Los Angeles libraries offer video games to kids

April 17, 2008 7:57 AM

Los Angeles libraries offer video games to kids - Yes, they play Guitar Hero in the library these days. Over half of the LA public libraries are offering video game nights to encourage kids to visit libraries. Also, this Friday is 'gaming @ the library day', part of the effort to get children more comfortable at the library.
posted by Argyle (69 comments total)

Maybe in the reference section somebody can look up "counterproductive."
posted by Pater Aletheias at 8:09 AM on April 17, 2008 [2 favorites]

When I was a kid, we would get 'comfortable' with the library by learning how to use the card catalogue.
posted by yoyoceramic at 8:10 AM on April 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

What is a library? I'm honestly not sure. Certainly not just a place for books.
posted by stbalbach at 8:10 AM on April 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

These public libraries.... it's really never been about the books has it?
posted by three blind mice at 8:10 AM on April 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

our branch library in denton does this. my daughter's middle school is 200 yards away and the kids flock there after school to play ddr and gh. good clean fun
posted by jmccw at 8:11 AM on April 17, 2008

Libraries are desperate to stay relevant and this is one way to get teen body count. If teens grow up thinking the library is an institution that's archaic and irrelevant, they're not going to be library supporters as adults. Libraries now lend music and movies, mostly as a way to increase circulation and draw people in. They have to evolve to meet the needs of the community. If a city council sees low circ. numbers, they'll be more apt to cut funding when money is tight because they'll think the community doesn't value the library. Libraries also have to accept their changing role in the community. If they want to only be book repositories, they'll wither on the vine.
posted by HotPatatta at 8:11 AM on April 17, 2008 [3 favorites]

I think this is a great idea. I love to play and watch video games and I could definitely see myself checking out a book or magazine while watching Timmy beat that last level on guitar hero. And playing alittle myself. hehe.

I say if it sparks interest then go for it.
posted by Takeyourtime at 8:19 AM on April 17, 2008

Now libraries circulate all manner of items other than books, including music albums, tools, toys, cake pans, even animals.


Which libraries circulate animals??? What kind of animals can I borrow?
posted by giantfist at 8:28 AM on April 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

I got a leaflet in my mailbox reminding me about DC's "Pimp My Library Cart" for children and teens. Sigh.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 8:28 AM on April 17, 2008

I think this is a great idea.

I agree.

Anecdote: my 14-year-old nephew has been playing Assassin's Creed on his Xbox 360 since November. He has become interested in the historical aspects of the game: the Crusades, Saladin, Richard The Lionheart, The Knights Templar, the Philadelphia Experiment, the Tunguska event and has been searching out reading material about them since then.
posted by ericb at 8:34 AM on April 17, 2008

Let's pre-HaX0r the lending library computers and install WoW for them!
posted by Artw at 8:34 AM on April 17, 2008

These public libraries.... it's really never been about the books has it?

It's about the ideas. The modern library argument is that those also come over the internet, on DVD, in graphic novels... And then there are video games, which are a little dicey on the life-expanding ideas front, but they get people in the door and provide a social outlet.

(The extent that public libraries are obliged to provide a social outlet is one of those things tiny professional jihads are fought over.)
posted by ormondsacker at 8:38 AM on April 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

Eh, it keeps 'em off my lawn.
posted by Ufez Jones at 8:44 AM on April 17, 2008

If only we could get a librarian's opinion on this...
posted by Mister_A at 8:51 AM on April 17, 2008

At my public library, we've been doing video game programming for about a year and a half. We started with Guitar Hero, then branched out into DDR, Karaoke Revolution, etc. One of the other branches does an 'arcade' program with legacy systems, all donated. The branch next to mine just bought a Wii.

Programming to teens and young adults is one of the more challenging tasks that librarians face these days, and gaming programs are, for us at least, an excellent way to reach these groups.
posted by box at 9:00 AM on April 17, 2008

If only we could get a librarian's opinion on this...

Well, until someone more qualified steps in and offers up an opinion, I'll say it works. We've been doing game tournaments at all of our branches for a while now and our Teen circulation and attendance is (anecdotally speaking) up. Many of the kids who come in for the games stay for books or studying afterwards. We also have Nintendo DS'es that kids can check out for use, and we offer a fair number of game titles in our A/V collection along with DVDs and CDs.

