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.

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 a special Storytime with The Ethnic Minorities of Burma Advocacy and Resource Center (EMBARC). Miss Emily will read stories in English and we will sing and dance and make a craft.

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.

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.

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

Visit us at the Iowa Latino Heritage Festival this weekend!

Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd from 12pm-4pm in the Children's area

Join us for a bilingual Storywalk, games and a chance to win a prize! 

Join us for a pollinator 3D insect craft in the children's area.

Get ready for a day of buzzing excitement at the Pollinator Palooza.

This program will include a brief overview of where Mindfulness Meditation comes from and why we do it, followed by a 20 minute sitting practice with time for Q&A afterwards. Chair seating will be available.

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 month, Unity Point staff will explain the importance of a medical power of attorney and help you with the paperwork.

Drop into North Side on Wednesdays to enjoy a STEM activity or craft. These activities are planned with grades K-5 in mind, but all are welcome to attend.

This week, we will make homemade windsocks with paper tubes and tissue paper!

Memory Cafés provide a welcoming social gathering for people living with dementia and their care partners, focusing on person-centered care for those living with dementia.

This summer, Breaking became the first competitive dancesport in history to appear at the Summer Olympics. Through ASAP Tuesdays at East Side Library, you can now try some of the basics of breakdancing, free and with your friends.

Calling young artists: Join ASAP Teaching Artist Micah Ferin in the Painting Studio at North Side Library each Wednesday afternoon in September.

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. 

ASAP Mondays at Forest Avenue Library kicks off the school year with Kids Yoga! Join Ben Spellman one day or every week for an hour of good vibes, stretching, controlled relaxing, and building strength and concentration through challenging poses.

Gathering all sailors and pirates, it is time to set sail! Children will listen to a story and then create a masterpiece while exploring with art and STEM activities. Ages 3+.

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!

Tweens and teens ages 10-14 can join us for a book club on the last Tuesday of the month.

This summer, Breaking became the first competitive dancesport in history to appear at the Summer Olympics. Through ASAP Thursdays at South Side Library, you can now try some of the basics of breakdancing, free and with your friends.

Are you looking for a place to trade your Pokémon cards? 

Bring your friends and come to this monthly program with any cards you want to trade.  This event is open to children ages 7-18. 

Experience this heartwarming musical adventure about family and belonging! Join us for popcorn and a fun activity while we watch Encanto. Rated PG.

Do you like all things K-pop? Come to the Central Library every month and bring your photocards to trade, invite your friends or meet and hang out with other fans! Enjoy snacks, other activities, and listening to music.

Are you ready to make the jump to homeownership, but just don’t know where to start or how the process works?

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

On September 25, we will create geometric patterns and shapes with string. 

Stop by the Forest Avenue Library to pick up a copy of this month's title, The Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Maker Her Disappear. 

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!

This presentation will include explaining the purpose of hospice care and the role of each member of the hospice team.

Join the Des Moines Public Library & Latinx Immigrants of Iowa to make paper flowers and other decorations for a Day of the Dead ofrenda, which will be on display at the Central Library from October 29 through November 3.

Come learn how to make Pie Bird Pies' all-butter pie dough, roll a crust, make a classic apple filling, and put together a pie.

Join us 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 understanding of a topic.

Join the Des Moines Public Library & Latinx Immigrants of Iowa to make paper flowers and other decorations for a Day of the Dead ofrenda, which will be on display at the Central Library from October 29 through November 3.

In honor of Banned Books Week, we're inviting you to participate in a unique creative experience that combines the power of expression with the resilience of banned books.

Come and join us at Forest Ave library to celebrate the Hispanic Heritage Month. A guest singer will perform Mariachi and Ranchera songs. 

Austin Frerick is a seventh-generation Iowan and an expert on agricultural and antitrust policy, having worked at the Open Market Institute, U.S. Department of Treasury, and as a Fellow at Yale University.