Library News

In today’s episode, I got to speak with the first author presenting at the Friends Foundation’s Booked for the Evening series, Stephanie R. Caffrey. Stephanie is a local author who writes romantic suspense and has published two books (so far!) titled ⁠Mistaken Identity⁠ and ⁠Be My Little Baby⁠.

By Traci Glass, Library Director

Our library staff is happy to assist you with any questions you might have regarding the upcoming general election on November 5, 2024.

The library will be an Early Voting site for POLK COUNTY voters only from Tuesday, October 22 - Saturday, October 26 between the hours of 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM in our Community Room. Paper ballots are available at this site only for those who live in West Des Moines precincts, but computerized voting machines are available for all Polk County voters.

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!) 

Our West Des Moines Public Library podcast, In This Day and Page, is BACK for season 3! To kick us off, we sat down with our Director, Traci Glass, to chat about her background in libraries and her ultimate vision for the WDM Public Library. This is one you won't want to miss. 

Listen to the Full Episode Here. 

We rounded out the end of our Fiscal Year in June 2024. Looking back on the year, we wanted to share some of the highlights, including all of the fabulous things we were able to accomplish with the help of our dedicated patrons. 

Not only did our wonderful new Library Director, Traci Glass, join us in May, but we also increased our event attendees to 31,994, opened a 20th deposit collection at a local senior living facility, tripled our impressions across social media, and so much more! 

UPDATE 10/15: We have identified our new ILL provider, WorldShare, and are working to implement the program into our existing systems. We will have full details to share very soon! 

written by Traci Glass, WDM Public Library Director 

I’m happy to be able to introduce myself to all of you! My name is Traci Glass, and I am proud, excited, and just beyond thrilled to be your new Library Director working alongside the passionate, dedicated, and incredibly talented staff of the West Des Moines Public Library. This staff really does feel like a family to me, and I am so lucky to be a part of such a wonderful group of staff as well as the welcoming and kind community of West Des Moines.

Did you know that May is National Pet Month? In that spirit, we are offering fine forgiveness when WDM Library card holders show us their pet photos between Monday, May 20 and Friday, May 31! Each photo counts as a $1.00 off of fines. Bonus: if you'd like for your adorable pet to be added to our Pet Wall throughout the month, please email your photo to library@wdm.iowa.gov. One lucky person who submits their photo will be entered to win a WDM Library tote bag. Don't have any fines? We'd still love to see your pictures!

Support the West Des Moines Public Library in style! We have new WDM Library merchandise designs available for adults and kids, each printed on-demand and shipped right to you. All proceeds from sales will directly support the library. 

Check out an array of: 

UPDATE 6/12: MOBIUS is back... but the system is running slow. Please be patient while the new system adjusts. 

The new system works very similarly to the old system.

1. Access MOBIUS through the library's catalog by hitting the MOBIUS icon in the top right corner. 

The West Des Moines Public Library Board of Trustees is happy to announce that Traci Glass has been named the new Director of the West Des Moines Public Library. She comes by way of the Lincoln City Libraries system in Lincoln, Nebraska and was the unanimous choice after a months-long, nationwide search to fill the position.   

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. 

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! 

And the winner is... The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle! Join us next year to play again! 

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.