And as a former video game developer, I'll also add that there's a fair number of games that feature the same level of storytelling or "life-expanding ideas" as the books everyone seems to think libraries are all about. Not really any of the games I worked on mind you...
posted by 40 Watt at 9:01 AM on April 17, 2008

Dear Public Librarians-

Thank you so much for setting our future students' expectations for what a library is. Guess we should dump all our journal subscriptions and database access for a few Xboxen and some nice big screen TVs. We also get right on clearing away some shelving so as to make space for comfy couches. Nobody reads those books aways!

Yours,
Academic Librarians
posted by robocop is bleeding at 9:21 AM on April 17, 2008

My local library has weekly Rock Band tournaments. Unfortunately(for me), they're only open to teens.
posted by owtytrof at 9:24 AM on April 17, 2008

Don't forget my library.
posted by zzazazz at 9:28 AM on April 17, 2008

My library offers free hi-speed internet access in a rural/suburban service area that is mostly dialup. Teens are our heaviest computer users during after school hours, so we like to take advantage of a captive audience. We offer game programs for exactly the reasons HotPatatta mentions above.

It's not just about the games, though. Presentation is very important. You need to give them something they can't get at home playing these games. We use projectors to show DDR, Guitar Hero III, and Rock Band on the big screen. Staff create displays of related books, CDs, and DVDs, and promote our music-related databases. And we always feed them. Of course, they can get food at home, but it's always been SOP to offer punch and pie whenever possible at library programs.

Our program attendance, circulation numbers, and database hits have all jumped since we started offering these types of events. Even the smaller branches get 2-3 times more teens than they would at any other kind of program. As long as they stay popular with teens, I don't see video games or online gaming in the library going away soon.
posted by gargoyle93 at 9:28 AM on April 17, 2008

Robocop, didn't you get the memo? Books suck.

Nice weighted companion cube profile picture, by the way. That reminds me, I need to clear off some more books to make room for all the copies of Portal we just bought.
posted by 40 Watt at 9:28 AM on April 17, 2008

This library thing, it sounds like an internet for object fetishists. And the WoW is for what exactly -- to get kids nearer the books? Why not just hide iTunes giftcards in the stacks and set them loose?

If that sounds sad to you, it does to me, too. Libraries were a haven for me growing up. But it's hard to imagine how they're going to compete in twenty years with the Internet+Amazon+ubiquitous print-on-demand. I don't think turning them into arcades is the answer.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 9:40 AM on April 17, 2008

"You go into these small libraries in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the teens have been gone now for 25 years. ... And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to books or database access or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-videogame sentiment or anti-trade-paperback sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."
posted by BeerFilter at 9:49 AM on April 17, 2008 [2 favorites]

Yeah, 40 Watt, I got the memo. Or at least, I was supposed to get it, but all the workstations in the library are tied up with students gambling online, updating Facebook, and watching YouTube clips of guys getting their gnards punched.

I'd love to be able to have actual gaming in my library. Heck, I even talked the director into getting a Wii. But a few semesters of students using the library and its resources for pursuits that do not further their education has broken me. We have all these resources aimed at making it easy for students to write a paper, do some research, or work on group projects. But that's not how the resources are being used most of the time. So students who actually need to write papers, research, or meet with study groups, can't.

Now, I'm not going to chase these kids off my lawn. I think it's great that they're coming into the library every day. It keeps me employed, after all! But if more and more kids look at libraries as social hangout spots, the less helpful the academic library becomes in supporting their education. For example, I have 50 laptops available for student use. All 50 were checked out by 11AM this morning. There is a line of people waiting (well, actually they have buzzers - I'm one moose head away from turning my circ desk into a TGI Friday's) for access to these machines. Every student that borrows a laptop for non-schoolwork takes one away from a student who genuinely has work to do (but then again, that number could be declining as well - the laptop queue could be for folks who want to update their Facebooks).

By training kids to look at libraries as being fun and full of games, public libraries help to boost their use numbers, which in turn helps them get funding and so on. That's great for them, but those kids will (hopefully) become college students some day and the expectation of the library as party central does not fly and could even be a detriment to the success of the student as well as the academic library.

