Week Calendar

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

Toddlers and their caregivers can enjoy introductory stories, songs, music, and movement! For ages 18 months to 36 months.

Join Miss Jennifer for Preschool Storytime on Monday mornings at 10:15 a.m.  There will be stories, rhymes, music, and more.

This storytime is recommended for ages three to five, but all children are welcome to attend.

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

Children ages 0-5 and their caregivers can engage in open play, come and go activities at South. 

Babies and their caregivers can join Miss Jennifer on Tuesdays for rhymes, songs, bounces, and a story followed by a short playtime.

Babies, toddlers, and their caregivers can join us on Tuesdays for rhymes, songs, lap bounces, and a story.

This program is recommended for children from birth to 24 months of age.

Join us outside by the Miffy fountain for a family storytime!

Join us on the lawn for stories, songs and early literacy activities! Bring your own chair or blanket for seating and your energy for fun!  This event is geared for ages 3-6 but older and younger siblings are welcome.

Listen to silly stories, meet adorable puppet friends and move to fun songs!  Join us at Forest Avenue Library for Family Storytime at 10:00 A.M.!

Staff from the Evelyn K Davis Center for Working Families are ready to provide one-on-one job search and resume assistance to job seekers.

Join us and Iowa Total Care’s mascot Doc the Dog as he reads “If you Give a Mouse a Cookie!” Families that attend will receive the book to take home with them. Ages 18 months to 3 years old.

Join us and Iowa Total Care’s mascot Doc the Dog as he reads “If you Give a Mouse a Cookie!” Families that attend will receive the book to take home with them.

Bus Ride Storytime has been cancelled at North Side due to construction.

Please join us for our weekly preschool storytime!

It's Pride Month, and we're celebrating with a dance party! Wear your colors and bring the kids for snacks, rainbow crafts, and - of course - dancing!

The whole family can come to Colby Park at 10:15 AM for this special outdoor Family Storytime.  Bring your own blanket or chairs and join us for stories, songs, and rhymes in the great outdoors.

Join Ms. Alicia at the Heritage Carousel for a special storytime for the whole family! We will enjoy stories, songs, and movement together. After storytime, there will be a craft available and everyone will get a FREE carousel ride.

It's time to kick off the DMPL summer reading program and the Varsity Cinema kids' movie series! Join us at the Varsity Cinema to sign up for the summer reading program, receive a free book, and watch a movie based on a children's book! 

Join DMPL at LSI Global Greens*!

Visit North Side and read to a furry friend from the Animal Rescue League of Iowa's Therapets program!

Broaden your recipe repertoire with foods that are good for you and the planet!

Kids and caregivers! Come to the South Side Library's parking lot to see and touch a garbage and recycling truck!

It's time to kick off the DMPL summer reading program and the Varsity Cinema kids' movie series! Join us at the Varsity Cinema to sign up for the summer reading program, receive a free book, and watch a movie based on a children's book! 

Come out to the Central Library, try out some new board games and make some new friends.  A selection of table top games will be provided for use in the library.  Feel free to bring beverages, snacks, and your own games  from home i

The Des Moines Public Library is partnering with area organizations to connect people with community resources. Community advocates will provide information about community resources like meal sites and shelters.

Popsicle Stick Harmonicas

The Des Moines Public Library is partnering with area organizations to connect people with community resources. Community advocates will provide information about community resources like meal sites and shelters.

Learn all about how library books get from place to place with Doug, the library’s delivery driver! We will start in our meeting room to hear about how Doug uses the delivery van for his job.

Celebrate your amazing self with an story and a craft! 

Join The Brenton Arboretum’s Executive Director, Melissa Burdick for a one hour discovery of Trees as Herbs. Melissa will share the many benefits of trees and how they can be used in a variety of ways to benefit your life.

The Art of Expression is a monthly program for teens to learn and create different types of art in a relaxed atmosphere. 

Grab your sunglasses and join us for some indoor fun in the sun! Enjoy beach-themed crafts, games, and activities. Don't forget to sign up for our summer reading program! All ages are welcome!

Stop by South Side to blow some bubbles in the fresh air and celebrate summer! 

Do you love to craft? Come learn how to make your own candle or bring your current project and make some progress! Enjoy light refreshments and a friendly atmosphere.

Registration recommended.

Welcome to Wednesday's Escape Room.  Wednesday has been sent to Nevermore Academy for some harmless pranks and all she can think about is escaping.  Can you make your way through the mysterious clues from her present and past memories to

We will eat popcorn and do a small activity while we watch Love, Simon, the story of a 17 year old boy who deals with the pressure of coming out to his family and friends while falling in love with an anonymous classmate online.

Level up your gaming skills! Use our tablets and Nintendo Switch to play Among Us, Minecraft, Roblox, and more. Ages 8+.

Take advantage of the hot summer weather by making your very own solar oven.  Then test it out by cooking some s'mores.

Teens! Do you want to volunteer at the East Side Library this summer? Come to an orientation to find out how you can help out and what is required.

If you're between 12-18 and interested in volunteering, come in and help out!

Welcome to Wednesday's Escape Room.  Wednesday has been sent to Nevermore Academy for some harmless pranks and all she can think about is escaping.  Can you make your way through the mysterious clues from her present and past memories to

Join us for the DMPL Writer's Workshop on the first* Monday of the month from 5:30-7:30 PM. Share samples of work and receive feedback from other writers in the group.

Learn about butterflies and plants with Joel from Des Moines Parks and Recreation Department! The first part of the program will involve learning about what pollinators need so they can survive and why they are so important to people.

June 8th is National Best Friends Day! This lighthearted holiday began in 1935 when the US Congress decided to devote a day to close friends.

This meet-up is for anyone looking to connect with other people interested in biodiverse gardens.  The focus is on native plants which foster and nourish wildlife.

Dungeons & Dragons is a role-playing game set in worlds of swords and sorcery where players use their imaginations to tell a story and create an adventure together.  We usually get together on the third Thursday of each month to play.&nbs

Welcome to Wednesday's Escape Room.  Wednesday has been sent to Nevermore Academy for some harmless pranks and all she can think about is escaping.  Can you make your way through the mysterious clues from her present and past memories to

Join us and Iowa Total Care’s mascot Doc the Dog as he reads “If you Give a Mouse a Cookie!” Families that attend will receive the book to take home with them.

Have you ever wanted to create or record music? You don’t need to book expensive music studio time.

Have you ever wanted to slay a dragon, raid a dungeon treasure room, or even save a village from an evil bandit horde? Always wanted to play Dungeons & Dragons, but didn’t know where to start?

As threats to trans Iowans increase, you might decide to consider how you can protect your safety and information and those of the people around you.

Join Bridgett Robinson, Neighborhood Finance Corporation’s Diversity and Inclusion Mortgage Loan Originator and Outreach Coordinator, along with community panelists, as they help navigate what Black/African American homeownership may look like tod

Have a degree from another country? Join USCRI and the library to learn about the process to make your degree valid in the United States.

Leave the details to us, while you celebrate a night out with your partner.

Come to Forest Avenue Library to make your own ice cream treat in a bag and listen to a sweet story! Learn about how ice cream is made and then personalize your own!

Join us once a month to discuss books by underrepresented authors. Our goal is to amplify these voices and experiences while discussing social issues in the context of fiction and non-fiction books.

Author and journalist Paul Kix’s work has appeared in The New Yorker, GQ, ESPN, The Wall Street Journal and more.