WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Several libraries in the Metro are taking steps to make their facilities more people to people with special needs. That’s why the West Des Moines Public Library is opening an our early Sunday to be a sensory space.

West Des Moines Public Library head of Youth Services Jenna Ehler said though libraries are supposed to be quiet, they can get pretty loud at times. That’s why the library is opening at 1 p.m. Sunday so it can have an hour of truly quiet time.

Ehler said the goal is to make the library accessible to everyone. While she enjoys seeing kids running around, there’s also a need to make time for people who can’t handle that.

“As a community library, we are always trying to serve as many people in our community as we possibly can,” she said. “So we hear from families that want to come for, say, story time, and then appreciate that busy, little bit noisier atmosphere and we feel like we’re doing a lot to serve them. But when it comes to families who might have special needs or sensory needs or kids who maybe don’t thrive as much in that loud and kind of maybe extroverted atmosphere, we’re always looking for ways to serve them better.”

Ehler said there will be fewer staff on hand during the sensory hour. That’s by design to keep the noise down.

The library will open for regular business at 2 p.m.

Other libraries in the Metro are also hosting upcoming sensory spaces. Waukee is hosting one on Feb. 4 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Urbandale is hosting a sensory space on Feb. 26 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. West Des Moines’s next sensory space will be on March 5 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Johnston’s library is also hosting a sensory space on March 12 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.