In the course of writing this reply, I had to troubleshoot a laptop that crashed due to a student's attempt to install WoW on it. He tried to crack Fortres in order to do so, which made things really, really unhappy.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 9:53 AM on April 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

This Shifted Librarian post Does Gaming Promote Reading? is worth reading. The comments, too.
posted by ryansara at 9:56 AM on April 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

My friends and I used to use the library to play D&D. It didn't make us love books any more than we already did, but it did keep some kids from that may have never gotten out to meet other people to do so. So, I think what these libraries are doing is a good thing, although I'm not one to say that it's really a "library thing."
posted by ignignokt at 9:57 AM on April 17, 2008

Are they're spending part of their budget on video games instead of books or librarians? Or do they now have extra game money that would never have been spent on books?

I'm for taking donations from video game dealers, especially if they donate PC hardware that also will be used for non-game stuff, but if more games means fewer books and more loud aliterates at the library, it's a shit idea.

"Hey, kids! Yes, you, the ones who hate vegetables and don't even like kids who like vegetables! Because you aren't eating enough vegetables, we have stopped buying so many vegetables for you and instead we're buying a stack of candy and automatic candy dispensers and a candy-eating room so you can come in and gorge on candy for free once a month. We hope you'll be back to sit quietly and eat our reduced selection of slightly old Brussels sprouts and spinach during the rest of the month!"

Not bloody likely.
posted by pracowity at 10:00 AM on April 17, 2008

I see no difference between the kids playing Guitar Hero and the old men the next room playing chess. Or the ladies who show up for bridge night. Games change, but the library will always have room for them.

For what it's worth, they've been playing chess at the Mechanic's Institute library in San Francisco since the 1880s.
posted by gyusan at 10:05 AM on April 17, 2008 [3 favorites]

Guitar Hero may not do much to encourage reading necessarily, but I do have to say I've been incredibly impressed by my 12 and 14-year old stepsons knowledge of classic rock. So there is at least some educational benefit
posted by The Gooch at 10:07 AM on April 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

stupidsexyFlanders, the library was a haven for me as well. I actually work at the same library I went to as a kid.

I don't think we're talking about turning the library into an arcade. There's been games at the library for a long time- maybe not video games per se, but it's not like it's only ever been a pile of books with shushing librarians until just now. One of the things I remember fondly about the library as a kid was coming down after school to play D&D in the Children's Room. (OK, stop that snickering.)

For every Guitar Hero tournament we do, I do twice as many early childhood literacy development programs, storytimes, and outreach programs for literacy and reading.

And robocop, FWIW, I worked in the Business School library as an undergrad over a decade ago, and I distinctly remember Command and Conquer and Hexen sessions going on while I worked there.
posted by 40 Watt at 10:10 AM on April 17, 2008 [2 favorites]

By training kids to look at libraries as being fun and full of games, public libraries help to boost their use numbers, which in turn helps them get funding and so on. That's great for them, but those kids will (hopefully) become college students some day and the expectation of the library as party central does not fly and could even be a detriment to the success of the student as well as the academic library.

You better step up to the plate, because the public librarians are kicking your butt.

Honestly, gaming at libraries is nothing new - I'm surprised this is even being discussed. My library has regular gaming nights, rents out video games, has Wii for seniors events - and the Outreach department has regularly scheduled visits to assisted living centers and day centers for gaming tournaments.
posted by bradth27 at 10:15 AM on April 17, 2008

Since the Pope is in town, maybe somebody shoud show him this, would bea great way to get Mass attendance back up!!

I think if it gives the kids a reason to go to the library, it's a good thing. Better than hanging out on the corner, or in the mall
posted by Mr_Chips at 10:18 AM on April 17, 2008

If that sounds sad to you, it does to me, too. Libraries were a haven for me growing up. But it's hard to imagine how they're going to compete in twenty years with the Internet+Amazon+ubiquitous print-on-demand. I don't think turning them into arcades is the answer.

