Week Calendar

Beyond Birth: Baby's First Year is a free weekly postpartum support group for parents and their new babies.

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

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.!

There are 5 simple steps you can do with your child to create early literacy and learning success. Join us as we explore ways to incorporate SING and music into everyday life.

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.

School's out! Drop-in to North Side to enjoy our arts and crafts supplies!

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 Thursdays at 10:00 a.m. for a 30-minute storytime with stories, musical activities and take-home activities that prepare your child for school.

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.

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.

Please join the Friends of the Franklin Avenue Library for our quarterly membership meeting.

Save Money: Shop Smart and waste less food.

Save Time: At the store and in the kitchen

Help Picky Eaters: try new foods

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.

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED AND WILL MEET ON TUESDAY JANUARY 23RD AT 2PM.

Using the materials from our new STEAM Cart we will complete a challenge together. 

Join us for South Side's Monthly Book Discussion! This month, we'll celebrate this new year in books with discussions of what we loved in 2023 all while enjoying an Iowa potluck.

Drawing leads to close, careful observation and improved memory.

Join us for our annual celebration in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Our keynote speaker is Dr. Ian Roberts, Superintendent of the Des Moines Public School district.

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.

Come to South to learn how to make a winter-themed sensory bottle! It shakes, it shimmers, it glows, and it calms! What could be better?

Ages 5-18. While supplies last. 

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

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!

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

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!

Join the Friends of the Forest Avenue Library for the monthly meeting on Zoom over the winter months in March!

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

Iowa Republican Caucus

Interested in learning about the history of our great City? Or learning about your little corner of it? DMPL is offering free monthly presentations on Des Moines’ fascinating past.

Join us at the East Side Library to create your own laminated bookmarks! We will have pressed flowers and other materials to create your own designs. 

Stop by and pick up a bag to take home and make your very own crystalized Yeti. 

Materials and directions from Creative Bug will be included in the bag. 

Ready to refresh your seed inventory? Bring seeds to share with other gardeners. Veggie, herb, and flower seeds welcome. The library will provide envelopes to fill out with seeds to take home!   

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

Get started on the ukulele and quickly learn to play familiar tunes while having fun! Play your own ukulele or borrow one of North Side Library's soprano ukuleles with your library card.