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.

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.

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.

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.

Snippets: A Writers Workshop for Shorter Works. Email Julia at jmdunt@dmpl.org your submissions and questions. This group will read and discuss works out loud. Seating is limited. Registration is required.

Bring your young ones to our Little Explorers program, designed for children ages 0-5, to discover, learn and play with different sensory activities. No Registration is Required. Please wear play clothes as some activities may be messy.

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 first Sunday of each month to play. 

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 selection for September is Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner.

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.

Aprenda a hacer recetas fáciles, nutritivas y baratas con una instructora de Iowa State University - Extension.  Durante esta clase de 8 semanas, aprenderá a:

Ahorrar dinero: comprar y gastar menos en sus alimentos.

Join us for a monthly program where we will be reading stories together. You are welcome to bring a story to read (or have someone else read) and share.

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.

In the late stage of Alzheimer's disease, caregiving, typically involves new ways of connecting and interacting with the person living with the disease.

Drop-in to North Side every Wednesday to enjoy a craft or STEM activity!

This week, we will make fluttering butterflies with paper and popsicle sticks!

Children will listen to a story and then create a masterpiece while exploring with art and STEM activities. Ages 3 to 8 years old, but younger and older siblings are welcome.

Tweens and teens ages 10-18 can join us after school on Tuesdays to enjoy activities on our meeting room.

This week, enjoy some games on the big screen with our Nintendo Switch!

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

Teens! Do you need volunteer hours? Students ages 12-18 may volunteer at the South Side Library for 1 hour performing various tasks during our South VolunTeens program! This is a great way to earn volunteer hours!

A special guest from the Blank Park Zoo will be visiting the library and bringing two animal friends.  

Children and their caregivers can learn about the monarch butterflies in this special event with Parks and Recreation!

If you're between the ages of 12-18 and looking for a fun and rewarding volunteer opportunity, give the library a try! We would love to have your help!

Come join us as we celebrate National Playdough Day by making, molding, and stretching your creative muscles.

Do you love Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom? Join fellow fans to make your own fairy in a jar crafts and Korok plushies!  Best for ages 6+

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.

Using our new STEAM Cart materials, we will Build Roz the Robot and Brightbill from the book The Wild Robot by Peter Brown. Each week we will complete a challenge with Roz and complete other STEM challenges each night! 

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.

Teens, come to the Forest Avenue Library the second Monday of every month and check out our tech center. We will have iPads with Procreate, a green screen, 3-D pens, and more! Ages 12+. 

Join Library Assistant Ben Hatcher for this advanced papercraft program. We'll be folding, gluing and assembling an amazingly life-like bird, the common firecrest.

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!

Find the most elaborate way to turn a page! Through trial and error, you'll set up a complicated sequence of cause and effect. Bring friends and collaborate—or compete.

This month's book is Eating to Extinction: The World's Rarest Foods and Why We Need to Save Them by Dan Saladino.

Learn the ins and outs of hospice care with EveryStep Hospice!

Join librarians Dennis and Elizabeth for a monthly conversation around a life-changing nonfiction book.  Each month we’ll select a book that will change your perspective, give you new strategies for handling life’s challenges, or deepen your

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

Join us for a special storytime to meet ARL TheraPets pigeon Ozzy and his owner Sandy!  We will ready silly stories and learn about birds. Family Storytime is aimed at children ages 6 and up, but all ages are welcome to join in. &nb

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.