Week Calendar

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.

Are you searching for a new job, having trouble navigating a website, or looking to learn a new digital skill? Goodwill is at the library to help!

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.

Are you searching for a new job, having trouble navigating a website, or looking to learn a new digital skill? Goodwill is at the library to help!

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!

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

Join us for indoor Park-N-Play, hosted by the City of Des Moines Parks and Recreation department on Thursday mornings in the Franklin Avenue Library meeting room.

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

Are you searching for a new job, having trouble navigating a website, or looking to learn a new digital skill? Goodwill is at the library to help!

Bring your young ones to our Little Explorers program, designed for children ages 0-5, to discover, learn and play! Activities will help build early literacy skills through the five Simple Steps: Read, Write, Sing, Play, Talk.

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

Set health goals, understand food labels, and find nutritionally dense foods on a budget with Broadlawns Medical Center's dietitians.

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.

This month we will be discussing our favorite books from the year while enjoying treats and snacks. Feel free to bring a treat to share!

Join us at the Forest Ave. Library for a drop-in STEM challenge. Supplies for making Binary Code Ornaments will be available for you to make and take home.

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.

Join us for South Side's Monthly Book Discussion! 

This month we're reading Clean by Alia Trabucco Zeran!

Love puzzles? Have puzzles at home that you've done and loved but won't do again? This month we're looking at holiday themed puzzles!

Join us for indoor Park-N-Play, hosted by the City of Des Moines Parks and Recreation department on Monday afternoons in the East Side Library meeting room. Drop in and enjoy toys, games, crafts, and activities for families at no cost.

Join us for a fun, interactive program to learn or improve your auditioning, musical theater, and scene acting skills. Led by an ASAP teaching artist, this program is recommended for ages 9–17.

Celebrate the season with cookies & hot chocolate while we listen to a story and create a masterpiece! Meeting Room. 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.

Come to South Side for an hour of sensory exploration!

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.

Join the Friends of the Forest Avenue Library for the monthly meeting at Forest Avenue Library!

Let’s move! Join an ASAP teaching artist for fun movement and dance games, learn choreography, and get active. A snack will be provided for all participants. December 4, 11, 18.

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. 

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.

A new exhibit of Korean artifacts is being unveiled in less than an hour, but the centerpieces have gone missing! Finding them will mean coming face to face with ancient myths and outsmarting the creatures they depict.

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 acivities. You can even wear your jammies!  

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

A new exhibit of Korean artifacts is being unveiled in less than an hour, but the centerpieces have gone missing! Finding them will mean coming face to face with ancient myths and outsmarting the creatures they depict.

Join Karlie Hunter, owner of Handful of Made, as she guides you through the process of embroidering a sweater with yarn and a needle.

Craft Night at the Forest Avenue Library is a great place to spend time with friends, meet new people, and enjoy a fun activity. Each month will focus on a new craft, and supplies will be provided.

Run, run, as fast as you can! Can you catch the Gingerbread Man? 

Join us for an interactive retelling of The Gingerbread Man with songs, fractured fairy tales, and a make-your-own gingerbread character craft to take home.

Celebrate the Winter Solstice at a special Pajama Storytime! Enjoy stories, a warm beverage, and a fun craft. Wear your coziest pajamas and bring a favorite stuffed animal to snuggle along.