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Posts tagged library
Cataloging Video Games at your Library: A brief introduction
Aug 31st
Dewey probably never envisioned a time where we’d be cataloging video games that we play on our talking picture boxes, so why do we have to listen to him? Cataloging video games is a new thing for libraries. There’s a bit of confusion floating around on how to do it, so I say we capitalize on this chance to forge a new path ahead.
I have started circulating video game collections at two libraries and we did the call numbers two different ways. Both have their pros and cons as you will be able to easily see.
At the Cape May County we labeled the games with this format:
(GAME) (FORMAT) (FIRST THREE LETTERS OF TITLE)
For example, Super Mario Galaxy 2 for the Nintendo Wii would look like this:
GAME WII SUP
Here’s an example of this method:
At my current library, we label the games with simpler tag:
TEEN GAME
Our thinking was that the games were in the teen area and the titles were easily visible on the spine label already.
Here’s an example of this method:
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My point with this post is simple. There are many different ways that you can do this and it all boils down to the simple question “what will work best for your patrons?”
Please share any video game cataloging examples you have in the comments below!
Library’s game to attract teen patrons (via the Portland Press Herald)
Aug 12th
Photo by Gordon Chibroski/Staff Photographer for the Portland Press Herald
When I talk about gaming in the library, I’m often vague and quite hippie-ish with what I’m going for. I need an editor for everything I do. Luckily, the teens of Portland, ME are there to finish my sentences.
All summer, Max and Josh Tommer, ages 10 and 16, respectively, have been coming to game night, playing a board game called Settlers of Catan.
“I just wish this was our house,” Max said.
This is why we’re gaming in the library.
Project Brand Yourself a Librarian: THE AFTERMATH (PART 1)
Jul 8th
We came, we ALA’ed, and we got branded as librarians…
Since I had already branded myself a librarian back in January of this year, I decided to go another route for the ALA 2010 Project Brand Yourself A Librarian. As an 8Bit Librarian, it goes without saying that video games have a special place in my heart. I can remember getting my Nintendo Entertainment System in 1986 along with the games Super Mario Brothers, Duckhunt, Trojan, and Mighty Bomb Jack. I was in love instantly, not with just the experience itself, but the characters as well. Old Nintendo games have a reputation for not having the most well developed story lines but I found out that worked to my advantage. Instead of books, it was video games that unlocked my curiosity and imagination. They challenged me to create stories, think, and create.
When it came time to get another tattoo, picking my homage to video games was easy. The Legend of Zelda was the first video game that captured me completely. I was so into the world of Hyrule and the main character Link that it was all I thought about. I would spend hours playing in the woods, envisioning my own Hyrule. I would draw maps based on what I discovered while playing the game. Point being, The Legend of Zelda unlocked something in me that had been locked up before. I became curious. Instead of just sitting back and having the world fed to me, I decided to seek it out on my own. I don’t know exactly why I became a librarian, but I’m thinking that had something to do with it. That eternal curious feeling.
One of the reasons why 8BitLibrary was started by JP and I was not only to advocate for video gaming in libraries but also to reach out to the people that are just like the six year old version of myself I described above. In my youth, video games in libraries were not something that went together at all. Because of that, I sort of backed away from my library as I got older. I felt like they didn’t get me. I now look back on those years as a time where I lost a valuable resource that could’ve changed my life. Who know what I would be like if I had the library to guide me during those teenage year. My point is simple…if I can reach out to those teens with games and show them just what else we have to offer, I might be able to make a positive impact on their life.
So, here’s where I explain my tattoo.
Here’s the history behind the game and the Triforce, the relic which Link holds in my tattoo. I got it simply because I love 8Bit art and I love what the triforce stands for: WISDOM. POWER. COURAGE
I feel like that should be the new logo and slogan for libraries.
