Library News

Reviewed by Claire, a Teen Advisory Board Member

Reviewed by Claire, a Teen Advisory Board Member

"Can you recommend a good book?" This is a question we hear often at the Adult Services desk. Sometimes it's a tough one to answer, as everyone's tastes vary. So we decided to answer this question in the form of a display. Following up on the success of the Blind Date with a Book display we did in February, the Good Books program asks you to take a chance on a wrapped book. The twist this time is that each of the books on these shelves was considered "good" by a well-known source. 

At the April 19 meeting of the West Des Moines Public Library Board of Trustees, the Board voted to raise the age at which children may be alone at the library from eight years of age to 10 years of age. The Board also decided that those acting as caregivers for younger patrons must be 14 years or older.

According to the library’s policies, parents, guardians, and caregivers must:

Repairs will be made to the West Des Moines Public Library's parking lot starting on Monday, April 25. These repairs will be made in a four-phased approach to allow patrons and staff to access the library throughout the renovation. Our book drop and entrance will always be accessible throughout this 6-8 week renovation process.  

Please refer to the image below to understand which areas of the lot will be closed at different times. We will update this article as we hear firm dates for the other phases moving forward. 

We're asking for five minutes of your time to complete this survey and help guide the future of our public library.

None of questions require a response but it would help the library if you would answer each question. 

Your responses to this survey are confidential.

Take survey now. 

While we might think of “literacy” as simply knowing how to read, literacy also means knowledge on a particular subject or field. Would you like to become literate in certain music genres? Learn how to “read” a prairie? Become a craft beer expert?

Some of our patrons who utilize our eContent services may have noticed some changes to OverDrive. This is because, as of February 23, OverDrive has started to transition all users to the Libby app.

Congratulations to the Lambda finalists of 2022! The Annual Lambda Literary Awards celebrate and recognize exceptional LGBTQ+ literature. Over 60 literary professionals selected finalists for each of the 24 total categories. Winning books will be announced June 11, 2022.

In the meantime, here are the YA finalists!

Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar

by Bryan Myers, WDM Library Board of Trustees

Franklin D Roosevelt said, “I have an unshaken conviction that democracy can never be undermined if we maintain our library resources and a national intelligence capable of utilizing them.”  This still rings true today; the quality of our community in total is directly correlated to the quality of our public library and I, though not a librarian, take a direct part in maintaining that quality as a library Trustee.

The 94th Academy Awards presentation is scheduled for Sunday, March 27 at 7pm on ABC.  There's still time to watch all of the films before the presentation!  See our list below including links to our catalog for DVDs to checkout.

In the spirit of March Madness, the WDM Public Library is hosting our own bracket challenge: but with books! We've pulled the top titles in four "divisions": Adult, Young Adult, Picture Books, and Juvenile. Each week, we'll open a new survey to vote your favorite books onto the finals and ultimately crown the Best Book! 

Thank you all for your participation! We're excited to announce that the winner is...

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig!

Iowa’s unemployment rates are very low, and that means lots of opportunity for job seekers! If you are looking for work, or considering a career change, it’s a great time to brush up on your job skills.

We’ll be offering a Job Smarts series all through March that focuses on how to get that dream job. You’ll learn how to find a job listing, how to create a strong resume that showcases your skills, and how to ace an interview.

You can attend one program or attend them all!  

The West Des Moines Public Library is partnering with DART to celebrate Read Across America Week! Use your library card to ride FREE on DART’s Local and Express routes, On Call service and DART On Demand February 27 – March 5.

Just show your library card (this can be your physical card or your card on our mobile app) when you board any DART bus this week. It's that simple! Then enjoy DART's free WiFi to listen to an eAudiobook or read an eBook. 

As of this week, users of our Hoopla downloadables services will notice their monthly limit has been changed from 10 checkouts per month to six (6) checkouts per month.