Kits, Nail Kits, Science Construction & Experiment Kits, Drones, Putty, Bath Bombs, Hot Wheels, Kinetic Sand, WWE Characters, Remote Control Cars, Dolls (Baby and Barbie)

Teens 12 – 18 (overlooked population this year):

Headphones, Earbuds, Speakers, Basketball (Compression) Socks, Basketballs, Hair Product and Accessories (our girls love the fat cloth headbands), Flat Irons, Gift Cards (Wal-Mart, Foot Locker, Rue 21, etc), Large Soft (furry) Pillows, Throw Blankets (fun)

Needs for all ages:

Socks, Mittens, Gloves, Hats, Scarves, Deodorant, Body Wash (Axe, Old Spice, Bath and Body, etc), Lotions (for boys & girls)

Board and Card Games

Puzzles (from 24 pieces to 1000 pieces)

How the Debt Stole Christmas

Or, The Ames Library Stealth Artist Strikes Again.

What Are You Thankful For, IWU?

Every November, we set up gratitude trees on the main floor of the library and invite students, faculty, and staff to hang tags on the branches expressing what they are grateful for. Here are some of 2018’s selections, from the poignant to the humorous.


What are you grateful for this year?