Hollywood’s biggest night is set after the nominations for the 92nd Academy Awards (aka the Oscars) were announced this week. If you prefer to read the book before you see the movie, there are a few books you’ll want to pick up from the library. We also have several DVDs of nominated movies for you ...
Read MoreEach year is filled with great books, and 2020 is no exception. From powerful debuts to new books from big name favorites; an examination of England on the cusp of war to an examination of the skirmishes in Silicon Valley, these 10 books are producing some of the most buzz heading into the new year....
Read MoreA new monthly series at the Central Library is giving you some insight on local organizations and community groups. Librarian Elizabeth Hoover de Galvez is heading up the Spark Stories program, which begins next Wednesday, January 15, at 12:15 PM. The first program features Jacki and Joe Steven...
Read MoreToday on the podcast, we welcome John Peragine. Peragine is a writer that lives in Davenport. He's the author of 14 books, including A History of Iowa Wine: Vines on the Prairie, which was published last year. During the podcast, Peragine tells us how German immigrants and a New York lawyer were ...
Read MoreYou've celebrated the holidays with family and friends, and now it's time to get into your regular rhythms - including reading! We asked our staff what reading goals they had this year. We hope you enjoy some of their answers:
Elizabeth, Librarian, Central Library:
A few years ago I ...
With 22 episodes in 2019, the DMPL Podcast had a great year chatting with authors, illustrators, program presenters, librarians, and more. We've gone through and picked out some of our favorite conversations from the past year for you to browse below. A vast majority of our conversations and intervi...
Read MoreThe most popular books and movies at the Des Moines Public Library in 2019 include everything from AViD authors to Oscar winners to, once again, Harry Potter. Lists are comprised of items with the most holds placed on them throughout the year. For Kanopy, these are the most watched films on ...
Read MoreLibrarians Carrie Anderson and Sarah Lane join the podcast today to discuss their favorite books of 2019.
Carrie's Books
Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee, by Casey Cep
Carrie's review: Harper Lee fans will love how it delves into her psy...
Some of the most popular podcasts are driven by a single, spooky story. Whether it be an inexplicable crime, a suspicious person, or a tragic tale being retold, podcasts like Serial, S-Town, and In the Dark have captured the public's imagination and curiosity. Audiobooks of the "true crime"...
Read MoreIllustrator Claire Sedovic, of Des Moines, joins us on the podcast to talk about her journey to becoming a published illustrator. That book, Odd Animal ABCs, was published earlier this year (the book was written by June Smalls, of Virginia). During the podcast, Sedovic chats about what she learned d...
Read MoreShopping doesn’t have to be stressful this year. If you’re looking at making a big purchase, be sure to compare different options by checking out Consumer Reports online, free with your library card. Consumer Reports is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a fair, just, an...
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'Twas the night before Christmas
And all through the house
Not a creature was stirring
Not even a mouse
So begins perhaps the most famous poem in American history, "The Night Before Christmas." (Fun fact: the real name of the poem is "A Visit from St. Nicholas"). The poem...
Standardized tests, like the ACT, SAT, GRE, and others, are a crucial part of taking the next steps in education, careers, and lives. When you’re preparing for the next big test (the next ACT exam is on December 14!), you can find free study tools on the LearningExpress Library at dmpl.org. The L...
Read MoreNovember is known as National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, in the writing community. Each year, writers young and old are encouraged to start and complete the first draft of the novel that’s been in their head or in the corner of their laptop home screen. Last year, more than 400,000 people tr...
Read MoreToday, we welcome Thaddeus Russell on the DMPL Podcast. Russell is the author of A Renegade History of the United States, a counter-history of the United States. The book examines groups of people that Russell says shaped the country without being etched into history books, including "drunkards, lag...
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