Gaming in Libraries

Gaming in Libraries succeeds in offering a quick, to the point and stimulating guide on gaming in libraries. It forms part of The Tech Set series intended to bring various issues relevant to the Net Generation to librarians' attention and to stimulate and motivate them to pursue these issues. Linking to this intention, a companion wiki and podcast are available with further updates.

In the preface the author remarks on the many negative feelings and perceptions about the use of gaming in schools and libraries: “This negativity about gaming has caused both schools and libraries to miss tremendous opportunities, and increased library usage”. Gaming can include video, board and card games, allowing people to compete against each other (e.g. in tournaments and anime fests). From the title, I was expecting that the instructional uses of gaming, which is increasingly important in libraries (e.g. in information literacy or library instruction), to feature strongly. Although this is not the case, Gaming in Libraries still addresses many other important issues of value to librarians intending to take an innovative approach in their services and collection development.

Gaming in Libraries consists of six chapters, a foreword by the series editor, a preface, a list of references and recommended sources and a reasonably detailed index. The chapters include an introduction covering the latest in gaming platforms, consoles and devices libraries can use in developing gaming programmes. It also includes a chapter on planning the use of gaming in libraries, which covers issues such as costs, funding, getting buy‐in from the library staff and developing a gaming space. Chapter 3 concerns the implementation of gaming with regard to different programmes, and Chapter 4 covers issues of the marketing of gaming in libraries. The last two chapters cover best practices and measures of success – thus covering the entire life cycle of introducing gaming in libraries. Useful examples of circulation policy and circulation forms are offered.

Although the references and recommended sources are useful, I expected a more extensive list as well as more current sources from at least 2009.

Despite the few concerns noted, I can certainly recommend Gaming in Libraries for the intended audience, namely all academic, school and public librarians. What I especially appreciate is that it makes it easy and tempting to venture into innovative services and collections.