Dragons in the Stacks: A Teen Librarian's Guide to Tabletop Role-Playing (Libraries Unlimited Professional Guides for Young Adult Librarians Series) - Softcover

Torres-Roman, Steven A.; Snow, Cason E.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1610692616 ISBN 13: 9781610692618

Publisher: Libraries Unlimited, 2014

Synopsis

A one-stop, complete guide to tabletop role-playing games for novice librarians as well as seasoned players.

Tabletop role-playing games (RPGs) are a perfect fit for library teen services. They not only hold great appeal for teen patrons, but also help build important skills ranging from math and literacy to leadership and dramatics. Role-playing games are cost-effective too. Dragons in the Stacks explains why RPGs are so effective at holding teenagers' attention, identifies their specific benefits, outlines how to select and maintain a RPG collection, and demonstrates how they can enhance teen services and be used in teen programs. Detailed reviews of role-playing games are included as well, with pointers on their strengths, weaknesses, and library applications. Coauthored by an experienced young adult librarian and an adult services librarian, this is the definitive guide to RPGs in the library, and the only one currently available.

About this title

About the Author

Steven A. Torres-Roman, MLIS, is teen librarian at DeKalb Public Library, DeKalb, IL.

Cason E. Snow, MLIS, is metadata librarian/cataloger at University of Maine, Orono.

Reviews

In this professional resource for both public and school librarians, Torres-Roman and Snow give a concise yet thorough look at tabletop role-playing games (RPGs) and their role in library collections and programming. Starting with a gentle introduction to old school tabletop RPGs by way of their history and a rundown of the most popular titles, the authors walk librarians through the complete process of adding these games to their collection, discussing the qualities one should look for when considering what games to select, the technical aspects of cataloging them, and cementing RPGs as a bona fide resource rather than a bait-and-switch diversion. Torres-Roman and Snow aren't afraid to give real, practical advice about dealing with problem patrons and the potentially emotionally charged environment of gaming. Appendices include a guide to current games, with an easy-to-understand ratings system that allows review of the game's key parameters at a glance, and a list of games tagged by genre. VERDICT Librarians who have been successfully integrating role-playing games into their programs for some time won't find much new here, but those who are just experimenting with the medium will see that as an invaluable guide, and even those seasoned pros could use it as a handy desk reference.—M. Brandon Robbins, Goldsboro H.S., NC

Edition details

• Publisher: Libraries Unlimited
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1610692616
• ISBN 13: 9781610692618
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 246