Week Calendar

“Mother Goose on the Loose”, is a 30-minute nursery rhyme program for newborns to three-year-olds. The class helps to strengthen babies' and toddler's foundation for literacy with rhymes, rhythm, repetition, story, and movement.

Shop Central's book sale and back room for great deals on books, DVDs, CDs, audiobooks, and other fun items! 

Shop Central's book sale and back room for great deals on books, DVDs, CDs, audiobooks, and other fun items! 

Do you need a calm place to play? Then come to the Forest Avenue Calming Room for a sensory interactive experience! This is an unsupervised, drop-in program for youth.

Children ages three to five can come and enjoy stories, rhymes, songs, and more, followed by a craft.

Play, Grow, Learn! is an opportunity for you to use the Imagination Station to explore early literacy tips and books, play with others, and develop early literacy skills using Forest Avenue Library's space and toys.

Join us for rhymes, bounces, a story, and a short playtime.

For caregivers and babies from newborns up to eighteen months.

“Mother Goose on the Loose”, is a 30-minute nursery rhyme program for newborns to three-year-olds. The class helps to strengthen babies' and toddler's foundation for literacy with rhymes, rhythm, repetition, story, and movement.

Toddlers and caregivers can enjoy stories, songs, rhymes, occasional crafts and a little playtime with Miss Janee. For toddlers ages 18 months - 3 years.

Do you need a calm place to play? Then come to the Forest Avenue Calming Room for a sensory interactive experience! This is an unsupervised, drop-in program for youth.

Join us weekly for rhymes, songs, bounces, stories, and a little playtime. For caregivers and babies ages 0 - 18 months.

Event Details

Toddlers and their caregivers can enjoy stories, songs, fingerplays and more, followed by a craft. Ages 18 months to 3 years. Meeting Room.

Enjoy stories, rhymes, songs, movement and more!

Join Miss Janee for stories, rhymes, songs, movement, and occasional crafts/activities that build literacy and kindergarten-readiness skills. Ages three to five.

Join us for stories, songs, and movement that build literacy and school-readiness skills!

Play, Grow, Learn! is an opportunity for you to use the Imagination Station to explore early literacy tips and books, play with others, and develop early literacy skills using Forest Avenue Library's space and toys.

Join us for stories, songs, fingerplays and movement that build literacy skills for ages three to six years old.

On Thursdays, children and their caregivers can enjoy stories, rhymes, fingerplays, and songs together, followed by a period of free play or drawing.

The LEGO bricks will be available in the Children's Area, so bring your imagination and get ready to build.

Join us for stories, songs, and movement to practice the 5 simple steps of pre-literacy!

Join us at the East Side Library for open play and more! Meet families with other young children, check out our awesome picture books, and engage in the five simple steps to success - Read, Write, Sing, Play, and Talk!

Kids and families! Drop in at South from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM for our Saturday Craft Day! This week, kids can decorate, color and take home a holiday ornament! For youth ages 3 and up. This is a drop-in, unsupervised program.

Shop Central's book sale and back room for great deals on books, DVDs, CDs, audiobooks, and other fun items! 

Come to the library for a special sneak preview of the Des Moines Community Playhouse production of A Christmas Story: The Musical. Enjoy the performance and register to win free tickets to the play!

Event Details

Toddlers and their caregivers can enjoy stories, songs, fingerplays and more, followed by a craft. Ages 18 months to 3 years. Meeting Room.

Join us for a light breakfast in the meeting room and meet the North Side Staff as you enjoy the music of the Clear Joy Music Ensemble in the main area of the library.

Elaine Estes, former Des Moines Public Library Director, will share the history of Clement Clark Moore's 1822 poem " A Visit From Saint Nicholas" later called "The Night Before Christmas". Please join us for holiday tea and cookies.

Do you want to practice your English skills? Looking to meet new people in your community? Join community members and English language learners alike at Forest Avenue Library and enjoy light refreshments and sparkling conversation!

