06/04/2026
Cookbooks, like vinyl, never go out of style. Despite the wild variety of recipes online — in food blogs, YouTube tutorials, Instagram reels — cooks are after print. Kathy Leonard and Carrie Anderson, the two librarians managing acquisitions for the Des Moines Public Library system, add more than 400 cookbooks to the city’s collection each year.
“It’s worth putting significant money into cookbooks because the public is genuinely interested and really wants them,” Leonard said.
If you’re wondering why people still make their way to the library when most recipes can be found with a few clicks, Leonard and Anderson have a theory. “We were talking about this,” Leonard said. “If you want a specific recipe, going online is probably easier. But if you want the visual element, print often outshines digital. Or if you want to learn more about a culture or really delve into a topic, it’s easier to do in book form.”
We stopped by the Central Library to learn more, and lightly edited the following Q&A for length and clarity:
Writer: Mary Boldinova Photos: Duane Tinkey Cookbooks, like vinyl, never go out of style. Despite the wild variety of recipes online — in food blogs, YouTube tutorials, Instagram reels — coo…
