More on Gaming at the Library

So you're tired of the after school crowd racing to the library just so they can play games after school? Time to start working with them rather than against them, as it were. Time to step out of the box you're in and start looking at the gaming crowd as the perfect opportunity to up your circulation and programming statistics.

There are several websites with ideas about gaming programs including Librarian in Black, The Shifted Librarian, and an article from the Philly News that will help you promote your library and gamers.

Think about these things in relation to how gaming fits within the context of the library's mission:

1. Gaming meets needs
2. It provides social interaction that is critical for a teen's development
3. It offers physical activity (think Wii)
4. It's an outlet for creative expression
5. It offers a chance for teens to prove competence and achievement and thus opportunities for self development
6. It teaches risk taking, problem solving and how to be a team player
7. Gamers must spend time reading instructions, walking through rules of the game and even being involved in websites and chat forums related to their games
8. For ever one hour of playing, gamers spend 4 hours reading!

Looked at from that angle, who wouldn't want games at the library? I'm not talking about the violent, grand theft auto games here, just your avarage 'Runescape' or 'Medal of Honor' or any one of a dozen other readily available game that your teens are playing at your library. Video games are great for helping libraries challenge their inaccurate image as dusty and outdated. So...game on!