We will discuss Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth by Sarah Smarsh. No registration required.

A young elephant, whose oversized ears enable him to fly, helps save a struggling circus, but when the circus plans a new venture, Dumbo and his friends discover dark secrets beneath its shiny veneer.

Spend a few hours with other crafters and work on your knit, crochet, or needle craft projects. Please bring your own supplies and projects with you. Snacks, beverages, and pleasant company provided. No instruction is provided.

Visit us at the North Side Library every Monday to learn some computer basics. Create an email account, build a simple resume, and learn about the library catalog.

Visit us every Thursday afternoon to receive guidance in searching for jobs. We will use Google Tools to help you create an email account, build a simple resume, and apply for jobs.

Love Raina Telgemeier, superheroes, manga, graphic novels, and cartoons? Ready to let your artist flag fly? Then come to Comics Creators! We'll provide the paper and pens, you provide the creativity! This is an unsupervised, drop-in program.

Are you looking for a great place to volunteer? Become a volunteen and help out with library projects and programs. Teens ages twelve to eighteen can pick up a teen volunteer application at the Franklin Avenue Library.

Come learn more about how to build and grow a social media presence for your organization!!!  FREE - Social media marketing training for small businesses and non-profits.

Read a story, explore and create with art and STEM activities! Bring your imagination and join us in the children's area. Ages three to eight.

Join us every Tuesday as we play Minecraft, Roblox, and more. Ages 8-12. 

Learn about the best strategies to successfully grow your business.

Get ready to be grossed out! This month we will do activities and experiments with slime and other gross things.

Learn how to make a pom pom and change it into a magical unicorn! Children should be accompanied by an adult. Please register in order to guarantee supplies.

It's time to break it and make it! Do you wonder how things are made? Join us for a monthly deconstruction lab where we take apart common objects, see what parts they contain, and create something new from the pieces.

See if you can complete a simple task in a crazy way using chain reactions!  Grades 3-8. 

Is there anything you can't do with duct tape? Bring your creativity and find out at Teen Tape & Make. Try your hand at making wallets, flowers, and other crafts completely out of duct tape! For ages 12-18.

Join us at North Side to create your own greeting cards to share with other using watercolors! For ages 5-12.

We will provide all of the materials to make an amazing gingerbread house fit for an elf. Each family that registers will receive one house to decorate together.

Join us for an informal writers' workshop on the first Monday of the month from 5-7 PM. Share samples of your work and receive feedback from other writers in the group.

Join us for a discussion of bestselling books from a variety of genres. This month's book is Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson.

Celebrate LGBTQ+ with an all-ages meet-up to connect with LGBTQ folks and allies! Learn about upcoming events, listen to music by Queer artists, and check out LGBTQ Books by Queer authors and about Queer characters.

Bring the family at night for stories, songs, and occasional crafts and activities that prepares your children for school! You can even wear your jammies! All ages.

We will provide all of the materials to make an amazing gingerbread house fit for an elf. Each family that registers will receive one house to decorate together.

Come and enjoy stories, rhymes, songs and crafts in English and Spanish. Venga y disfrute cuentos, rimas, canciones, y manualidades en inglés y español.

The whole family can come to the library for stories, rhymes and songs.

This week's storytime will have a special guest reader and bus visit from DART (Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority).  They will be reading Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña.

Do you remember the excitement of receiving a beautifully addressed letter in the mailbox? Take an hour away from email and texting to join us for an evening of old-fashioned letter and card writing.

Families can enjoy stories, rhymes, and songs together on Wednesday nights. It's a great way for busy families to relax and listen to stories together.

The Roosevelt High School Chamber Choir, under the direction of Devon Steve, and the Da Capo A Cappella Jazz Choir, under the direction of Rose Dino, will present a program of holiday-themed pieces.

Come play giant Codenames! Give one-word clues that bring your teammates closer to cracking the code, but be careful you don't accidentally help the enemy. Snacks provided.