Iowa State University ruined my life. I would never go through that again…read more It is unnecessary to attend a university to accomplish one's goals in life. In fact, attending a university complicates the rest of one's life.

I am currently in my final semester of studying Kinesiology, and this school has been nothing but…read moregreat. Campus- All together (no walking through a city)) with lots of grass and trees sprinkled throughout for a cohesive feel. Many different buildings with all sorts of architecture- some are original buildings, some are big limestone Washington DC lookin, big concrete block lookin, or all futuristic looking with huge glass fronts. Plenty of sidewalks to get you where you need to be. Maintenance of the grass and snow is pretty good. The use of sand instead of salt can be a nuisance when you come home and dump a sandbox out of your shoe. Class- I honestly enjoyed about 90% of my classes, especially because my classmates and I enjoyed what we were studying. Most professors are great and actually care about your education, always an outlier though. Don't buy or sell your books at the bookstore. Sports- Cyclones are (usually) decent in the big 12 conference, and its been a big part of my experience going to tailgates, football, waiting in the freezing cold for basketball, being on ESPN, and seeing friends compete in volleyball and gymnastics. For smaller sports, they often give out prizes or food to bring in students. Extracurriculars- I have been involved in research, college ambassadors, tutoring, student ministry (Salt Co.), club frisbee, and many intramural sports (fantastic program to take advantage of if you're not already). These alone have had a huge impact on my overall experience and getting to meet so many people! Dorms- I lived in Larch and it was pretty typical, as most are. Great to live in the dorms freshmen year to get acquainted with campus and meet lots of people. However after that I'd move out if you're looking to save any $ Overall, Ames is a ehh city with a great university. Go out and have fun at college, it will be a fun 4 years of you make the most of it!! GO CYCLONES.

This is a very nice library. We travel around the country in our RV and do school and work on the…read moreroad, so we visit a lot of libraries. We found a very convenient room for the kids to meet with their tutors over zoom. They have a great children's area and my son found a couple used books to buy there. The building is great and there a lot of nice areas to sit down and read.

Very well planned out and run small town library! Lots of activities for children during the…read moresummer. Together with weekly and annual gatherings, it is a great place to visit.

Here Nice and cool…read more Quiet Easy to focus on work. Hood helpers and staff. Will be back

I went to the Johnston Public Library for the first time for a free quarterly cooking class. The…read morelibrary is newish and well maintained. They have a conference room equipped with full kitchen and a display mirror. It was the perfect location to host this class. We learned how to make 10 quick and easy holiday appetizers in less that an hour plus we were lucky enough to taste them all too. We were lucky enough to also go home with all of the recipes. The instructor was a good editor for Greydog Media. The library offers a lot of free classes for adults and children. Each class is very professional and a great use of your time. The bathrooms were exceptionally clean too.

My experience with the library has been strictly using the public meeting rooms as an attendee…read more Overall the facility is beautiful and very modern. The technology in the meeting rooms is high end and easy to use. The staff that support it are eager to help and quickly respond if there have been any issues.(which there have been very few). The rooms are very well lit with huge windows providing natural light and the furniture is very easily adapted to large or small groups.

Lovely new library with cool features!!…read more Clean and spacious. Awesome modern looking design and interior. We asked for a band aid for a food accident and the customer service was sweet. Cool looking playground outside with unique features as well. Can't wait to come back!

Love our library It is a great place to go and immerse…read moreyourself in peace and quiet . Books, coffee place to sit and relax with your book. Dee is great, very helpful and willing to get you what you want if they dont already have the book you are searching for.

My friend and I came here the Friday morning of my Iowa trip to print out my flight infornation for…read moremy flight back to NYC that afternoon. I went to the information desk to get a guest pass to use the computers. I was given one. I was surprised it was free. I went to one of the available computers and entered in my access code. Ths time allotted was generous and definitely more than I needed. I went to my e-mail and sent the e-mail to print. The printing fee was cheaper than NYC libraries. Once I was done I just used the internet until my friend was ready to leave.

I love libraries. Never been to one I don't enjoy. One thing that makes the West Des Moines Library…read morestand out is the app. I use it to look and reserve books to check out. If you are in a hurry, you can simply run in and get your items. I always end up pursuing the stacks of books, but it's a nice option for anyone in a hurry.

