Tame The Web

LJ Reports:

http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6551184.html

As with graphic novels, public libraries have been one of the greatest champions of putting gaming materials into the public’s awaiting hands. The American Library Association (ALA) is responding to requests from its constituents for more gaming suppliers on the show floor at its conferences by introducing a Gaming Pavilion at this summer’s Annual conference in Anaheim.

ALA said the pavilion will include “electronic game publishers and platform companies, publishers of board games and card games, gaming table and furniture suppliers, and others.” The Gaming Pavilion will be the springboard of ALA’s “full-scale initiative to promote gaming in libraries.” The pavilion “strategically groups gaming industry suppliers in one specific area of the exhibit floor making it convenient for librarians to find your products and services.”

For more gaming info, be sure to read School Library Journal’s new The Gaming Life column.

I just checked out Kelly Czarnecki’s column about Rock Band. This will be a great resource to point people to during presentations. Way to go SLJ!

Ryan Deschamps writes:

• Public Libraries use gaming to attract teens

That’s not precisely true. If we have public computers, the teens are already there — gaming. Gaming programs are an attempt to channel the gaming energy into a community building experience. It’s noisy; it’s not books; it’s probably more fun than your average taxpayer would like to think a teen should be having in a library — but it does some very important things: a) it builds trust with teens, helping them to see the library as a positive place to be b) it engages them toward other positive — not necessarily toward books, no — but if it is staffed properly, lots of progress can be made toward strong research skills, safe internet use, respect for property, respect for each other and so on and c) it builds community support around the library. Police, Fire Fighters, Health Professionals, Recreation Professionals, Social Workers and more have got behind some of the activities we put on for teens — and that’s because they know libraries play their part to help young people grow into productive, healthy and happy adults.

In a nutshell, teens are in the library anyway — we might as well say “hello” on their terms. If I can go back to my “made-of-straw” non-public librarian again, we cannot forget the essential role (no, responsibility) that public libraries play in community development.

I’m still trying to get a grip on the Mishawaka Penn Harris Library banning of MySpace/Facebook and Ryan’s argument fits here as well. Trust building should be a key goal for working with young people in libraries. Where did the trust go?

Chris Harris at SLJ:

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/840000284/post/1090025309.html

We are exploring turning ILL into a game. The basic mechanic will give libraries points for sending and receiving interlibrary loans, with bonus points for prompt delivery and ontime returns. A leaderboard (competition drives a LOT more than you might want to admit!) might prompt librarians to become more involved in resource sharing.

Naomi, our Wii winner

Originally uploaded by The Shifted Librarian

Handing off the Wii to Naomi, a school librarian who donated to LISHost and got a Wii in return. Blake wrote a script that randomly generated a name from the list of donors, and this is the name that came up. Congratulations, Naomi, and thanks to everyone who helped raise $823 for LISHost!

3 days left to win a Wii!

Originally uploaded by The Shifted Librarian

Jenny and I are very happy to announce that we have a winner — a big congrats goes to:

Naomi M. of Palatine, IL

A big thank you goes out to everyone who donated to LISHost during this fundraiser.

And to Mr. Blake Carver who continues to work so tirelessly for all of us.

Jenny Levine and I are joining forces to run a fundraiser for good ole LISHost.

Jenny just posted about it at TSL:

If you’re a regular online, you probably know or know of Blake Carver. Even if you’ve never met him, you know his work. He’s been running and maintaining the incredible LISNews hub since 1999. This contribution alone is why many of us admire him for his dedication and vision.

In 2002, Blake started LISHost, an affordable website hosting service for libraries and libraries. On the very rare occasion the LISHost server goes down, you can tell something’s amiss because half the known LIS world must house their sites there. I do, as does Michael Stephens, and we can both tell you from first-hand experience that Blake does a superhuman job of maintaining the server (especially security) and providing technical support.

I can’t think of a time when Blake hasn’t responded immediately when there was a problem, when he said no to a request to add software just for me, or when he didn’t come up with a creative solution to a problem no one else would have wanted to deal with. And for all of his hard work (truly, the man must not sleep), he charges next to nothing for the services you get.

