Due to software issues affecting all libraries using the service, the Des Moines Public Library’s Iowa Adventure Pass program will no longer be available in 2025. Any reservation already made for 2025 will be honored, but we encourage anyone with a current reservation to print those passes immediately. Customers can make new reservations for passes that must be used by December 31, 2024. We hope to reintroduce the service at a later time, and we apologize for the inconvenience.
On today's podcast, host Aaron Gernes talks with Iowa author Debra Landwehr Engle, whose novel Twenty came out this past spring. It follows an Iowa woman named Meg, who, in the midst of grief, depression, and loss, makes a decision to take a mysterious substance that a doctor says will ca...
Read MoreWe're setting our clocks back this Sunday as Daylight Saving Time ends, which is the closest (for now) we get to time travel! With the way the time change works, you can put a pizza in the oven at 1:50 AM Sunday morning and pull it out at 1:10 AM. So let's celebrate this weird, quirky...
Read MoreWe’ve given you some great horror titles already this year. With Halloween and Beggars’ Night just around the corner, it’s time to put a different spin on spooky stories. This is a collection of fun yet frightening tales – the kind of campfire chronicles that give you a good scare yet don’t make you...
Read MoreOn today's DMPL Podcast, Janeé with the Book Chat team is here to discuss her favorite genre, horror. She's picked out six books - two children's, two YA/Teen, and two adult titles - to chat with us about today. Apple Podcasts/iTunes | Google Play | Spotify | Sti...
Read MoreThis month is LGBTQIA+ History Month, and this Sunday, October 11, is National Coming Out Day. To celebrate these important milestones, our staff has put together a list of stories, memoirs, and nonfiction titles about people recognizing their gender and sexuality, coming out to friends and family, ...
Read MoreAt the Des Moines Public Library, we’ve just added a massive number of eMagazines to our digital collection on RBDigital. More than 3,700 titles, in fact! How many magazines is 3,700? Imagine print issues stacked from floor to ceiling in your living room. Thankfully, all those magazines now fit i...
Read MoreOn today's podcast, host Aaron Gernes is joined by Iowa author S.C. Sherman. Earlier this year Sherman released Beer Money: A Tale of the Iowa City Beer Mafia, a historical fiction novel about the events that led up to the real-life Iowa City Beer Riots. Apple Podcasts/iTunes |...
Read MoreIt's Banned Books Week, a week to celebrate the freedom to read. Our Book Chat team put together a list of books that were banned and/or challenged due to the way they tell stories of sexual identity, sexual orientation, violence, race, and more. The list has picture books, YA books, and adult novel...
Read MoreOn the latest episode of the DMPL Podcast, we celebrate Latinx Heritage Month with some great books by Latinx authors. Janeé is up first to talk about kid's books, and then we're joined by Elizabeth, who gives us some adult book selections: Apple Podcasts/iTunes | Google Play |...
Read MoreVoting is one of the most meaningful ways you can express yourself and your opinions in a democracy. Unfortunately, this right has not always been given in equal measures in America. Listed below are books for people of all ages that describe the struggle fair and equal voting rights, past and prese...
Read MoreToday on the podcast, Carrie recommends some books that are in non-traditional formats. This is one of the twelve categories in this year's ongoing DMPL Reading Challenge. Don't forget - it's not too late to sign up and take part in the Reading Challenge! Apple Podcasts/iTunes | Goo...
Read MoreSchool might be a lot different this year, but the "school scaries" are as real as ever for some kids. These picture books provide support and encouragement for young kids, whether they're in school, at home, or a mix of both this year. ...
Read MoreOn September 2, 1980, Burke Shiffler walked into the Central Library to start his new job in the reference department. His boss, Shirley Shisler, met him and showed him an entire room of reference books. “She gave me some slips of paper and said, ‘Go around the room and learn what’s in these b...
Read MoreIowa author Kali White joins us on the newest edition of the DMPL Podcast. White's newest novel, The Monsters We Make, was released last month. It is set in Des Moines in the mid 1980s and is partially based on the real-life Des Moines Register paperboy disappearances of that time. You may...
Read MoreAs you harvest your fresh fruits and vegetables, it's never too early to start thinking about your next garden. These 15 books offer tips and tricks that to make your garden bright and ripe next year. ...
Read More