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.

Get creative at North Side! Drop-in to the library on Mondays during June and July to enjoy a variety of arts and crafts supplies.

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. 

Need help creating an email account? Polishing a resume or applying for a job? Come to the Forest Avenue Library on Tuesdays from 10:00AM-12PM and get individual computer assistance. First-come, first-served. 

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 as we explore the 5 Simple Steps you can do with your child to create early literacy and learning success.

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.

Listen to silly stories, sing songs, dance to music, and make art! Join us at Forest Avenue Library for Family Storytime every Wednesday morning at 10:15 A.M.

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.

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.

Kids and families! Are you excited about amphibians? Find out about these smooth, wet animals that seem to magically transform from egg to adult. Join us as we learn about amphibians - and meet some live ones - with a Polk County naturalist!

Snippets: A Writers' Workshop for Shorter Works Please email your submissions to Julia at jmdunt@dmpl.org if you would like them printed out. This group will read and discuss works out loud.

Beat the boredom during the summer by visiting the library and using your imagination to create amazing things with our LEGOs.

Join Ms. Alicia at the Heritage Carousel for a special storytime for the whole family!

The whole family can visit the library and take on our Family STEM Challenge.  This month we will have supplies available to make a paper cup jumping rabbit.  Materials will be available between 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM.

Drop by our children's area to build with LEGOs. Show a staff member your creation for a prize!

Bring your creativity and get ready to have some silly fun! Tweens and teens ages 8-18 can join us at North Side to hack that painting. Choose a pre-made painting or printed picture and use our materials to add your own spin on things!

Kids in the Kitchen is 6-7 week program based around the Department of Agriculture "MyPlate". Each session, students learn about a food group, why it is good for us, physical activity, and then we make a snack together at the end of the class.

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

REGISTRATION IS STILL OPEN THROUGH 7/17 AT 1:30 PM. PLEASE CALL KERI AT 515-248-6280 TO REGISTER. Join ISU Extension for this 8 week course that supports individuals and families in making healthy choices on a tight grocery budget.

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 The Mystery of Mrs.

This month we will be reading and discussing How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures by Sabrina Imbler. Copies of the book are available at the North Side Library.

Join us for an exciting and creative library program where teens can unleash their artistic talents while learning the craft of rubber stamp making!

Book Bites will feature a delicious book and snacks! We will focus each week on healthy eating and prepare and cook snacks each week.

Join us for South Side's Monthly Book Discussion!

Have fun making greeting cards using layers of patterned paper.  All supplies provided – cards, envelopes, lots and lots of pretty paper!  The inside of the card will be blank so you can later write your own perso

Join UpLift Iowa, CultureAll, and the Des Moines Public Library for a program and discussion about issues relating to poverty in our community.  Hear the personal stories of people from around Des Moines dealing with housing, unemployment, ch

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

It may be hot outside, but we will beat the summer heat by creating a 3-dimensional snowy winter scene you can take home.

For children ages 6 and up.

Bring the whole family and play a good old-fashioned game of Bingo, but with superheroes instead of numbers.  Feel free to come as you are, or dress up as your favorite superhero. 

Come to South Side Library to try your hand at designing your very own kite, then take it outside on the library lawn and see if you can fly it!

Ages 8 and up.

While supplies last. 

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. 

Fernando Aveiga moved to Iowa from Ecuador, and performs in the band Parranderos Latin Combo. On Mondays in July (except the 1st), 4–5 p.m., he will also lead ASAP Mondays: Drumming classes!

Come to South Side for an hour of sensory exploration!

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!

Come explore creative writing, poetry, drawing and dance!

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

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.

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 Zakiya Jenkins from Grace Fitness as she leads chair exercises. All levels welcome!

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, but

DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER, WE WILL NOT HOST THE TOUCH-A-TRUCK EVENT. A REGULAR STORYTIME WILL BE HELD IN THE MEETING ROOM.

July's film selection is the 1940 Howard Hawks comedy His Girl Friday, starring Cary Grant.

Do you already have some ukulele skills but want to learn more? Join us for four sessions of intermediate ukulele classes beginning July 16th and occurring on Tuesdays and Thursday evenings at 6:30pm (7/16, 7/18, 7/23, 7/25).

Join us for a multi-week investigation! This game will have six episodes.

This is Episode 3. Best if you've previously played Episodes 1 & 2.

The Des Moines Public Library is partnering with other Iowa libraries and Uplift - The Central Iowa Basic Income Pilot on a series of programs aimed at having important community conversations about poverty and its effect on Iowa.

Do you miss the fun you had doing arts and crafts at summer camp? If so, join us at the South Side Library for an fun evening of summer camp crafts geared toward grown-ups. We'll have music, snacks and plenty of glue and glitter!

Stop at the library to make your own bubble tea with tapioca pearls and different tea flavors. Whether you're a bubble tea aficionado or curious newcomer, this event promises to be a fun-filled and delicious experience for all!

Do you already have some ukulele skills but want to learn more? Join us for four sessions of intermediate ukulele classes beginning July 16th and occurring on Tuesdays and Thursday evenings at 6:30pm (7/16, 7/18, 7/23, 7/25).