I've said this a lot in the past, but... see, libraries offer information for free. Almost anything you could ever want, really. print-on-demand still costs money. The internet ( contrary to popular belief) does not allow access to everything - and very little scholarly work.
posted by bradth27 at 10:22 AM on April 17, 2008 [2 favorites]

libraries have never been the place where kids hang out. What was a kid going to do: hang out at the library or play with his friends?

public libraries have always been the place where you go to thumb your nose at people trying to sell you media, and instead you jointly own it with your community and borrow it from there. Console video games are easily a media that fits this category along with DVDs and CDs and books.
posted by garlic at 10:25 AM on April 17, 2008

This COULD work out well you know guys, not all video games are intellectual trash. (Yeah, most of them are, but....)
posted by JHarris at 10:29 AM on April 17, 2008

I distinctly remember Command and Conquer and Hexen sessions going on while I worked there.

I don't doubt it. I know that as an undergrad, I MUSHed and MUDed my fair share in libraries and computer labs. That sort of incidental (maybe even a bit guilty?) gaming has been going on in libraries for years and years. But the idea of a planned and promoted gaming event as a way of changing an audience's mindset about the library is rather new. If is successful, it alters the audience's perception of not only public libraries, but all libraries. The perception of a library as social place may be helpful to public libraries, but taken too far it's a serious detriment to the academics' mission.

You better step up to the plate, because the public librarians are kicking your butt.

Totally. I figure a bunch of promotional condoms with "Your Academic Library: The Stacks Are for Fucking!" will help me play catchup.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 10:45 AM on April 17, 2008

At a public library, nothing that we do that provides content to our users is just 'to draw them in'. Video game events at libraries are not a loss leader; they are a core service. Making the content that our communities want available to them, and building social events that center around the consumption of that content, is what public libraries are here to do. Of course, we always want to balance that with 'the good stuff', and promote literacy, and collect the classics; but libraries are here to aggregate the buying power of a community and use it to provide shared access to the content that the community needs and wants. That means buying both Gravity's Rainbow and Nacho Libre.

Most whippersnappers consider themselves able to help themselves to whatever content they want. A physical collection is fast approaching buggy whip status in their eyes. They're not necessarily right (yet), but if that's the brand perception of a library, then public access to commercial content has no future, unless of course copyright falls apart completely and everything is free to everyone, which is almost as deadly to libraries as a triumph of DRM.

Libraries need to break through the mainstream audience's opinions of our worthlessness and show them that we add value to their lives and their communities. To someone who doesn't know what bittorrent is, you can do that with a DVD. For net natives, it's trickier... but social consumption of content has been the foundation of library programming for decades, and a guitar hero open play or tournament is no different than storytime. You're taking a piece of recreational content that would normally be consumed individually and making a social event out of it. Just like a puppet show based on Jack on the Beanstalk. Just like a open discussion of the Kite Runner. This is just a new format (to libraries), and when libraries ignore new formats that are in demand in our communities, commercial enterprise rushes in to fill the vacuum. That's where Blockbuster came from.

So it's not about putting butts in the seats. It's not about leading kids to discover the heartbreaking genius of Dave Eggers. It's not even about proving relevance to an audience that never would have thought of the library as useful. It's about providing service to our community. All of the community, not just the ones who like to read for fun. Public Libraries can't be all things to all people, but they should have something for everyone.

Also, 'turning libraries into arcades' is just silly; arcades are libraries! They're just pay-per-use instead of a circulating collection.

ok, yes, this is my thing, and I'm quoted in the article. Sorry for the stridency.
posted by ulotrichous at 10:48 AM on April 17, 2008 [8 favorites]

Totally. I figure a bunch of promotional condoms with "Your Academic Library: The Stacks Are for Fucking!" will help me play catchup.

I initially read that as "play catcher", and I thought: "Yes, I suppose they will help with that."
posted by 40 Watt at 10:56 AM on April 17, 2008

It's about providing service to our community. All of the community, not just the ones who like to read for fun. Public Libraries can't be all things to all people, but they should have something for everyone.

Public libraries are supposed to fill a void that "the market" doesn't. Internet cafés are abundant and survive quite well on their own without "competition" from publicly funded institutions that are working outside their mandate.

