Library Game Lab of Syracuse

New Podcast episode

There’s a new episode of the Games in Libraries podcast available at gamesinlibraries.org. We’ve got some new contributors this time (including Jenny Levine) so come take a listen!

Getting ready for ALA

The American Library Association annual conference is coming up, and I’ll be involved in a few things.

I’ll be running the first meeting of the Games and Gaming Members Initiative Group, which will meet Saturday, June 28 10:00-12:00 in the Sheraton Park Hotel in Plaza A/B!

I’ll also be running the board games at the Open Gaming Night event, sponsored by Verizon, which will be from Friday, 7:30-10:30 at the Hilton.

Hope to see you there!

New Library Technology Report on Gaming

The April 2008 issue of Library Technology Reports is all about gaming and libraries, and is a set of case studies about different types of games. You can see more information about the issue at http://www.techsource.ala.org/ltr/gaming-and-libraries-update.html

You can find a preprint of my contribution, which is about modern board games, in the Publications area of the Library Game Lab blog at http://gamelab.syr.edu/?page_id=13

Games in Libraries Podcast

We have launched a new podcast about Games in Libraries. This will be a monthly podcast with segments by various experts on the topic. There will be reviews, discussions of programs, and other explorations of the intersection of Games and Libraries.

You can listen to it at

http://gamesinlibraries.org

Presentation on Gaming and Libraries

Last week, Scott Nicholson gave a talk at Bird Library, the main library at Syracuse University, about gaming in libraries. He presents the results of his first few studies and talks about putting gaming in context with other library services.

You can see this talk at the internet archive at
http://www.archive.org/details/librarygamelab_march2008talk

First LGL Outing

We had our first outing of the Library Game Lab on Feb. 21st for Gaylord/Demco. They were having a meeting of marketing folks, and wanted me to give a talk and then run the Game Lab in the evening. We learned a lot about setup and what else we needed. It was interesting that the video games were the first big draw, then as the evening went on, people moved to the board and analog games. I have some theories about this.

Big thanks to Jeremy Morgan and Tamara, both of whom came out to help run the Game Lab, both of whom are at the back table in lab coats in this picture:

More pictures are at http://flickr.com/photos/snicholson/sets/72157603960895110/

Nice article on the Library Game Lab

There was a nice article on the Library Game Lab in the SU Student newspaper. It did a good job of talking to key players and getting several perspectives.

You can read it online.

New article on Game research in School Media libraries

In this month’s Library Media Connection, you’ll find a article about just the school media libraries who responded to my 2007 gaming census. The article is

Nicholson, Scott. (2008). Finish your games so you can start your schoolwork: A look at gaming in school libraries. Library Media Connection 26(5), 52-55.

You can find a preprint of the article at
http://librarygamelab.org/gamesschoolwork.pdf

New ALA Games & Gaming Group

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.

LGL in the news

Here’s a news story about gaming in libraries:

From http://www.philly.com/dailynews/opinion/20080111_Whats_playing_at_the_library_.html
—————-
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.