(much love to Peter Bromberg for the photo)
Dear Nintendo (An open letter from 8BitLibrary)
Jun 4th
First up, I gotta say this. I LOVE YOU. You had me at hello in 1986 when I received my Nintendo Entertainment System, complete with Super Mario Brothers, Duckhunt, and two additional titles my folks picked up for me, Trojan, and Mighty Bomb Jack. I even bought Virtual Boy and I LOVED IT! Heck, I still love it!
Now that I got that out of the way, let’s get down to business.
If you haven’t noticed, libraries are playing video games
Whether it be as huge as the gaming program at the Public Library of Charlotte Mecklenburg County or as tiny (but powerful!) as the Cape May County Library Game Night Central program, the simple fact is that we’re gaming in libraries. Lots of kids and teens are turning out for these events. Just look here and here. We’re having lots of fun playing and talking about games.
We’re also buying your games and lending them out to our patrons. Up until March 2010, I was the Teen Librarian at the Cape May County Library and one of my proudest moments was creating a circulating video game collection for our patrons. They loved having access to games. Nintendo Wii games, in particular, flew off the shelves.
Look at the Glenside Public Library. They have 534 games at their library. Look at the Cape May County Library. They have 254 games at their library. Considering games go for about $50 a pop, that’s around $12,000-$25,000 spent. The case I’m trying to make? We’re spending lots of money on you. And that’s not even counting the games that patrons buy after they first test them out at the library. Who knows what that number is, but all in all, it’s money in your pocket.
Let’s put this all together. LIBRARIES LIKE YOU VERY MUCH NINTENDO. This has got me thinking. Why are we not working together?
What I’m proposing is this:
We’re a team! You help us and we’ll help you. We’re in it to provide quality services to our patrons. We want them to experience and enjoy all that life has to offer. Video games are a part of that. The problem is that many libraries simply can’t afford to invest in video games. We’re under enough budget stress as it already is. This leaves a significant portion of the population that we serve without any chance of enjoying video games at the library. So, it comes to this. Help us get video games in our public libraries. In return, think of us as another way to advertise your products.
We’re out there on the front lines with our patrons everyday. Oh, patron? You are wondering what that means? I believe you call them your target audience. They’re the ones buying your games and systems. So, not only are we pretty much enjoying and advertising your products, but we’re also finding out what games your target audience wants to be playing. Yes, like any good library, we are an excellent source of information.
Remember your Play Choice 10 arcade machines? You know how you put display units for people to play in video games stores? Yeah, we’re like that. But instead of casual interaction, we’re right there with our gamers. I’m playing Super Smash Brothers Brawl with the teens at my library. I’m going on 4 player quests on New Super Mario Bros. with video game fans. I’m not a salesperson, but damn, it sure sounds like I am.
So, let’s talk. I’m not gonna ask for specifics. For now, I just want to talk. How can we work together? What can we do to develop a beautiful friendship?
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There’s a good chance Nintendo will never even read this post, so I’ve gotta take it a step further. The library community needs to bond together and make some changes. We’re gonna start small and work our way to the top. Let’s try to get in touch with Nintendo.
Are you gaming at your library? Do you want to have gaming at your library? Here’s where you come in. Nintendo wants partners. They say it right on their blog, that “our mission is to put smiles on the faces of anyone who experiences our brands”. Our patrons are experiencing their brands at our libraries. In order to keep doing that, we need to have Nintendo on our side.
HEY LIBRARIES! CLICK HERE TO TALK TO NINTENDO ABOUT HOW YOU’D LIKE TO WORK WITH THEM!
I urge you to click on the link above to contact Nintendo about partnering with or sponsoring your library gaming program. I’m gonna do it. You should too. One voice isn’t gonna make much noise, but if we all bond together, we can shout. A positive shout for libraries, a positive shout for Nintendo.
What have we got to lose? Let’s give it a try.
Justin Hoenke
June 4, 2010
#libgaming (Every Wednesday at 4pm EST)
May 12th
Starting May 26th at 4pm EST, 8BitLibrary will lead a discussion using #libgaming as the hashtag on Twitter.
