Upcoming Events

Learn about butterflies and plants with the Des Moines Parks and Recreation Department. Participants will get to plant their own butterfly garden to take home!

Space is limited; registration required. 

Quickly learn to play familiar tunes on the ukulele while having fun! Bring your own ukulele or borrow one of North Side’s soprano ukuleles for the class.

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.

Get creative in the kitchen with a professional baker! Over four weeks, turn cookies and cupcakes into edible art while practicing patience, focus, and fun decorating techniques. All supplies provided.

Join an educator from Polk County Conservation to explore different types of spiders, including web weavers and hunters. Students will learn how spiders hunt and catch food.

Join us on safari at the Franklin Library to celebrate the launch of the acclaimed new children’s book, The Black Mambas: The World’s First All-Woman Anti-Poaching Unit, by local author Kelly Crull!  

Celebrate Summer Reading at South Side Library! Enjoy a train ride with our friends from Choo Choo Rides 4 U and be amazed by the balloon art stylings of Professor Von Air.

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!

Join us for June's Craft-N-Carry: Mug Rugs! 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 discussion of a life-changing nonfiction book. Each month, we will select a book that offers new perspectives, strategies for handling life’s challenges, or a deeper understanding of a meaningful topic.

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!

Youth and their families are invited to South Side Library to help plant a small garden for the summer. Watch it grow and change with each visit!

Quickly learn to play familiar tunes on the ukulele while having fun! Bring your own ukulele or borrow one of North Side’s soprano ukuleles for the class.

✨ Silent(ish) Book Club for Tweens/Teens ✨

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. 

Turn STEM into STEAM this month with Teaching Artist Amy Tingstrom. Each week, explore a new project that combines science, technology, engineering, and math with the arts.

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 6-18. 

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

Protect your beautiful garden from critters without using harsh pesticides.

Join us at Forest for a book club and pizza party just for tweens! Each month features a new book exploring different genres, formats, and topics.

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.

The Instrument Petting Zoo is visiting the Central Library! Children as young as 3 can learn about and practice playing string instruments with Des Moines Symphony's Michele Senger.

Join Ms. Alicia at the Heritage Carousel for a special storytime for the whole family!