The Ames Library opened in 2002 after a lengthy planning phase that began in the 1990s under President Minor Myers, jr. When designing the third standalone library building on IWU's campus, the administration recognized the need to consider students' use of space in their plans. These plans resulted in the four-story building now appreciated for its natural light and beautiful rotundas. To learn more about how library spaces have evolved throughout IWU history, visit the digital project, "Turning Pages: 175 Years of IWU's Library Spaces", created by 2024 Digital Humanities fellows Dagan Turcotte-Cutkomp‘ 25, Mannat Kaur Kandal’ 27,  and Rokin Hasan Prottoy’ 27.

This photo shows President Minor Myers, jr. displaying a stained glass window featuring the logo of The Ames Library during the building's dedication ceremony. Looking on are the children and grandchildren of Charles and Joyce Ames. Watch the video or view the program for this dedication below.