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 […]
Categories Gaming & Gamification
102 posts
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?””
&tPosts I’ve noted for use in classes, presentations and future writing: Aggregator as Textbook by Will Richardson: I’ve been thinking more and more about my own use of RSS, and trying to reflect on the choices I make in my aggregator. Frankly, I am still amazed that so relatively few people (not just educators) have made RSS a part of their practice, but I wonder if it doesn’t have something to do with how disruptive a technology it is when you really think about it. It changes the traditional information structures in fundamental ways, and it forces us to be […]
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… Is a gaming space really so far from that continuum? During mid semester break, we have PC labs that stand empty. Would a leisure reading […]
I got a Wii for my birthday! Originally uploaded by mstephens7
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 […]
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 […]
Warlick: http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/2007/04/17/first-impressions-of-second-life/ I visited again this morning, and am sure that there are buildings there that weren’t there yesterday — big ones. I must admit a real sense of space there, and I’ve already made some friends, most of whom I have no idea who they are in RL (that’s real life). I did meet one guy (I guess) who admitted to being a principal in Vermont. He wouldn’t share his name, however, for fear of my thinking that all principals in Vermont have nothing better to do than wonder around, zombie like, in Second Life. http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/2007/04/18/the-stolen-flame/ Anyway, as I […]