DMPL closed Sunday, March 31

All locations of the Des Moines Public Library will be closed Sunday, March 31 for the Easter holiday.

Blog Entries

Blog Type
Tags
Staff Member

Play Ball: Baseball Books to Prepare for the New Season

We're (hopefully) less than two weeks from the first pitch of the 2020 Major League Baseball season. It's been a long wait, but with luck, at least one of these books will be enough to hold you over until we hear "Play Ball!" for the first time this year. We have books for adults and children on thi...

Read More

Beach Reads

It's the start of an unconventional holiday weekend. Though there may not be as much sand and travel in store for the 4th of July this year, it's good to remember "the beach" can be a state of mind. Kick back and relax, wherever you are this weekend, and grab one of these easy reads while enjoying y...

Read More

Dad-Approved: Books for and about Dads

Father's Day is Sunday. You know what Dad really enjoys? The perfect book. We've compiled a list of books below that will definitely whet your dad's whistle, no matter his interests. Whether it covers one of his hobbies, provides inspirational messages, or gives father and child a chance t...

Read More

The Five Simple Steps to Success

It's never too early to begin introducing books into your child's life. Even before they begin learning to read, children are developing skills that will help them learn sounds, write letters, and recognize words. Just hearing both new and numerous words has been proven to give children a head start...

Read More

What Should I Read? A Librarian Answers

With the opening of our curbside pickup program, as well as the thousands of copies of eBooks and eAudiobooks available, we know our patrons are eager to add their "to be read" list. Librarian Sarah Lane has been busy reading, as she always is. She picked out nine of her favorite reads duri...

Read More

Racial Justice and Antiracism: A Book List

9/3/2020 UPDATE: We have ordered Book Club sets of several antiracism books to help facilitate discussion among the community. We are also adding new books as they come in. Book Club sets and new books are included below. Some new books have not been released yet, but you can place holds ahead ...

Read More

PRIDE Month - Resources & Books

June is Pride Month! Though Capital City Pride has canceled Des Moines' annual celebration of the LGBTQ community due to concerns over the COVID pandemic, we wanted to help start the month with a list of local resources utilized by the LGBTQ community, as well as some book recommendations for reader...

Read More

One Week with Mango

The library’s free language-learning program, Mango, offers the chance to learn dozens of language from across the globe, including Spanish, Mandarin, German, Japanese, and many others. Beginning the process of learning a language can typically be intimidating and overwhelming: You open up an app an...

Read More

The Most Popular Items During Self-Isolation

During this time of social distancing and isolation, our patrons are using the library's digital materials than ever before. In fact, April saw a record number of eBooks checked out (by a wide margin). We wanted to know what you've been reading, requesting, and watching on Libby an...

Read More

5 Authors You Can Only Find on RBDigital

We know you all love Libby, but there’s another eAudiobook service that offers titles you can’t find *anywhere* else. You may have heard of RBDigital before – fun fact, the RB stands for “Recorded Books” – but have you spent time looking at their library? It’s full of exclusive eAudiobooks from seve...

Read More

Armchair Travel Book Picks

Real talk: You're STILL stuck inside, and you're starting to get sick of your TBR book list. So our librarians put together a list of book suggestions to help you see the world ... from your bed or living room.  ...

Read More

Family-Friendly Audiobooks

Gather your whole family around the phone or tablet and close your eyes as you go on an adventure. Our staff has picked out 12 delightful audiobooks that will capture everyone's imagination. ...

Read More

Gettin' Cozy with 15 Great Reads

Settle into your favorite chair, light your favorite scented candle, and relax. The "Gettin' Cozy" list is full of books to bring comfort and warmth to your social distancing.  ...

Read More