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.

Come and get creative with the LEGOs® provided to design a building that could become part of our Des Moines Skyline. All ages are welcome, and you'll find us located in the children's area. Can't wait to see what you come up with!

Des Moines Performing Arts is bringing Sesame Street Live! to Des Moines on October 29 at 6 pm. In celebration of this upcoming performance, visit the library for a Sesame Street storytime.

The Des Moines Fire Department is joining us for a special storytime during Fire Prevention Week!  Hear stories, learn more about fire safety, and see a fire truck up close.

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.

The Des Moines Fire Department is joining us for a special storytime during Fire Prevention Week!  Hear stories, learn more about fire safety, and see a fire truck up close.

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.

The Des Moines Fire Department is joining us for a special storytime during Fire Prevention Week!  Hear stories, learn more about fire safety, and see a fire truck up close.

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.

The Des Moines Fire Department is joining us for a special storytime during Fire Prevention Week!  Hear stories, learn more about fire safety, and see a fire truck up close.

The Des Moines Fire Department is joining us for a special storytime during Fire Prevention Week!  Hear stories, learn more about fire safety, and see a fire truck up close.

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.

School's out! Drop-in to North Side and paint a mini pumpkin to take home. 

While Supplies Last

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.

All aboard! 

Trains are taking over the Franklin Library this weekend!  Visit the library to see a huge model train display set up by the DesMoiNTrak mo

Meet at the Woodland Cemetery on the morning of Saturday, October 12, for a tour starting at 11:00 a.m. with Archie Cook, local historian and Woodland Cemetery expert.

Love playing board games or putting together puzzles? Stop by the South Side Meeting Room to play a selection of provided board games and puzzles or invite a group and bring your own! Snacks will be provided.

A representative from Latinos Unidos of Iowa will be available to assist with voter registration in the library's Gateway area.

Today you can:

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. 

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

This week, we will have our art cart out. Bring your creativity and enjoy a cart full of arts and crafts supplies!

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.

Join local herbalist and forager, Lindsey Coyne, for a fun DIY class. Create your own bath bombs and salt soaks while learning about the benefits of adding certain salts and herbs to your body care products.

This class explores the role of the caregiver and changes they may experience, how to build a support team and ways to manage caregiver stress.

We are excited to share all about hospice in our Hospice 101 presentation! This presentation will include explaining the purpose of hospice care and the role of each member of the hospice team.

Come to Central Library and see how many ways you can make a paper airplane. You can test out each paper airplane on our runway and see which of your airplanes can fly the farthest!

Join us for a computer basics class and increase your skills.

This month for ASAP Tuesdays at East Side Library, bilingual Teaching Artist Lunita will teach us how to do a variety of fun projects made with paper, from mini-piñatas to cool personal planners and more!

Fiber art uses materials like fabric, yarn, and thread with techniques like weaving, stitching, and tying to make cool projects!

Come to South Side to get into the fall spirit with a pumpkin party! Pick a pumpkin to paint from our pretend pumpkin patch, play fun games, and enjoy a yummy treat! 

Best for ages 6 and up, but all are welcome!

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. 

Get creative with nature in this fun class with ASAP and Victoria Story. Make a work of art using sensory items like moss, dried flowers, sticks, and seeds. Design and create your own Fairy Garden! Snack provided for all participants.

Children will listen to a story and then create a masterpiece while exploring with art and STEM activities. Ages 3+.

Join the fun at Chess Club! Chess is one of the world's most popular games and is played by millions of people worldwide. Learn to play or come to test your skills with other players.

Children and teens ages 8-18 can join us at the North Side Library on the 2nd Tuesday of each month for Art Club!

Join us at Central Library for Game On! Tweens and Teens (10-18) are welcome to enjoy snacks and play games with friends! We'll alternate between board games, card games, and games on the Nintendo Switch.

Design and make your very own sparkly dragon egg to take home.

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

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!

This month for ASAP Thursdays at South Side Library, bilingual Teaching Artist Lunita will teach us how to do a variety of fun projects made with paper, from mini-piñatas to cool personal planners and more!

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.

Connect with others interested in environmentally friendly gardens. The focus is on native plants which foster and nourish wildlife.

Join us for our evening Family Storytime at 6:30 p.m.! This week the Des Moines Fire Department is joining us for Fire Prevention Week!  Hear stories, learn more about fire safety, and see a fire truck up close.

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.

Learn how to navigate the Vote Smart website to look up information about candidates and elected officials, how they voted on issues, and who supports them.  Votesmart.org has over 30 years of information!&nbs

This month's book is Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. 

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.

Join Craft Club and explore your creativity and skill by learning a new craft each month. We will learn knitting, crochet, sewing, bookbinding, jewelry making and beading, paper arts, pottery, printmaking, fiber arts and so much more!

Curious about the secrets of the funeral industry? Join us for a lively evening at South Side Library, where we're teaming up with Hamilton's Funeral Home to lift the veil on this fascinating world!

Get ready to:

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.