Gaming here we come

Should there be any doubt that gaming should be implemented and used in libraries, any doubt I previously held has been dispelled. I am convinced that the reluctance to embrace gaming in a library has to do with the reluctance to embrace change. But this you should know: the average age of gamers is 34 years old! Senior citizens are also enjoying gaming connected to adult programming in libraires and senior centers.

Multitudes of ways to use gaming creatively exsist out there and we need to get started. Are you hunting for a way to get your missing teenagers back? Wonder where some of those seniors are? How about all those men that have been missing from the stacks since they graduated from high school? They're all out there playing games on their computers.

In at least 3 of the PLA sessions that I attended I had a great opportunity to see what other libraries are doing to use gaming and invite those missing patrons back to the library. This is just a teaser post since I have lots to say about this, so hang on! Sites and ideas are coming. But think about this: Nearly 80% of teens play games. And gaming = literacy. We need to think about how that will translate into our libraries if we aren't in some way a part of it. More later.

Zak the Yak With a Great Big Book Pack

Who would have thought you'd have to go north to find spring?! It's been sunny and a balmy 30 here in Minneapolis!

The opening keynote speaker is John Wood, who in 1999 founded Room to Read.Org after a vacation to Nepal, and found a library in an elementary school with no books. "Perhaps, sir, you will one day return and bring us books" became the challenge for him to see to it that every child in every country (especially third world, developing countries) should be educated. That challenge especially included girls who are often neglected in favor of boys when lack of money keeps them home. These were John's Grand Challenges:
To build schools in places where there are none.
To provide reading roomswith multi lingual books in these schools.
To offer scholarships to girls in 3rd world countries who otherwise would not have the chance to attend.

Room to Read insists on involvement from the local community, hires local staff, and raises its money from the monied world at large, as well as in the local community. Check out Room to Read. Wish you were here. Pictures later!

Some New Children's Books Worth the Effort!

Today I got to enjoy the best part of my job--sitting and reading! Of course, I must read in order to know how to accurately catalog all these cool books! Every single one of them was a children's book, so I actually got through quite a few of them. This is as opposed to young adult or adult which are just too long to actually read through a whole book in one sitting (though many times I have been sorely tempted)I'll be working on those on Monday, so maybe I'll have more to share with you then! But, let me tell you about some of the cutest books I read today. These were reviewed in the ICN session about new children's and Young Adult titles. A couple of these were purchased to go with the Summer Reading Program.

Martina the beautiful Cockroach, a Cuban folktale by Carman Agra.
Thelonious Monster's sky high Fly Pie by Judy Sierra
Cottonball Colin by Jeanne Willis
Wolf Wolf by John Rocco

If I were to summarize the four of these I would have to use the word "absolutely the funniest tales I've read in awhile!" (how's that for a 'word'?) Take my word for it, you won't be disappointed! In fact, I'd venture to say they won't 'get it'. But you will! You'll be laughing all the way home! I read more than 30 books today, and I could review them all, but these are the best of them! I tell you, "What a job"! I have got to write a book as clever as one of these someday. Oh wait. I have! I just need a publisher.

Gaming in Libraries

We had an interesting, and as far as I was concerned a rather shocking, discussion at the OC library last week concerning gaming in the libraries. I was shocked by the vehemence with which the library staff objected to having gaming at the library. As it stands now, we have tons of kids, mostly boys, playing computer games such as 'Runescape' and 'Medal of Honor' after school, during school breaks, and especially during the summer. We are charged with monitoring how long they stay on the computer and it gets to be rather tiresome as even I would admit.

So when there was a proposal that we add XBOX for kids--well, you can imagine that it didn't go over well. Not all because it would be one more thing for us to monitor, but because of the objection to the damage that gaming creates. So, knowing that there is a lot of research out there about gaming, and lots of libraries who are really getting into this, I went out and took a look at what's going on. Surprise, surprise, but it isn't just libraries who are 'wooing' the teenage crowd with games and all things associated with gaming--so is the business world and schools!

Join me as we walk through the gaming world in libraries:

Are you missing a segment of your population in the library? Teenagers? NPR has a short segment you can listen to that talks about wooing those missing teenagers back to the library....to the games, near the books.

The Blog Game On has a very long list of research articles related to gaming in school, public and academic libraries. Very well worth looking at some of those articles

Those English Language Learners are using gaming to build their English skills, not to mention the critical thinking skills all students gain by playing games in the library or not.

If you're at all serious about gaming in the library, this is a MUST READ series: ALA held a symposium on Gaming in Libraries and you can listen to podcasts or read articles related to this symposium: explore how libraries fit into the intersection of gaming and the digital learning landscape.

Before you write the idea of gaming off--or even before you embrace it--think through what this means to your library in general. The whole idea of having gaming in the library is a challenge to librarians to 'think outside the box'. How can we offer traditional library services to a new generation of users in so that they'll understand and come to love libraries the way we do? Is it possible to use something as radical as GAMING? At the very least, it's worth a second look!

Every Child Ready to Read

It's an awesome responsibility for the libraries: working with educators, community leaders, and parents to get pre schoolers ready for the incredible task of learning to read! If you had a chance to hear Saroj Ghoting this past month, you will already be inspired to do more with your preschool or outreach programs. NWILS provided free materials for those who attended: Brochures "Every Child Ready to Read @ Your Library" for parents of preschoolers from two and three year olds to pre readers aged 4-5, along with the book by Ms. Ghoting.

Programs programs programs. Summer Reading, Pre-School Story Hours: They have always been something the library has provided within our communities. But within recent years there has been brand new emphasis on the incredible importance that preschoolers have early literacy experiences. What a great opportunity for libraries to step up and fill a void. What are the libraries offering out there? Who is doing outreach and how does that look? Have you developed policies that address these issues? Have you added programs that seek to work with the immigrant population and their children, or extra toddler programs? How about online programs for pre schoolers? Anyone doing something like that? Do you use volunteers or guest readers? Here's some links to ideas: Preschool Storytime Volunteer Handbook

Cyber pre-school Story hour