So to thank him for all of his efforts, both on our behalf and for the profession, Michael and I are raffling off a Nintendo Wii to help show our appreciation in the form of a fundraiser. Please note that neither LISHost nor LISNews is in financial trouble, and this is not a call to “save” them. This is simply a way for us to acknowledge Blake’s efforts and thank him for everything he does.

So here’s how it works. Everyone who donates $10 or more to LISHost by 11:59 p.m. on March 14, 2008, will be eligible to win the Wii. We’ll pull a name out of the digital hat, so-to-speak, and send you the Wii if you’re the lucky winner. To enter/donate, click on the button below. Your donation is your entry, as we’ll have a full list of names from Paypal.

I can’t begin to tell you, TTW readers, how helpful Blake has been getting this blog ported into WordPress — and he worked with me on it during the Holidays! If you’ve enjoyed the blogs and sites that LISHost serves, please consider a donation.

GSLIS speaker series attendees

Originally uploaded by The Shifted Librarian

As part of the Emerging Library Leaders series, Jenny Levine spoke to a group of students, faculty and staff last Monday night. I was thrilled to be there and hear her full length Gaming in Libraries talk. The students — many gamers themselves - had some great questions. I am tickled that Jenny got to speak at our school.

Her presentation is here:

http://theshiftedlibrarian.com/presentations/2008/20080204DominicanGaming.pdf

Greetings! I’m embedded at the Panera Bread at the corner of State Street and Congress Parkway in downtown Chicago, waiting for my first class of the semester to begin. LIS701: Introduction to Library and Information Science will be Wednesday nights inside the Harold Washington Library Center of the Chicago Public Library. I am really looking forward to starting with a new group of MLIS students.

While embedded, I’m updating my course Web sites with some wonderful recent links. I thought I’d share them here as well for any TTW readers who might be designing their own courses, enhancing a Learning 2.0 course, or reading up on some of the topics we visit here. These, to me, are some hot links:

Quick Guide to Second Life for Librarians: http://oedb.org/blogs/ilibrarian/2007/a-quick-guide-to-second-life-for-librarians/

Hey, Isn’t That… : (fascinating little article about photos used without folks’ permission..) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/08/AR2008010804626_pf.html

Sarah Houghton-Jan’s Top Tech Trends: http://librarianinblack.typepad.com/librarianinblack/2008/01/sarah-houghton.html

What’s Playing at the Library: (Gaming at the library) http://www.philly.com/dailynews/opinion/20080111_Whats_playing_at_the_library_.html

Infinite Touch Points: (Great post about touch points in Web 2.0 and beyond) http://darmano.typepad.com/logic_emotion/2008/01/infinite-touch.html 

After our discussion Monday night in lass of Beck and Wade’s “Got Game,” it was nice to see this at The Shifted Librarian:

I think the social interactions and socialization that takes place around gaming are often overlooked as being something less valuable than when it happens around books. This is one of the reasons that (as with anything) you can’t truly understand the benefits of video games in libraries if you’ve never played them. It’s why I encourage regional organizations (like state libraries and consortia) to purchase a console in order for their member librarians to experience this. It’s difficult to have an informed discussion without the experiential learning aspect. It’s like deciding if a library should offer a book discussion without ever having read a book. Not everyone has to do this, but the folks involved in the discussion should be familiar with the subject, and they can learn from playing the same way seniors at the Old Bridge PL will learn.

Read the whole post here: http://theshiftedlibrarian.com/archives/2007/11/28/still-more-reasons-to-offer-gaming-in-libraries-and-the-value-of-play.html

Last night was our “Gaming in Libraries” session in my Library 2.0 course. We read some articles, discussed gaming programs in local libraries, and had some time for open play. Who knew that in library school you might get to do DDR?

Thanks to the LIS768′ers who brought gaming consoles, handhelds and the like - and to those who showed others how to play various games.

Some folks explored Second Life as well, whiles others had a blast from the past with a rousing game of Asteroids. Thanks to Ruth for shooting the video. Photos to follow.

Let the (video) games begin!

Originally uploaded by Canton Public Library (MI)

At Canton Public Library:

We just got our new collection of video games in. There are about 40 so far with a loan period of 1 week. Text all your friends and tell them.

