Library News

In honor of National Library Card Sign-Up Month, we’re happy to announce that our limited-edition cards with designs submitted by library users are now available! As a reminder, our new card options are: 

You've been patiently waiting, and we are excited to announce the winners of our West Des Moines Library Card Design Contest! We had over 130 submissions, and after much deliberation, we have chosen the following designs to be printed on actual, usable library cards. 

Since we had so many amazing entries, we are excited to be able to display them on our front lobby display case during the month of June! Stop by to see all of the fantastic designs that we had the privilege of choosing from! 

Thanks to the hard work of librarians around the state, we now have a new Adventure Pass ticketing system in place! You can reserve Adventure Passes by visiting www.iowaadventurepass.org. We are thrilled to bring this service back for our patrons. 

Update 6/12: The winners have been announced! See their designs here. 

Calling all artists! Do you love the WDM Public Library? Show your creativity and library love by designing new library cards! In celebration of National Library Week this April, we’re inviting community members of all ages to submit their best designs for a chance to have their artwork featured on official, limited-edition library cards.

The West Des Moines Public Library Staff is sharing their favorite Young Adult picks from the year below! You can put the books on hold by clicking the titles, or you can stop by the display in front of the Accounts and Checkout Desk and see them in-person. 

Check out our other lists!

Adult Fiction

In today’s episode, I got to sit down and chat with our Teen Services Assistant, Hailey McKinney, about the book club that she runs for kiddos ages 11-14: Tween Club Read. Tween Club Read recently turned a year old, so I wanted to check in with her on how the year has been (and we might just get a little testimonial from one of the Tweens in the club themselves!) 

UPDATE 4/8/24: The West Des Moines Public Library is OUT of Eclipse Glasses as of 10:20am!

Who else is excited for the total eclipse on Monday, April 8? We're partnering with SEAL (Solar Eclipse Activities for Libraries) to provide a limited amount of FREE eclipse glasses while supplies last. 

Do you have a stack of good books you’ve been meaning to dig into? Are you hoping to start the new year with a new book or a fresh reading goal? We invite you to curl up with some good books this January! Readers of all ages may log their reading online during our Winter Reading Challenge that runs January 1-31, 2024. You don’t need to log books or minutes – just log if you read something! Readers who complete 10 days’ worth of reading will be entered into a drawing for a gift certificate to Valley Junction that can be used at any business in the district.

This National Volunteer Week, we'd like to take a moment to thank all of the volunteers who dedicate their time and resources here at the West Des Moines Public Library. So much of what we do relies on the hours provided by these hard-working individuals and we are incredibly grateful that they choose to spend their time here with us. 

Ever wonder what the most popular books in the library are during the year? Here's the breakdown of the top 10 most circulated items in adult fiction, young adult fiction and children's fiction! 

ADULT

1. The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Some of you might not know that our newest Teen Services Assistant, Sarah Allen, is also an author! We're super excited that the cover for her third book, The Nightmare House, has just been released. Learn more about Sarah and the book below. 

Tell us about your role here at the library and how long you’ve been here for!

With students heading back to class this week, the West Des Moines Public Library’s administrators are sending out some reminders to students and families. Minors who wish to spend time at the West Des Moines Public Library must either be accompanied and supervised by an adult or present their library card or school ID at the Teen Desk upon entering the building. This process will be in effect on Wednesday, August 24, which marks the first day of classes for West Des Moines Community Schools students. This process is similar to one the library put into action in April 2022.

Reviewed by Claire, a Teen Advisory Board Member

Reviewed by Claire, a Teen Advisory Board Member

Reviewed by Claire, a Teen Advisory Board Member