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 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.

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.

AARP will be at the East Side Library every *Wednesday and *Saturday from February 1st through April 12th to assist the public with their taxes. 

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, music, and fun activities!

Join us at the Central Library for a fun storytime featuring movement, music, and rhyming! 

Preschoolers and their caregivers can enjoy stories, rhymes, music, and learn school readiness skills. Afterwards, we will enjoy free-play together.

Celebrate the spirit of friendship and make a bracelet with the supplies provided to share with someone important in your life. All ages are welcome. Children's area.

Stop in the library for fun arts and crafts with our Art Cart! While supplies last. Adult supervision is required. 

❤️Join us for a Valentine’s Day Box Workshop and make your own festive box for school Valentine parties! We’ll provide all the materials you need to design and decorate a box as creative and unique as you are. 

All aboard! Trains are taking over the Central Library this weekend! Visit the library to see a huge model train display set up by the DesMoiNTrak modular railroad club.

Join us for a drop-in event for all ages. Come in, grab warm drink and a snack, get cozy, and choose from a variety of games or puzzles to play with friends!

February's selection is The Wedding People by Alison Espach.

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.

*Registration for this program will open on December 1st*

Join us for a drop-in craft project at Forest! Use the supplies and provided instructions to make handmade valentines to hand out to your loved ones. Stop by anytime between 1-5pm. Ages 6+.

Join us on the 2nd Monday of every month for our book club. Enjoy good books, great discussions, and meet fellow book lovers. Snacks and coffee are provided! 

❤️ Send some love through the mail!❤️

Make a snowman out of fake snow and them watch the snowman foam as it melts! Follow a recipe for fake snow, build a snowman, and then "melt" it with vinegar at this drop-in program.

Hear ye, hear ye! You are invited to South Side's Magical Winter Ball! Put on your favorite outfit or costume and come to the library, where you'll have the chance to meet a princess, do fun crafts and activities, and listen to a story!

Join us for a Nintendo Switch Party! We will have games like Mario Kart 8 & Super Mario Bros. Ultimate. Feel free to bring your own Switch or share the library’s controllers.

Young artists, led by ASAP Teaching Artist Brittany Brooke Crow, will explore collage techniques to make four frame-worthy projects! Create a rhythm with strips of paper; tear photos and recombine them into new compositions; and more.

Do you love to craft? Come make a collaborative art piece or bring your current project and make some progress! 

Registration recommended.

Get creative with nature in this fun class led by ASAP Teaching Artist Victoria Story. Make a work of art using sensory items like moss, dried flowers, sticks, and seeds.

Join an educator from Polk County Conservation to learn about migration, hibernation, and other ways animals survive during the winter. 

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 bilingual (Spanish-English) ASAP Teaching Artist Paola Elena Acuna to design and make your own jewelry to wear or give to someone special. We'll focus on making bracelets and necklaces using beads and charms.

Drop into North Side and read to a furry friend! We will be joined by a therapet and volunteer from the ARL of Iowa.

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

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

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.

Build a mini theater and design your own shadow puppets to put on a show for your family and friends.

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

Earn volunteer hours by helping out with library programs and projects! Teens ages 12 to 18 can drop in any Wednesday we are open and volunteer for one hour.

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!

Calling all fans of graphic novels and comic books: Come work with ASAP Teaching Artist Katey Giblin to 

Join us for a heartwarming and creative evening at the library! The Animal Rescue League (ARL) is bringing their delightful TheraPets to help lift your spirits and provide some much-needed furry companionship.

📚 Book: Pancakes in Pajamas by Carey Sookocheff
🍴 Recipe: Fluffy Pancakes
 

Join us for our evening Family Storytime at 6:30 p.m.! Kids and caregivers can join us for fun songs, stories, and acivities. You can even wear your jammies!  

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

Join us as we meet monthly to work on sewing projects, share skills and techniques, and spend time with fellow sewers at Forest Avenue Library.

“Sacrifice State” explores issues of environmental justice in Iowa, through interviews with Iowans from

Join us for February's Craft-N-Carry: Valentine's Day Garlands! During this 30-minute session, you'll be able to grab this month's supplies and have a quick craft tutorial. 

Join us for a monthly conversation around a life-changing nonfiction book.  Each month we will 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 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.