This weekly series is designed to discuss gaming in libraries and create positive steps towards making connections between libraries, digital communication, gaming, education, and the new media. The first few sessions of #libgaming will be moderated by 8BitLibrarians Justin Hoenke and JP Porracco. If you are interested in moderating a session of #libgaming, please contact 8BitLibrary with your idea and we’ll get back to you.
Our first topic:
What can we do to make positive steps towards getting gaming recognized as a valid source of literacy? What are we doing currently that is and isn’t working?
Stay tuned to 8BitLibrary every Wednesday for the announcement of the topic being discussed that week.
Review: Cave Story
May 10th
WHAT? Side scrolling adventure is back on the Wii with Cave Story, a title that I’m giving the term “Epic Side Scrolling Adventure” to because, well, it is just that.
(Side scrolling, BTW, is a term used to identify games that move left to right on a two-dimensional plane. A good example of this would be the original Super Mario Bros.)
WHY? Side scrolling is a genre that, while still popular in some circles, has lost out in terms of mass appeal to 3D gaming and better technology. It’s a bit sad to me because without side scrolling games, video gaming may not be as popular as it is right now. Cave Story is a beautiful game that may just bring the side scroller back into the limelight. Full of depth, action, and originality, this is an excellent title to introduce the gamers in your library to. At the same time, it’s also quite a simple game that anyone can enjoy it.
WHO? Put on your salesperson hat. Time to sell this game to the gamers at your gaming program at your library. They’ll be better gamers for knowing this title. Highly recommended.
For more information on this excellent title, please visit http://www.cavestory.com/
Project Brand Yourself a Librarian UPDATE
May 7th
It has been decided…
The 8BitLibrary team and YOU (well, if you want to) will be going to Jinx Proof Tattoos in Washington DC on SATURDAY JUNE 26TH at 4:30PM.
The bummer? They don’t take appointments. JP and myself will be getting tattoos and we’d love for you to be there to support us (one of us will cry, but who?) or get your own tattoo. Of course, there will be lots of pictures and video. Which leads me to this:
TAGS: Twitter: #librarytat8bit Flickr, Etc: librarytat8bit
AFTERPARTY!
Saturday, June 26, 2010 at 9:30pm
WHERE: RFD Washington
ADDRESS: 810 7th Street
If you support the project, please add this to your blog/wiki/facebook/myspace:
PROJECT BRAND YOURSELF A LIBRARIAN FLICKR GROUP!
OTHER PLACES TO GET TATTOOS IN DC
- Fatty’s Custom Tattoos PHONE: 202-452-0999
- Tattoo Paradise PHONE: 202-232-6699
- Off The Hook Tattoos PHONE: 202-581-2018
- DC Ink PHONE: 202-232-7711
An advocacy letter to our readers
May 6th
Hey all,
Some of my favorite librarians, the ones with an eye on how information is communicated in our digital age, have told us to get on twitter. We are. They’ve told us to get on facebook, and you can now logon to 8bitlibrary.com with your facebook name. You can fan us on facebook. They’ve told us that the mobile web is growing, so we’ve set up 8bitlibrary.com to work beautifully on an Android OS or iPhone mobile browser.
What are we missing? We are trying to continue to move forward. What are you doing that we aren’t? Librarians in the 2010-2020 decade need to be asking that question: what are our users doing that we aren’t yet doing?
Libraries, for the sake of our very existence, need to stay relevant. Not only for advocacy efforts, but for our future place in the information landscape of those we serve. Sure, 8bitlibrary.com is about “gaming in schools and libraries”. But we what we really care about is keeping the library and educational (information) communities in the same place as those we serve.
So, what now?
Also, I would love those of you surfing this site via the mobile web to give us a shout-out, via our comment box, from your phone.
Signed,
JP & the whole 8bitlibrary.com team.
Video Game Collection Development 101 PART II
Apr 2nd
Talking to your patrons is probably THE MOST IMPORTANT part of video game collection development.
