As a way to provide more information to those interested in them, the Ames Public Library has created multiple resource lists centered on specific topics.

These resource lists generally center around an event or large idea that the library is hosting or promoting that the employees think the participants may be interested in learning more about.

“The idea came about as a way that people can just take the program topics with them and reflect on it,” said Ebby Brown, library assistant for the Ames Public Library. “When I am curating these types of lists, I try to think about the subject manner or the topics and ideas being explored for a particular program and then extrapolating to tangential topics.”

Mary Logsdon, adult services manager for the Ames Public Library, said the staff of the library looks ahead to upcoming programs to see what they think people would be interested in exploring beyond just the programming itself.

“The first thing we think about is, ‘Are there some topics people will gather physically in the space for?’ and ‘What can we do beyond hosting a program for them to encourage the further exploration of the issue independently?’” Logsdon said.

These resource lists allow attendees and participants of these programs who are generally interested in the topics discussed to explore those topics independently.

The resource lists are also more than just a list of books; they include a wide range of media, including audiobooks, DVD films and films on Kanopy, a free streaming service that both the Ames Public Library and Parks Library uses.

“[The lists] also highlight different formats and media in addition to books; [we] try to make it more accessible by providing it in a variety of different formats for people to engage with the topics,” Brown said.

Logsdon said the library cannot do these lists for every event they do or every history month that comes up due to the time it takes for the staff to curate the lists.

Logsdon also said that for this year in particular, there has been an increase in the number of resource lists the library has created that connect to programs and history months, but in the past, it hasn’t always been this way.

“This is something we have always wanted to do more than we have had the staff resources to tackle,” Logsdon said. “In a year up until this point, we have probably only done under five, and they would be focused on a large, national event, something more general. This year, we made a real effort to plan for the spring semester in a way that we could offer these resources lists in conjunction with more complex series we are doing.”

She said this increase has been due to large amounts of planning ahead and more dedicated time from staff.

Brown connected these resource lists as an extension of the library’s mission statement.

“I think it’s really tied into our mission,” Brown said. “The Ames Public Library’s mission is ‘We connect you to the world of ideas,’ so people come to the library and engage in particular programming, but the idea and engagement don’t have to stop there.”

She said it allows readers to connect to a wide variety of topics but also dive deeper into certain subjects, topics and experience viewpoints that may not have been brought up in the programming.

All of the current resource lists are displayed in paper form in the Ames Public Library for individuals to pick up, and Logsdon said they should be available for the rest of the semester. All items on the list can be acquired through the library.

One of the current resource lists relates to the Black Arts and Music Festival, which was a Feb. 8 and 9 event that celebrated local black artists.

The list includes 16 books, three films on DVD and eight films through Kanopy.

Some of the books on this list include “I Too Sing America: The Harlem Renaissance at 100” by Will Haygood, “Whitewalling: Art, Race & Protest in 3 Acts” by Aruna D’Souza and “The Blues: A Visual History: 100 Years of Music that Changed the World” by Mike Evans.

“For the Black Arts and Music Festival, it was important to look at the history of black art and music in the United States,” Brown said. “So looking at resources that explored examples of black artists and musicians throughout American history and how that has impacted art forms.”

Another one of the current resource lists relates to the “Hard Won. Not Done,” a statewide series of events celebrating the ratification of the 19th Amendment.

This list includes 14 books, six films on DVD and 11 films through Kanopy.

Some of the books on this list include “Strong-Minded Women: The Emergence of the Woman Suffrage Movement in Iowa” by Louise R. Noun, “The Suffragents: How Women Used Men to Get the Vote” by Brooke Kroeger and “Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists: A Graphic History of Women’s Fight for their Rights” by Mikki Kendall.

Another one of the current resource lists relates to Earth Day.

The Earth Day list includes 17 books, seven films on DVD and four films through Kanopy.

Some of the books on this list include “F**k Plastic: 101 Ways to Free Yourself from Plastic and Save the World,” “Water 4.0: The Past, Present, and Future of the World’s Most Vital Resource” by David L. Sedlak and “Choked: Life and Breath in the Age of Air Pollution” by Beth Gardiner.