Evening teen panel moderated by Stephen Abram

Originally uploaded by American Library Association Publishing

Do not miss sampling the incredible audio from the presentations and panels from the Gaming Symposium. jenny has put loads of content up at:

http://www.techsource.ala.org/blog/Gaming+and+Libraries+Symposium/

The image is the evening teen panel moderated by Stephen Abram, where Jenny noted: “Our favorite quote from one of the teens when he talked about using .gov sites versus wikipedia: “who are you going to trust - the government or the people?”"

http://librariansmatter.com/blog/2007/07/31/gaming-in-my-academic-library/

Like many academic libraries, our library has just remodelled two floors to make a Learning Common. It is aimed at capitalising on the building as a social space - a place that creates a community of learners and provides a venue for students to hang out and (hopefully) do some self directed learning. We are opening part of it 24/7 and have soft drink vending machines, junkfood vending machines, comfy couches, a coffee shop…

People who know how to game know a lot about human/computer interfaces. They have an intuitive understanding of how to quickly read and understand a screen. Problem solving, creative thinking, and even teamwork in MMPOGs are developed via gaming.

Great post from Kathryn Greenhill. Glad to see posts like this and the discussions at the Gaming Symposium. Kathryn concludes her post with a mention of engagement and offering a place for students to take a break from their studies. Those are great reasons to explore gaming in the academic library setting.

A blog post describing a teacher’s personal reservations about allowing students certain types of technology use, on a blog site that promotes technology and libraries may seem paradoxical, but here it goes. By the way, my name is Michael Westfall and I’m a media information specialist in a Chicago public elementary school and a Dominican University LIS graduate student. A big thank you to Michael Stephens for allowing me to get my voice out there. So here is my issue: I don’t like kids playing games on the computers in my library because I feel it is at the expense of the reading of books.

I’m not anti-computer, a killjoy, or a raving modern-day Luddite. I will admit to a little technophobia, but I really do enjoy working with my students on computers. We’re very fortunate to have a fully functional computer lab within our school library, and this year we’ve learned to make Power Point presentations in fifth and sixth grades, used clip art and word art in documents starting in third grade, and have begun typing in first grade. This type of engaged time on a computer is different for me than playing games because working in Power Point, Word, and Excel produces tangible products, something I can view, enjoy, and assess. The tangible product doesn’t exist after playing a game. In the give-and-take spirit that pervades modern day teaching, I have begun to allow game playing as a reward in the last few minutes of library time. I don’t force kids to check out books, but encourage it as strongly as I can. But frequently those books still sit there, ignored and untouched (especially by those in fifth grade and up), waiting for the attention I so strongly feel they deserve.

At heart I am a book person. It’s why I chose to leave general classroom teaching and become my school’s librarian. I’ve worked hard to find and add to the collection books that kids request or show an interest in, and I have been heartened by the reactions of many students to this throughout the year. But beneath my game racism – my gamecism – is a fear. What frightens me is that many of my students have significant difficulty reading and comprehending text online, whether it’s a Wikipedia entry, an advertisement, or even detailed directions for a game. Many of them just don’t seem to get that to use the internet you have to read. To me, this is life skills reading that in importance resides alongside being able to read street signs, food labels, and directions for how to assemble furniture from IKEA or Target. I believe my personal conflict raises a serious question: how to fully use limited school library time on two very different activities - building reading comprehension skills through engagement with books, or fostering the strategizing, problem-solving, and collaborative skills that gaming is supposed to aide in developing.

http://ulatmac.wordpress.com/2007/04/26/immersive-learning-gaming-librarian-appointed/

News from McMaster University:

The University Library is pleased to announce the appointment of Shawn McCann to the position of Immersive Learning (Gaming) Librarian. Shawn comes to us from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan where he is the Digital Projects Librarian and has also held the position Web Librarian. Shawn’s official start date is August 1 2007. Shawn’s primary responsibility will be for exploring, creating, supporting and promoting library resources through gaming and virtual worlds. In particular, he brings strong technical skills; library experience; grant writing; classroom teaching experience; and, of course, a personal interest in gaming.

Thos are some cool responsibilities: Shawn’s primary responsibility will be for exploring, creating, supporting and promoting library resources through gaming and virtual worlds.
Congrats Shawn!

