Library News

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

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:

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

Congratulations to the authors and illustrators who have been recognized by the American Library Association (ALA) as Youth Media Award winners! Each year the ALA honors books, videos, and other outstanding materials for children and teens. These prestigious awards include the Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, and Coretta Scott King Book Awards. Selected by committees composed of librarians and other literature and media experts, the awards "encourage original and creative work in the field of children’s and young adult literature and media." 

EDIT: Thank you for your participation. This survey is now closed.

The WDM Library would love to hear from Teens who use our library! The purpose of this survey is to give you the opportunity to tell us about your experience in the Teen Center.

Everyone's talking about Squid Game and for good reason: it's utterly impossible to stop watching. Squid Game is not new. Sure, the series is quite new, but the script was written more than a decade ago, in 2007. Hwang Dong-hyuk wrote it with inspiration from books like Liar Game or Battle Royale. He has never imagined the story would gain so much notoriety, fearing people would find it a bit weird and hard to understand. He failed to realize that his story would perfectly match today's society.