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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Visit the library for a special sneak preview of the Des Moines Community Playhouse program The Adventure Clubhouse.  This is a special interactive theater program designed for children 4-6 years old and their grown-ups.

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.

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

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 modular railroad club.  The N scale model railroads are

October's selection is Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver.

Join us for our one-hour Getting Started with Libby webinar, and learn Libby with the Experts!

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 us for this hands-on workshop to embroider a miniature autumn landscape.

This month we will be reading and discussing Lessons in

Drop in to North Side on Wednesday afternoons to enjoy a STEM activity or craft!

This week, we will be doing a creepy science experiment with gummy worms!

Join us for South Side's Monthly Book Discussion!

Love puzzles? Have puzzles at home that you've done and loved but won't do again?

Come to the South Side Library Meeting Room and exchange your beloved puzzles for new to you ones! We're having a good old fashioned puzzle swap!

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!

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

Today you can:

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

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. 

Outreach provider meeting re: homelessness in community.

Bring your stuffy friend to the Central Library to enjoy a fun storytime together before leaving your buddy at the library overnight to get into some mischief!

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.

Are you looking for a great place to volunteer? Become a volunteen and help with library projects and programs.

What would your curious and weird garden look like? Children will listen to a story and then create a masterpiece while exploring with art and STEM activities. Ages 3+.

When you're learning to read, practicing out loud can be daunting! Visit Central Library to practice reading with an ARL TheraPet. Engaging with animals is a great way to boost confidence and reduce anxiety around learning to read.

Kids and teens ages 8-18 can enjoy Switch games on the big screen at North Side! We will meet on the first and third Tuesday of the month.

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!

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!

Drop in the library and create a Perler bead masterpiece and fuse the beads together using heat. 

We will have fall themed designs out for all to use. 

Would you like to use Tech Central's new FormLabs Form 3 resin 3D printer?  Take this required training to learn how!  Participants will learn how to use FormLabs free PreForm software to prepare their 3D prints for printing at the libra

Curious about cooking? Sharpen your kitchen knowledge at our Teen Chef program and learn how to make a variety of delicious foods. 

On October 16, we will make pastries with a delicious apple center in the shape of a doughnut!

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

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!

VoteSmart researchers will give an oversight to navigating their website to look up information about candidates and elected officials, how they voted on issues and who supports them.

American politics has entered a troubling if not potentially dangerous era that erupted in the 2020 elections, but this era did not begin and will not end with the Trump presidency. Why?

Learn how to cook different Asian cuisines with CultureALL ambassadors!

Join us as we learn the basics of sewing in this beginner class. By the end of the six weeks participants will be comfortable with sewing machines and be able to mend and make alterations to clothing. 

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 us at the East Side Library with local plant shop, Art Terrarium, for Plant Parenthood 101! This class is the perfect introduction to plant parenthood, and a valuable refresh to help your indoor plants thrive!

Are you dreaming of owning your own home? Join Bridgett Robinson, Neighborhood Finance Corporation’s Diversity and Inclusion Mortgage Loan Originator and Outreach Coordinator, for the Journey to Homeownership program!

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.

Everyone has great family stories, but many times listeners don't get the humor, history, or moral in them.

Celebrate TeenTober! Join us for an after-hours party with laser tag, nerf guns, Nintendo Switch games, food, prizes, and more! 

Registration required to reserve your spot. Grades 6-12.