This... this is about justifing jobs of librarians.
posted by three blind mice at 11:11 AM on April 17, 2008

Seems to be a lot of special pleading on this thread for libraries to "stay relevant." I understand that libraries have never always been just about books and journals, and that there have always been folks going to a library to rent a CD or a DVD, to play chess, to read the paper, to get internet access, or to attend a presentation, children's show or reading of some sort. But the primary reason for libraries is still to serve as repositories of information and knowledge, and I wonder at what point it will be clear to all of us that some libraries are no longer serving this purpose? I think there are better ways to attract new library users than the one put forth in this post, but I'm also sure there are no hard and fast rules about what works. I just think there may be a slippery slope here, and in an effort to "stay relevant" libraries may actually excacerbate the problem and re-invent themselves into irrelevance.
posted by ornate insect at 11:12 AM on April 17, 2008

Internet cafés are abundant and survive quite well on their own without "competition" from publicly funded institutions that are working outside their mandate.

Sweet god almighty, poor people exist. Public libraries were invented for people who couldn't afford an inflated fee when they needed to access information, and they haven't driven Barnes & Noble under yet.
posted by ormondsacker at 11:36 AM on April 17, 2008 [3 favorites]

Public libraries are supposed to fill a void that "the market" doesn't

Actually, your own example is at odds at that. The market does not do a very good job of ensuring that every citizen has access to the internet, although access to government services are increasingly dependent on citizens having internet access. It's not remotely outside the mandate of a public library to provide publicly-owned access to the net, although there were people who took that stance in the 90's when the 'this internet thing is a fad' meme was big.
posted by ulotrichous at 11:40 AM on April 17, 2008

But the primary reason for libraries is still to serve as repositories of information and knowledge

They're also repositories of human creativity, which includes movies and video games. And, you know, fiction and works of art, stuff like that.

Actually, one thing I really love about my local library is that people can rent art. Yes, the kind you stick up on your wall. I made it all the way into library school without having the slightest clue that anyone could contemplate that, much less put it into action, and it's so damn cool the way it enriches our community. And yes, they also hold video game tourneys, and according to this article, have for years. *waves discreetly at ulotrichous*
posted by bettafish at 11:44 AM on April 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

As a public librarian, I'm of two minds regarding this sort of thing. My own branch hasn't started holding games nights yet, but some of the larger branches in the same system have.

Pros: It gets kids into the library, where they *might* be inspired to explore the rest of the branch and see what it has to offer. Boosts circulation/visit stats, which are tied to funding, thereby improving the chances of my job not being axed. Gives poor kids a chance to try something they normally can't afford, thereby boosting their opinion of the library.

Cons: Continues the gradual transformation of libraries from study centres to daycares. Kids will expect that they can hoot and holler as they play games at public workstations, thereby disrupting other patrons. Furthers the marginalization of books within libraries (this is a societal thing, not the fault of libraries; the sad fact of the matter is that the vast majority of teens will not pick up a book unless forced to by a school assignment, and when they are forced to they are not happy about it).

All in all I guess I'm mildly against this sort of thing, but the horse is out of the barn. Harry Potter aside, books will probably never again be something most kids have much of an interest in, so we've got to do *something* to get them in there.
posted by The Card Cheat at 12:08 PM on April 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

Gosh there are so many BOOKS on this subject that one can read. I submit to you the following:
Everything Bad is Good for You - Steven Johnson
What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy - J. Gee
Gamers in the Library?! - Eli Neiburger

Read, and then come back.
posted by ikahime at 12:09 PM on April 17, 2008

What the kids really need is more Choose Your Own Adventure books. Are they still making those? Who needs Guitar Hero when you have Choose Your Own Freaking Adventure?
posted by naju at 12:18 PM on April 17, 2008

Actually, yes they are still making those Choose Your Own Adventure books, or at least they're reprinting them.

They're like Zork, but made of paper!
posted by 40 Watt at 12:22 PM on April 17, 2008

Kids actually really love the Choose Your Own Adventure books in my library. But they also love our video games. And CDs. And playing the electronic keyboard (with headphones of course!). And the internet. And the "share your opinion" whiteboard. And the magazines. And listening to the radio. And all kinds of books.

The catch: if they hadn't come in, they wouldn't have known that we had most of those things. Sometimes the only way to convince people to take advantage of the various cool options they have is to maneuver things so those options are right under their noses.

