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 us for a very special storytime all about buses!  A special guest from DART (Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority) will be here with a real city bus for everyone to explore.

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.

Do you like things that explode? Forest Avenue Library and explore the interactions of pressure, temperature and states of matter with an educator from the Science Center of Iowa!

Kids and families will get a chance to see and touch a dump truck and a street sweeper - and learn from the community helpers from the Public Works Department about how they use these vehicles every day in their jobs!  This program

Sunshine Storytime at the Park! 

Sunshine Storytime at the Park! 

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.

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 Miss Donna for this fun filled story time! Together we will enjoy stories, songs, and more, all selected to engage your active toddler. Ages 18 months to 3 years old.

Children ages 3 to 5 and their caregivers can join us at 10:00 a.m. for a special 30-minute storytime at beautiful Jordan Park! Bring a blanket or chair to sit on and enjoy stories, musical activities and more!

Learn how to use the Glowforge Plus Laser Engraver at Tech Central! This program takes the place of the 1 on 1 Glowforge tutorial, so you will be fully qualified to book and use the Glowforge on your own after this program.

Join us at the Central Library for a fun storytime featuring movement, music, and rhyming! The storytime will take place in the meeting room to allow for social distancing.

Preschoolers and their caregivers can enjoy stories, rhymes, music, and learn school readiness skills. Afterwards, we will enjoy free-play together.

" Do you know what to do if you see a coyote, fox, or bobcat?

Join us at Forest Avenue Library for a day of play.

 Join us in celebrating ice cream month by creating some ice cream cone art! "I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!"  All ages are welcome!

Tippi Toes Dance Company is coming to the library!

Discover what mammals call Iowa home and learn more about them from pelts and footprints and maybe a bone or two.

Join Rosario Manzano as she does a presentation on Medicare. After the presentation, she will host a game of BINGO! 

Please join the Friends of the Franklin Avenue Library for our quarterly member's meeting.

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.

 Friends of the North Side Library Meeting.  New members always welcome.

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.

Please join us for our monthly book group where we will discuss How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu. Books will be available for pick up at the East Side circulation desk.

Celebrate National Ice Cream Month at the library! We will have a storytime focused on our favorite summertime snack and learn how to make your very own ice cream in a bag. 

This month we will be reading and discussing The Lost Girls of Willowbrook by Ellen Marie Wiseman. Copies of the book are available at the North Side Library.

Join us for our monthly South Side Book Discussion!

Our July book is People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry.

After an amazingly successful run of shows last year, the Des Moines Gamer Symphony Orchestra is once again transforming into a big band this summer to play the jazziest video game tunes out there.

Quilted stars are visually and technically stunning, but piecing can be demanding, especially for newcomers. Join us as we explore a traditional British technique that's easy and rewarding. English paper piecing!

Join us for a Nintendo Switch Party! We will have games like Mario Kart 8 & Super Mario Bros. Ultimate. Feel free to bring your own Switch or share the library’s controllers.

For ages 8-18.

Join us for another round of everyone's favorite game, BINGO!  This time your BINGO card will be filled with Pokémon!  Can you catch them all in a row to win a prize?  

Do you like things that explode? Visit North Side Library and explore the interactions of pressure, temperature and states of matter with an educator from the Science Center of Iowa!

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

The Library Board of Trustees will meet Tuesday, July 29 at 4:15 PM in the Central Library Board Room. 

Learn a new technique to create a beautiful piece of art that uses markers to mimic watercolors.

Art in the Library is for children ages 6-12 and requires preregistration.  

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

Join the Friends of the Forest Avenue Library for the monthly meeting at Forest Avenue Library!

Are you a graphic novel fan? Join us for our EPIC Graphic Novel BOOK CLUB for ages 7-11. We will chat about the book and work on a fun activity or craft related to the book! Registration Required. 

Do you love animals? Then visit Central Library to practice reading with and learn about an ARL TheraPet! Engaging with animals is a great way to boost confidence and reduce anxiety around learning to read!

All your friends will want you spinning at their parties! At this hands-on class we will learn the skills needed to become a DJ. We provide the equipment, you bring the creativity. Ages 12+. 

Join Iowa PBS for a reception and viewing of their traveling exhibit featuring images by Iowa PBS photographers of Iowa imagery, symbols and landmarks. Users from across the state are invited to submit photos.

Interested in learning about the history of our
great city? Or learning about your little corner
of it? Stop by our monthly presentation on
Des Moines’ fascinating past. You’ll also learn

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

Join us for our evening Family Storytime at 6:30 p.m.! Kids and caregivers can join us for fun songs, stories and crafts. You can even wear your jammies!  All Ages Welcome!

July's film selection is the 2018 drama The Etruscan Smile.

Join the Forest Avenue Library for a film presentation from the State Historical Society of Iowa. We'll be watching one Iowa History 101 film each third Tuesday from February until November.

Do you already have some ukulele skills but want to learn more? Join us for three weekly sessions of intermediate ukulele classes beginning July 11th. Bring your own ukulele or check one out at the North Side Library.

This program shares information on urban wildlife in Central Iowa and provides tips on coexisting with urban wildlife.

Do you love solving mysteries in your spare time, but your family/friends don't necessarily want to play with you? Join like-minded individuals to solve the case of Body on the Boardwalk!

Franklin West Condos

Dungeons & Dragons is a role-playing game set in worlds of swords and sorcery where players use their imaginations to create characters and tell a story together. 

Drop-ins welcome for open play. Snacks provided. Ages 12-18.

Join us at the library for a night of bubbly fun.  We will test the powers of surface tension by experimenting with different soap and water combinations to create bubbles.  This program will be lead by an ISU Women in Science and Engine