A hot drink, a comfy chair, and a stack of books. It’s hard to imagine a better way to spend the holiday break — and the Des Moines Public Library is here to help with the book part.
By using our Book Bundle service, you will get a stack of books hand-picked by our team of expert Book Chat librarians. Just fill out a short form online and tell us the genre or type of book you’re interested in reading and the location where you want to pick up your books.
Adults can choose from fiction and nonfiction genres, including mysteries, science fiction, biographies, true crime, books with LGBTQIA+ themes and main characters, and more. Our staff will then grab five books off our shelves and have them ready to pick up curbside within one business day.
Book Bundles are for teens and kids too. Teen Book Bundles contain five books of a selected genre, such as historical fiction, graphic novels, and fantasy, while Kid Book Bundles are comprised of 10 books for a specific reader level, such as board books, picture books, chapter books, and more.
If you want a tad bit more control and specificity in your book picks, we also have a Book Chat form. You’ll answer a few questions about what genres and subjects you enjoy and what books you’ve enjoyed in the past. Then, our Book Chat team will comb through our shelves to find books specifically tailored for your preferences. After you fill out the Book Chat, our team will have book suggestions for you within 3-5 days. We can even place those books on hold for you.
There are two ways you can start using Book Bundles or Book Chat. Either go to dmpl.org/book-chat anytime and fill out the form there, or call (515) 248-6286 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and we’ll take your requests over the phone. Get those requests in for the long holiday week.
Upcoming Programs
Botanical Garden Bilingual Storytime/Cuentos y Canciones Bilingües en el Jardín Botánico: Dec. 22 at 6:30 p.m., Facebook. Enjoy virtual stories, rhymes, and songs in English and Spanish — with the Des Moines Botanical Garden. Disfruten de cuentos, rimas, ¡y canciones virtuales en inglés y español–con el centro botánico, Des Moines Botanical Garden.
DMPL Virtual Book Club: Dec. 22 at 6:30 p.m., Zoom. Registration required. This month, we are reading “The House of Broken Angels,” by Luis Alberto Urrea. Register at dmpl.org/events.
Spark Stories: Joshua V. Barr on Dec. 28, 6:30 p.m., Facebook/YouTube/ Learn about Joshua V. Barr’s “spark story” and what motivates him to make Des Moines a better place to live. Barr has served as the Director of the Des Moines Civil & Human Rights Commission since 2015. The program will be available on Facebook and YouTube on-demand beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 28.
NOTE: All Des Moines Public Library locations will continue in their current phase of reduced services until at least Jan. 4. Browsing is unavailable. Public computers, print/fax/copy services, DOT Kiosk, and other limited in-person services are available by appointment only at Central Library. Curbside pickup continues full-time at all locations.