Jeff Trzeciak writes about gaming and libraries:

What does this have to do with designing better libraries? Well, quite a bit! All educators – including librarians – need to develop an understanding that technology has had a profound impact on how we act AND how we think. We need to develop systems that reflect how learners learn today. Libraries and library systems have traditionally taken a very linear and very text-based approach to accessing resources. This approach, it turns out, may actually be detrimental to the educational process.

The first rule of education is engagement. Games are by their very nature engaging. As a result, our users are turning up in these environments more and more often. They are there and we need to be there as well. So, my post is a question really….what is the library community doing about getting into gaming in significant ways? Who are the leaders in this area and what are they doing to make library resources and services more accessible through game environments?

And how is LIS education repsonding? Are we adding information about gaming programs to our courses. How does a thriving gaming program impact library management for example?

I think I’d like to hear Jeff and Jenny Levine chat about gaming, learning and the future of libraries. The “gaming power” alone might blow the roof off of the venue! It would be fascinating!

http://www.theshiftedlibrarian.com/archives/2007/04/01/if_youre_not_gaming_youre_losing.html

Jenny writes:

Erik and Jaap, our February visitors from the public library in Delft, Holland, returned home safely and quickly got to work putting together the 40-minute documentary they filmed about innovation in libraries, particularly around gaming. It premiered a couple of weeks ago to great reviews, and now they’re working on an English version. Until it’s ready, you can watch a trailer on the DOK website. Catch a glimpse of Michael Stephens wii bowling and Clare and me playing Guitar Hero. Cool!

AND they use the live version of “Big Love” from Fleetwood Mac’s The Dance!

More from J:

Hit play when the trailer ends and you’ll see their interview with staff from the Kankakee Public Library about podcasting.

Pictures of gaming at DOK here.

Well Done Jaap and Erik! You are missed here!

Jeff Trzeciak the McMaster University Librarian writes:

I had a great time presenting to our Board of Governors on Thursday. I spoke about gaming and its impact on students today. It was a radical departure from the type of presentation they had received in the past. They seemed to enjoy it and asked lots of questions.

View or download the PDF: http://ulatmac.files.wordpress.com/2007/03/presentation1.pdf

Don’t miss the Four Pillars of Transformation, data about games and gamers, insight into the student’s media rich lives and Jeff’s WoW vitals!

I am most impressed with Timothy Grieg’s post about his research project for his Masters:

[My] project seeks to develop a framework for the ways in which game design and e-learning theories might inform the future design and development of library interfaces within virtual world environments by considering an example of an emerging online library, the Second Life Library, and the experiences of users and virtual librarians using the service.

Read his whole post here: http://timothygreig.com/archives/64

AADLGT Prizes

Originally uploaded by *ejk*.

Those are some HOT prizes for gaming at AADL!

Opening Week 027

Originally uploaded by acplyas.

Sean Robinson writes: “We have just opened our new library and things are going really well. One of the designs in the new building was the creation of this video gaming area. Katie Jabobs is running this area and came up with many of the design elements. This is proving to be so popular that I am amazed. I am a big fan of libraries developing in this area.”

Don’t miss:

http://silversprite.wordpress.com/2006/12/23/nintendo-wii-first-impressions/

John Kirriemuir ponders the Wii, and addresses library inplications and some library gaming innovators:

Because of the inspiring and thought-provoking nature of the games and gameplay, it’s an absolute must-get for any decent games research centre or group. If, in a few months time, an academic games research centre doesn’t have a Wii in a communal staff area, then it is questionable how serious they really are about video games and gameplay.

For libraries: there’s no question. If you’ve got a suitable corner where there’s not a problem if it’s a bit noisy, a tv and a couple of hundred pounds, then go for it.

I especially like the idea of research centers having one of the sytems on hand. In light of this in-depth post and Jenny’s LTR Gaming in Libraries, maybe Dominican GSLIS needs some gaming systems on hand for classes and research.

Also, don’t miss this: < a href="http://www.fas.org/gamesummit/">http://www.fas.org/gamesummit/ for more about games and education.

Just Arrived in My Mailbox

Originally uploaded by mstephens7.

Find out more: http://www.techsource.ala.org/ltr/gaming-and-libraries-intersection-of-services.html

Barriers

Originally uploaded by mstephens7.

“Gaming opposed by youth service management.”

I referred the group to Jenny’s LTR and “Got Game!”