(Granted, what brought them into my library is that they're mental patients and they have to come with their school classes, but if this were an actual public library, a video game tournament might have been the only thing that got them to come in.)
posted by gillyflower at 12:36 PM on April 17, 2008

The minute my local library starts having "Game Night" is the minute I stop voting for library bonds.
You want kids to have a place to hangout after school? Fine, build a damn community center. Have all the Guitar Hero/Wii Bowling/craft nights you want.
It's hard enough in my library with employees who can't figure out how to whisper, I can't imagine the cacophony a horde of gamers would create.
posted by madajb at 12:43 PM on April 17, 2008

I have been both a public librarian and an academic librarian and I think that this is a good thing. And as a parent I 'd love to send my kids down the street to our local library for an afternoon of socializing, gaming and book browsing.
posted by Biblio at 12:52 PM on April 17, 2008

We already have a community center. One of our library branches is inside the community center.
posted by 40 Watt at 1:02 PM on April 17, 2008

books will probably never again be something most kids have much of an interest in, so we've got to do *something* to get them in there.

Why? I mean, other than to preserve your job.

Ice hockey might bring them in, too, or boxing lessons, but it would be a shame to take out the books and put in an ice rink or boxing ring. If they are going to the library to play video games and browse the internet, maybe they ought to be going somewhere else. If they don't want to read, they aren't going to read. Find out what actual readers want to read and spend the library budget accordingly.

Sweet god almighty, poor people exist.

They certainly do. The government ought to issue internet stamps (like food stamps) so people can go to any internet cafe they like rather than have to put up with using free library workstations. Then charge for library workstation access, just as you would charge for library photocopier access.
posted by pracowity at 1:22 PM on April 17, 2008

And then sell all the books, and sell the shelves as firewood.
posted by Artw at 1:47 PM on April 17, 2008

Totally. I figure a bunch of promotional condoms with "Your Academic Library: The Stacks Are for Fucking!" will help me play catchup.

It's about time someone stood up and marketed the academic library for what it really is. Let me know how it goes - I think it will be a huge success.
posted by bradth27 at 2:11 PM on April 17, 2008

madajbe said:

The minute my local library starts having "Game Night" is the minute I stop voting for library bonds.
You want kids to have a place to hangout after school? Fine, build a damn community center. Have all the Guitar Hero/Wii Bowling/craft nights you want.
It's hard enough in my library with employees who can't figure out how to whisper, I can't imagine the cacophony a horde of gamers would create.

There's no reason the library can't serve both those needs. Our university library is filled with chatter on the main floor, but there's a nice quiet-reading floor in the lower level where I go to study.
posted by theiconoclast31 at 3:54 PM on April 17, 2008

"There's no reason the library can't serve both those needs. Our university library is filled with chatter on the main floor, but there's a
nice quiet-reading floor in the lower level where I go to study."

Well, in my particular library, there are architectural reasons they can't co-exist.
But disregarding that, a library is not an appropriate dumping ground for teenagers. Don't run a backdoor community center with the already limited resources available to the library. Don't take librarians away from their tasks and turn them into babysitters.
If a teen hangout needs to be built, start a bond measure, get a building built and stop piggybacking on the library.
posted by madajb at 4:20 PM on April 17, 2008

I'd be a little concerned about noise, and internet cloggage by WoWers is a known issue with librarys, but it sounds like you're against this on general principle, even if it didn't inconvenience anyone, which is just... weird.
posted by Artw at 4:26 PM on April 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

It's hard enough in my library with employees who can't figure out how to whisper, I can't imagine the cacophony a horde of gamers would create.

I guess your library doesn't have one of those newfangled meeting rooms where such things can be set up?

My library offers video games to check out and often holds DDR tournaments. I get holds in all the time, since the library, while small, is part of a consortium with a couple of dozen others, so I'm in the library a couple of times a week. I have never been disturbed by any noise from kids playing video games. In fact, it's quiet enough that I've considered going there to write. The only thing keeping me from doing so is that I know I'd be too tempted to go exploring rather than sitting down to do some work.

I say whatever gets people actually in to the library, so that they can keep longer hours and not close down on Fridays or whatever, is fine by me.
posted by sugarfish at 4:27 PM on April 17, 2008

Gamers in the Library?! - Eli Neiburger
Read, and then come back.

