52 Ready-To-Use Gaming Programs for Libraries - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0838947344 ISBN 13: 9780838947340

Publisher: ALA Editions, 2020

Synopsis

Gaming programs offer many benefits: they encourage interaction among patrons, strengthen community bonds with the library, and when done right they can be incredibly popular. Kroski, a bestselling author as well as an avid gamer herself, has gathered more than 50 creative programming ideas from public, school, and academic libraries nationwide. Most will hit your core gaming audience of teens, but you'll also find plenty of options for adults, tweens, and younger children—the mix of tabletop, video, and live-action gaming programs includes something for everyone. Complete with step-by-step instructions for how to prepare and host programs, a materials and equipment list, estimated budget, and recommendations for age ranges, inside this book you’ll find fun ideas such as

• Instagram or zombie-tag scavenger games;
• a video game rec league;
• teaching cybersecurity with Minecraft;
• STEM with virtual reality and other programs for VR equipment;
• fostering science literacy with themed board games;
• a life-sized Game of Life;
• STEAM with an amazing race;
• hosting a Gaming Con at your library;
• video game study breaks for calming students’ nerves during Finals Week;
• leading enthusiasts in writing an original roleplay or designing a board game; and
• building your collection of games through donations and grants.

The engaging programs in this book will have people flocking to your library—it’s all in the game.

About this title

About the Author

Ellyssa Kroski is the Director of Information Technology and Marketing at the New York Law Institute as well as an award-winning editor and author of 60 books including Law Librarianship in the Age of AI for which she won the AALL's 2020 Joseph L. Andrews Legal Literature Award.  She is a librarian, an adjunct faculty member at Drexel and San Jose State Universities, and an international conference speaker.  She received the 2017 Library Hi Tech Award from the ALA/LITA for her long-term contributions in the area of Library and Information Science technology and its application.  She can be found at http://www.amazon.com/author/ellyssa

Reviews

Kroski (director, information technology & marketing, New York Law Inst.) offers a breakdown of 52 games that can be used in libraries, organized into three parts: tabletop programs (17), video game programs (15), and live-action game programs (20). In each entry, written by a working librarian, readers will find information such as age range (tweens, young adults, or adults); library type (public, school, academic); and cost, as well as an overview, a list of equipment and/or materials, step-by-step instructions, and suggestions for what to offer next. Ruth Covington, a publicity and event specialist at Orem Public Library, UT, discusses how school and public libraries can host history mystery programs, where participants work to answer questions such as what happened to the colony of Roanoke or who killed John F. Kennedy. Emily Burkot, a teen librarian at Chesapeake Public Library, walks readers through Pokémon Go events, while Susan M. Hansen describes how librarians can use escape rooms to give patrons a grounding in the library's services. Though several of the programs could be adapted for virtual use, most are in-person/in-library programs, which make this guide useful for when librarians are able to once more offer in-person programming. The suggestions are fun and useful, and the instructions are detailed, making them ideal for those with little to no experience with gaming programs in the library. VERDICT A valuable primer for librarians eager to set up gaming programs, especially those new to this kind of programming.-Renee McGrath, Nassau Lib. Syst., Uniondale, NYα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Edition details

• Publisher: ALA Editions
• Publication date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0838947344
• ISBN 13: 9780838947340
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 368