January 16, 2008
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On January 16th, the ALA Council approved the formation of the Games and Gaming Member Initiative Group. Scott Nicholson (srnichol@syr.edu), associate professor at the Syracuse University School of Information Studies and director of the Library Game Lab of Syracuse, appeared before the ALA Committee on Organization on January 15th as a Designated Organizer with a petition with 149 member signatures to request that the group be started as a channel to bring together librarians of all types to talk about tabletop and digital games. The other Designated Organizers were Kelly Czarnecki, Christopher Harris and Allan Kleiman; Terri Kirk, ALA Executive Board member, also worked with the group. Jenny Levine and John Chrastka, both from ALA, assisted the Designated Organizers in crafting the Charge for thegroup, which is:
To engage those interested in games and gaming activities in libraries
and to collaborate with ALA units to support gaming initiatives and
programs across the Association. Games, as defined in their broadest
sense to include traditional and modern board, card, video, mobile,
computer, live-action, roleplaying and miniature games, and gaming
activities, including planning and running gaming programs, providing
games for informal play, developing a game collection, creating games,
development of information and other literacies through games and
partnering with other community organizations to support gaming, will
be topics for professional exploration. This group is open to all
members.
The Member Initiative Group structure is designed for new topics and creates an ALA organization that lives for 3 years. After that time, if the group is flourishing, it can apply to become part of the ALA’s
permanent organizational structure as a Round Table. ALA will be creating a discussion forum, blog, wiki, and other methods for the group to begin discussions shortly. More information about the
Library Game Lab of Syracuse and updates on the Games and Gaming MIG will be posted at http://gamelab.syr.edu.
January 11, 2008
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Here’s a news story about gaming in libraries:
From http://www.philly.com/dailynews/opinion/20080111_Whats_playing_at_the_library_.html
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Posted on Fri, Jan. 11, 2008
What’s playing at the library?
By LORIENE ROY & JOSEPH McPEAK
IT’S THE hip new thing. Your teenagers are begging for it.
And it’s likely to be at your local library. What’s the big draw? The answer might surprise you - video games.
Video games? At the library? Is that . . . proper?
The answer, according to nearly 75 percent of libraries across the United States, including here in Philadelphia, is a resounding “Yes!”
It’s important to remember debates like this have taken place as long as libraries have existed. Once upon a time, for example, U.S. library patrons were required to sign out several nonfiction books before they could sign out any fiction, since nonfiction was somehow more worthwhile.
Indeed, at a growing number of libraries, according to Young Adult Library Services Association, a division of the American Library Association, video games are all the rage. Public libraries are acquiring “Dance, Dance Revolution,” “Super Mario Galaxy” and “Guitar Hero.” They’re holding video tournaments and creating gaming clubs. They’re bringing in game equipment and video screens, and hiring consultants. As a result, library attendance among some of the hardest-to-reach demographics - kids, teens and college students - is growing.
According to Jenny Levine, Internet-development specialist for the ALA, more than 75 percent of those who attend game programs return to the library for nongame service. But shouldn’t libraries be places of edification? Be encouraging kids to read, not play games?
While libraries have always focused on books and learning, they also have always taken their role in strengthening communities through literacy very seriously. Libraries are unique in that they offer lifelong education and self-help for people of all ages, from preschoolers to retirees.
According to a recent study by Scott Nicholson, director of Syracuse University’s Library Game Lab, gaming programs at libraries address a multitude of goals. Some use games to teach and reinforce information literacy, others to provide entertainment; still others expand the library’s role as a community hub.
“Dance Dance Revolution,” with all its physical activity, was provided to the Free Library of Philadelphia as part of a “Fit for Life” grant and is being used as a way to improve health and fitness for teens. A library system in New York is building an educational-board-game library for use in school media centers to support school curricula. A Florida library is offering career-fair programming around game design.
Libraries are changing and dynamic places, continuously developing innovative programs and services that educate, entertain and expand interaction with their neighbors down the block, as well as the global community. Offering games in libraries is just another example of their effort to reach diverse users.
Video games are also great for helping libraries challenge their inaccurate image as dusty and outdated. The Free Library of Philadelphia is in the midst of planning a renovation and expansion that would turn it into a state-of-the-art facility to include 300 new public- access computers and a teen center all aimed at attracting an even wider, more diverse and inclusive group of patrons.
Besides being a big draw to the younger generation, many games appeal to entire families. With new systems like Nintendo’s Wii and more traditional board and card games available, all members of the family can play, from kids to grandparents.
So check out a book, DVD, CD or soon a video game at your library. Bring grandma, the kids - or your book club - and take a look at what we have to offer. We just might surprise you. *
Loriene Roy is the first president of the American Library Association to have an avatar on Second Life, an Internet social-networking site. Joseph McPeak is interim president and director, Free Library of Philadelphia. The ALA’s midwinter meeting is here today through Wednesday.
January 4, 2008
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Gaylord Bros., Inc.(http://www.gaylord.com), a leading provider of innovative library supplies, furniture and archival products, has presented the Library Game Lab of Syracuse, part of the Information Institute at the Syracuse University School of Information Studies, a $5,000 startup grant for the purchase of some of the equipment needed to develop the portable Library Game Lab project. Over the last year, Dr. Scott Nicholson, director of the Library Game Lab, has been heading up studies to understand the current use of games in libraries. This research has shown that over 75% of U.S. public libraries have some type of gaming activities but that most librarians are not aware of the variety of game types available.
“To have a successful gaming program, librarians must match gaming activities to patron interest in the same way that they match books to reading interest,” says Dr. Nicholson, “and the portable Library Game Lab will allow us to help librarians experience games of many types and to inform the gaming industry about the special needs of games for libraries and schools.” The Library Game Lab seeks further funding for larger-scale research projects to determine the most effective gaming activities for different library goals and to develop and teach courses and workshops on the planning, execution, and assessment of gaming programs in libraries. More information about the Library Game Lab of Syracuse can be found at http://gamelab.syr.edu.