My original title was "Just Like Storytime, only Louder and Smellier" but ALA Editions just wasn't quite comfortable with that.
posted by ulotrichous at 6:01 PM on April 17, 2008

It's hard enough in my library with employees who can't figure out how to whisper, I can't imagine the cacophony a horde of gamers would create.

This is a big problem - people think we're big "shushers" at the library. And some librarians are.... but, as a one-time children's librarian, I encouraged the kids to have fun. And scream a lot. And laugh. Because laughing is fun. And children who are intimidated by mean librarians who tell them to shut up and be respectful tend to not come back as adults.

Instead, what we get are mean-ass adults who scream "GET OFF MY LAWN!"

Sheesh. lighten up. Take the free book and read it at home if you want peace and quiet.
posted by bradth27 at 7:08 PM on April 17, 2008

This is shocking how exactly?

The Brisbane City Council libraries (at least the one in Brisbane Square) has an XBox station. It's far away enough from the rest of the reading areas (the place is HUGE) and uses headphones, so there's no noise. There are also stations to use computers, watch TV, and listen to music. Occasionally there are workshops on all sorts of things.

Our uni just started a Games Design course, and for one class all you have to do is play games. Seriously. Play games and analyse them. For that, one campus library has a Gaming basement to rent and play games. It's received rave reviews from my friends who are in that class.
posted by divabat at 7:13 PM on April 17, 2008

I wonder whether all the people here who claim that kids playing videogames in libraries will create noise has actually been to a library that has video games. The people making the most noise are people chitchatting in the books area. The ones with the TV/music/internet (free!!)/video games area are quiet and focused.
posted by divabat at 7:40 PM on April 17, 2008

When I was a teen I played 'Under the Root', and other videogames at the Palm Springs library. This is nothing new. Also, I read 1-3 books a day in the summers, so I don't think the videogames were that counterproductive.
posted by BrotherCaine at 7:52 PM on April 17, 2008

Head Over Heels.
posted by ericb at 7:59 PM on April 17, 2008

"Just Like Storytime, only Louder and Smellier"

Couldn't this have made it as the subtitle at least?
posted by ikahime at 8:23 PM on April 17, 2008

When I was a young whippersnapper, we used to go to the library to play Eamon. . .anyone else remember this one? It was written in basic, so you could hack the code that generated stats real easy. . .
posted by flotson at 11:46 PM on April 17, 2008

I feel like we're forgetting one category of librarian in the public vs. academic librarian back-and-forth here: school librarians. (Perhaps because they're a vanishing breed, thanks to various budget cuts?)

In the course of interviewing undergraduates regarding library searching, the students who knew what academic libraries were for and knew how to use them had learned to do so through their school librarians. Basically, after being assigned a research paper, these students had then been told by their teacher to go talk to their school librarians, who then proceeded to show them how to find information and use the various resources, as well as instruct them on what would be appropriate sources for a research paper. So once in college, these students regarded the academic library as a bigger version of their school library, as a place to get your schoolwork done, with people who would help you get it done. But I don't know who ends up filling this role as school librarian positions get cut, along with school libraries.

As for gaming in libraries, I subscribe to the notion that libraries, and public libraries in particular, are an example of a Third Place, somewhere that isn't your house or your workplace, that is essential for forming communities. And for children and teens, playing games in the library can be part of the process of developing ties to their community and its institutions.
posted by needled at 2:37 AM on April 18, 2008

"And children who are intimidated by mean librarians who tell them to shut up and be respectful tend to
not come back as adults."

Ok by me, since I imagine the children who can't learn to be respectful and quiet when it's appropriate grow up to be the same kind of adults who can't turn off their "Super Mario Bros." ringtone.
posted by madajb at 9:21 AM on April 18, 2008 [1 favorite]

Games in the Library... why not? But I hope they will pass the hat among the players, since LA is about to start charging $1/book for regular interbranch loans, and stopped buying new books two months ago. I started (self-link) savelapl.org to try to raise awareness of these threats to the free library, and about 600 people have emailed the Mayor and Library Commissioners since Tuesday. Please pass it on.
posted by Scram at 10:46 AM on April 19, 2008