CIL2007: Gaming & Libraries: Engaging Strategies

Jenny Levine, ALA & Aaron Schmidt, North Plains Public Library

  • http://theshiftedlibrarian.pbwiki.com/
  • Numbers
    • define gamer
    • define gamer
    • there are a lot of young gamers
    • not just teenage boys in the basement along
    • boomers 77 million
    • avg 21-year-old = 5000 hours
    • 33 avg age of gamer
    • online gamers = largest percentage is middle-ages women
  • Flickr photos of gamers
  • Nintendo Wii
  • gamers
    • see themselves as a hero on a quest
    • willing to experiment and keep trying
    • willing to seek expertise & ask for help
    • desire to collaborate
    • learn from mistakes & adapt quickly
    • thrive on fast decision making
    • have an inherent distrust of bosses
    • format agnostic
    • don’t want to be spoon-fed
    • are used to creating content
    • expect interaction, rewards, customization
  • engaging strategies
    • collection development
      • Mario Brothers Memorial Library
      • Gaming Target
    • support materials/services
    • reader’s advisory
      • what movies do you like
      • what tv shows do you watch
      • what games do you play
      • 10 YA novels w/ gaming plots
    • provide board games
    • GeoCaching
    • Open play
      • kids bring in their own gaming equipment
      • Support w/ a blog
        • lots of comments
      • free online games
        • reunscape
        • step mania
        • 4 librarians
        • good experience
      • “Game Pods”
    • Tournament Play
    • Bibliographic Instruction
    • Game creation
    • Participation Gap
    • lifelong learning
  • potential gaming groups
    • families
      • DDR
      • Mario Kart
      • Wii Sports

    • 20- and 30-somethings
      • DDR
      • Guitar Hero
      • Halo

    • middle-aged women
      • DDR

    • greatest generation men
      • WWII games
  • Nintendo DS handheld
    • Built in Wireless
    • Brain Age
  • Communal Experience
  • Further Reading

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *