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Gaming as a Library Service
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Huntington West Virginia
Staff Development
November 2009
Why Gaming?
Why Not Gaming?
ChessCheckersSummer Reading ClubRecreational ReadingStory time
We are ALREADY doing gaming to some degree.
Things Libraries Never Did
• Carry Fiction
• Carry picture books or other children’s literature.
• Provide programming of any kind.
• “We are not a recreation center” attitude is not doing us or our community any favors.
• It’s not about content, it’s about access.
What a Library Does Now
• Provides a third place.• Provides safety.• Provides a place to socialize.• Provides an experience that you cannot
get at home.
Gaming is a piece of what we already do…
What a Library Does Now
“Libraries are about stories and information and access to stories and information regardless of format. Videogames must be regarded as a new, interactive, multimedia, three dimensional digital format for conveying stories and information.”
Game On! By Beth Gallaway, Neal-Schuman, 2009.
AND…
Teens are more invested in the story of videogames because they are the ones shaping the course and tone of the story in the moment of play.
BUTVideogames are…
Violent
• 84% of all games sold in 2008 were rated either “E” for “Everyone” or “T” for Teen or “E10+” for “Everyone 10+”
• 92% of game players under the age of 18 report that their parents are present when they purchase or rent games.
• http://www.theesa.com/facts/violence.asp
AND…
• Violent crime, particularly among the young, has decreased dramatically since the early 1990s. During the same period of time, video games have steadily increased in popularity and use, exactly the opposite of what one would expect if there were a casual link.
http://www.theesa.com/facts/violence.asp
Consider…
• 63% of parents surveyed consider videogames a positive part of their children’s lives.
• The US Surgeon General, Federal Trade and Communications Commissions have concluded there is not a causal link between violent videogames and violent behavior.
• http://www.theesa.com/facts/violence.asp
Okay, But,Videogames are still…
Mind Rotting…
The Gamer Generation is…Open to risk-taking, exploring, trying new
things, and solving problems creatively.Social, and understand that sharing their
interests with others does not depend on georgaphy.
Content Creators (fan fiction, character blogs, machinima.)
Not Convinced?That’s okay, a lot of CML staff
weren’t either…until they saw it
in action!
Gaming @ CML
How It Started
• 2005 Gaming Symposium
• 2006 Gaming Proposal
• 2006 Board approval
• 2007 Teen Tech Week roll-out.
Supplies and Budget
• 2007– PS2, Guitar Hero, DDR, Nintendo Wii
• Each branch had $260.00 • Circulating collection, $1,000 worth of games
2008– $750.00 each branch, some bought extra Wii
consoles, accessories, games, replacement items
• 2009– $475.00 per branch (budget cuts)– $700.00 circulating board game collection.
Teen Read Week 2007
• Branches offered both open play and Guitar Hero II Tournaments. Red Octane, the company that makes Guitar Hero donated hats, t-shirts and wrist bands to every branch that hosted a tournament.
• 378 teens came to these gaming programs.
Teen Summer Reading 07
• Some branches offered gaming as often as once a week over the 8 week period. 2,118 teens attended gaming programs across the system.
2007 Numbers
• Teen Tech Week: 378
• March to June : 678
• Teen Summer Reading: 2,118
• Teen Read Week: 378
• August to December: 1809
• TOTAL: 5,361
2008 and 2009
• 2008, 5, 734 teens attended.
Results: Literacy
…it was a great opportunity for me to interact with teens who would not normally open up to me. I set up a book display featuring books from the Teen Tech Week booklist and after I promoted them, nearly all of them were checked out.
Our Dublin Branch
Results: Literacy
After Wednesday’s program, I was talking to Katelyn, the girl to beat at DDR yesterday. We were talking about some books she had in her hand and turns out she was interested in WWII because her grandfather was in it. This lead to talk about the Diary of Anne Frank, which she had never heard of, so we then found it and she checked it out. Hopefully as this evolves, we will find even more “book connections” with regular participants. Our Franklinton Branch
Results: Literacy
The Linden Branch, one of our small, urban branches has welcomed 369 teens to their gaming programs from August to December 31, 2007. Linden’s weekly teen book discussion group launched in early December, all 5 repeat members of the group are regular gaming participants. The first book they are reading? The Afterlife by Gary Soto.
The Relationship-Literacy Connection
Jordan had not been a regular at the library. During the gaming program, I found out that he actually plays guitar for real and we have had a continual discussion about all things guitar since then. I've even signed him up for a library card a couple of weeks ago and now I see him come in every once in a while to check out CD's or DVD's. I've steered him over to the guitar books and while he acts nonchalant about it, I have noticed him over there looking through them on his own.
Results: New Faces
It is no secret that teens take their own course sometimes and it's difficult to ascertain if some of what we do actually gets through to them. However, with this teen in particular, it seems that he has become a "casual customer" and will discover the library as it occurs to him - and that's still a gratifying thing to see.
Our New Albany Branch
Results: ESOL Teens
• We have a lot of Somali immigrants in our area. I've found that gaming gives them an opportunity to interact with peers outside their regular social groups. It also gives them the opportunity to show off their skills and earn respect in front of peers in a safe environment and in a non-confrontational way. A way that allows them to try again if they lose, and allows them to improve at the game and gain social standing. Games really do transcend the language barrier.
– Gordon Gavin, Teen Services, Northern Lights Branch
Benefits for Staff
• Quick Set-up and Tear Down
• Opportunities for teens to be the experts.
• Library staff are able to shift from presenter to facilitator.
• Any staff person can host gaming.
Today
• Over 20,000 visits since launch.• Crew tournament page launched Teen Tech Week 2009:
http://gpxcrew.gtsystem.org
• http://gpxcrew.gtsystem.org/leaderboard
• AADL Example – http://www.aadl.org/aadlgt
– http://wiki.gtsystem.org/
Tournaments…
• Provide and ongoing story
• Helps customers build teamwork and participate in healthy civic engagement.
• Can become a tradition that cultivates interest from the community at large.
• Provides opportunities for teamwork and other confidence building activities.
Nuts and Bolts Basics
Promotion
• Provide gaming and they will come.
• Schools, parent newsletter.
• Talk with other youth serving agencies.
• Unroll gaming alongside a larger event like Summer Reading Club or large community event.
• Newspaper, local news gaming shops.
What to Buy
• Accept that to a degree, gaming changes rapidly like any electronic technology.
• Choose things with wide appeal like the Nintendo Wii rather than X-Box when starting out.
• Be prepared to trade games in for newer ones. Investigate downloading games for the Wii.
What to Buy
• Remember that it isn’t so much the equipment as the environment.
• Teens can bring in items from home but be clear about liability and responsibility.
• For big ticket items like rock band, buy one or two and share among branches.
• Ask your customers.
Sources
• Game On! By Beth Gallaway, Neal-Schuman, 2009
• Gamers in the Library By Eli Neiburger, ALA Editions, 2007
• www.theesa.com
• ALA’s Gaming Toolkit – www.librarygamingtoolkit.org
Questions?
Julie Scordato, Teen Services Specialist
Columbus Metropolitan Library
(614) 849-1227 ext. 8920