WOW! The Law Library looks straight out of a fairytale. I swear it looks like the inspiration for…read moreBelle's library in Beauty and the Beast. The gorgeous murals and senate chambers were also impressive. We stopped here on a whim during a recent road trip and were pleasantly surprised by its grandeur and beauty. They offered a free tour, but we opted for a self guided tour instead so we could go on our own pace. We came on a Friday afternoon and someone who worked there told us it's the best day to visit since the place is so busy Mon-Thurs when legislators are in session, that it's often difficult to find a parking spot. But on this quiet Friday morning, we parked in the front row and had no line in front of us as we went through the security metal detector.

My visits to state capitols are few and far between, but after visiting the Iowa State Capitol, I…read morewant to make a point of visiting more whenever I travel to other states. My son started attending law school in Des Moines and so I was trying to see what the city has to offer. Visiting the capitol building was one of the things that kept popping up on things to do. We decided to check it out on a Saturday and luckily they do guided tours which I highly recommend. Completed in 1886, they have done a remarkable job preserving this place and showcasing it's beauty. It sits on top of a hill and offers great views of the city from every side. One of the first things you notice from the outside is the gold dome. The ornate outside facade carries inside where it is just as beautiful. You'll notice intricate wood decor as well as marble, gold and other beautiful materials. You can visit the historic supreme court chambers and see all the offices of state officials. The law library is by far my favorite part of the building. I felt like I was in some movie like Harry Potter or something. You have to see it in person to really comprehend the beauty. The wood and gold along with the spiraling staircases and law books stacked to the high ceiling was cool to see. If you aren't afraid of heights, you can take a long winding staircase at the top of the dome. We were one of the last tours so we didn't really get to really take our time and soak in all this place has to offer. I will most definitely come back next time I am in town visiting the kiddo. It was absolutely something I did not expect to see deep in the Midwest.

Finally got a new library card. Very friendly and attentive and knowledgeable and efficient…read morelibrarian helped me. Got a new card. Updated my info. Gave me the brochure. Free! Get one so the govt understands libraries are important. And you get access to freemovies and steaming such as Hoopla. Just overall recommend.

Came here on a weekday afternoon to get some wifi, nice library. Lots of books, and they were…read morehaving a book sale too. Chairs lined along the window which was pleasant, but not a lot of spots to sit in general. Reliable wifi, paid parking around the library.

What a welcoming public library. The staff are Uber friendly and the library is organized very…read morewell. The facility is very clean and well taken care of and it seemed to be well used by the public. I was there to attend a class to learn to make hammered metal necklaces. I would definitely check out the library if you want a book or looking for activities for the whole family.

Super polite and helpful librarians. Great selection of books and events. Kids had fun dressing up…read moreas astronauts in the summer reading area.

So grateful for libraries .... I am 72 and I am So grateful…read moreto my father who got us library Cards and made sure we went to the library every week. at the Old West Park library branch...open since 1869..... So many places around the world I visited before I ever flew in a plane..just grateful for libraries! Check with your families and friends Make sure they all have a library card, still really easy to do!.... Your niece's nephews and grandkids let them know how cool a place a library is... I live within walking distance of the Franklin branch library and have nothing but good things to say about it. Nikki Hayter is the. Supervisor, she started As a Librarian at Franklin and moved to another branch and then came back as the Franklin supervisor. The Franklin library is everything a modern library should be, With multiple focuses- families, children with all kinds of events every month, family DVDs, people to help seniors gain access to audio books regular large print books, and get computer help. Adults helped to.get access to computers for job searches, regular reading research, and just plain reading. I am so proud that the library provides a community refrigerator that gets all kids of food for people to take if they need it. They also have a repair Cafe operated by volunteers that help members get things fixed. Check out Franklin's front desk for further details on everything or the Des Public Libraries web site.

Libraries are such a wonderful resource! The Franklin library is walkable from my home, but for…read moreothers it is on a bus line and next to a bike trail. It is so great they collect food donations to put in the entryway for people to take. I have seen lots of perishable items (veggies, fruits, bread, prepared meals) available because they have 2 large refrigerators, as well as the typical shelf stable items you might see other places. For library services I love that you have access to material from any of the other Des Moines libraries at no cost to have it brought here. And they have a number of classes and other activities that happen throughout the month.