Week Calendar

Voting- local elections.

Join us weekly for rhymes, songs, bounces, stories, and a little playtime. For caregivers and babies ages 0 - 18 months.

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

Toddlers and their caregivers can enjoy introductory stories, songs, music, and movement! For ages 18 months to 36 months.

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.

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.

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.

Listen to silly stories, sing songs, dance to music, and make art! Join Miss Emily for Family Storytime every Wednesday morning at 10:15 AM. Designed for children ages 0–5, this storytime welcomes all ages to join in the fun.

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!

Enjoy a fun storytime featuring movement, music, and rhyming! 

Snippets: A Writers' Workshop for Shorter Works. This group will read and discuss works out loud. Seating is limited. Registration is required.

Visit the library for a special sneak preview of the Des Moines Community Playhouse production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever based on the classic book by Barbara Robinson.

Tippi Toes is coming to the library!

Our exciting, high energy dance classes are the perfect opportunity for kids to try something new while having a blast and burning some energy! Any child between the ages 2-10 can participate.

Join yoga instructor, Lily Allen-Duenas, for chair yoga at the Forest Avenue Library! No experience needed! No yoga mats or props are needed. Just bring yourself!

Join us in the Forest Meeting Room where building blocks will be available for open play! Use your imagination to build your ideas or use the STEM-challenge prompts and building guides to bring ideas to life. Drop-in anytime between 12-5pm.

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.

This conversation club is both for native speakers and those wanting to learn Russian. Topics of conversation are meant to be light. Get to know other members of your community, or assist those wanting to learn Russian.

Join other women who are practicing their English in this casual conversation group. We will chat, share coffee, and learn together in this group moderated by a Forest Avenue Library staff member.

Need help with a phone, laptop, or tablet, or another electronic device? Come by the Central Library at 2PM on Thursdays and our staff will work with you to figure things out. This is a drop-in, first-come first-served service.

Collage artists combine magazine images, wallpaper, and other materials to create surprising new artworks. This month, we’ll make three unique collages—join us and get creative!

November 5, 12, 19.

Learn how to use the Bambu X-1 Carbon filament 3D printer and the Formlabs Form 3 resin 3D printer.  Participants will learn how to use the free software to prepare their 3D files for printing at the library.

Don’t be a fossil - come celebrate Dino-vember at Central Library! Enjoy dino-mite crafts and activities that will have kids of all ages roaring with delight. It’s sure to be a Tyrannosau-rockin’ good time!

Join ASAP Teaching Artist Jordan Gould and get hands-on with music this month. We will learn the basics of how to play the ukulele! We provide the instruments — you provide the willingness to try something new!

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

It's game on after school at North Side! Hang out in the meeting room with snacks and a wide variety of games. Play Nintendo Switch on the big screen, or enjoy checkers, Connect 4, Exploding Kittens, and more!

Create your own unique piece of art using the old-fashioned method of printmaking.  Be prepared to get messy since we will be using ink.

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

Get creative at North Side! Drop-in on Wednesdays to enjoy our large cart of art supplies.

Get hands-on with music this month and learn the basics of how to play the ukulele. We will provide the instruments — you provide the willingness to try something new! Snack provided for all participants. November 6, 13, 20

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.

Stop by Franklin Ave Library and learn how to use DMPL’s digital resources like Libby, Consumer Reports, Kanopy, and newspapers.

Learn how to cook different cuisines from around the world with CultureALL ambassadors!

This month, Mamta will teach us how to make Aloo Gobi, a vegetarian dish made with potatoes, cauliflower, and a variety of spices. 

Discover what’s inside old electronics as you carefully take them apart, piece by piece. Then transform the parts into a unique work of art to take home and display.

Join us at Forest Avenue Library for Card Club. We will play trick-taking card games such as 500, Euchre, Hearts, Spades, Tiến lên and others.

Plan for retirement with confidence in this workshop. Learn when to file for Social Security, strategies to minimize taxation, and ways to avoid common threats to retirement security.

Wiggle, roll, and explore into our pumpkin patch! Take part in this fall-themed sensory experience for babies, toddlers, and their caregivers.

Art Club will occur on the first Thursday of each month. It will feature picture books and a related art project each month. We will learn about artists, art concepts, and topics that will give us inspiration to make our own art.