Closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day

In observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day all 6 locations of the Des Moines Public Library are closed today.  We will open our regular hours tomorrow.

After several failed attempts to pass a bill declaring Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday a holiday," In November 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill declaring that the third Monday of every January, beginning in 1986, would be celebrated as a national holiday, named Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  The first observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was January 20, 1986. Beginning in 2000, the day became an official national holiday in all fifty states."

Source:  "Reagan Signs into Law National Holiday." The Post-Standard (November 3, 1983).
as accessed through Biography in Context