ALA: Videogames In Libraries Increase Readership

Here’s an interesting story by Michael Martinez at the Chicago Tribune sure to make gaming and library advocates happy. The American Library Association announced at their annual conference this weekend that videogames should become a focus of libraries nationwide.

Better known for its campaigns against banned books, the ALA is urging video games as an activity and collection to the nation’s 9,000 public libraries so they can better connect with the hard-to-reach demographic of children, teens and college students in the digital age.

Videogames at the library? The building with all the olde media paper-based books?

“This whole idea of video-gaming in libraries is really taking off,” ALA President Loriene Roy said … “Libraries are adapting to new technology. It ties in with one of our key values, which is equity of access,” Roy added. “It’s in the nature of the library to offer a wide range of material. It’s not the end of change for libraries.”

Other items of interest from the article:

- The conference featured a videogame pavilion funded by a $1 million grant from the Verizon Foundation; its purpose was to showcase a gaming model for libraries to emulate

- Social skills and problem solving are seen as key facets videogames can help develop in youngsters; thus more fodder for library inclusion justification

- Young folks in the know regarding videogames are called “young adult librarians.” The article indicates they represent the fastest growing group of specialists involved with the ALA

- A survey out of Syracuse University indicated that 4 out of 5 libraries allow gaming on their public access PCs. Four out of 10 promote other types of gaming activities and about 1 in 10 have gaming consoles available to patrons. Consequently, an astonishing 75% of consumers who engaged in videogaming returned to the libraries for non-gaming activities (primarily to check out a book)

- Some parental resistance has arisen from gaming activities at the libraries; other adults have responded positively, including seniors who have engaged in Wii-hab activities at their local libraries

My take: if libraries continue to expand offerings in the videogame department, patron traffic will likely increase. In turn, public support of local libraries will increase. The Syracuse study indicates many gaming patrons go on to check out books and use their library for more traditional purposes. This can only be regarded as a good thing. Finally, it seems that if the phenomenon of free checkouts for videogames expands to libraries nationwide, the paid services of videogame rentals may suffer at traditional retail outlets. Why pay to rent a game when you can simply check it out at the library?

It reminds me of that old public service ad on TV in the 1970s. I think the last two lines went something like this:

Dumb kid: Wait a minute … You can do all that at the libary? [Yup. He pronounced it wrong, without the middle 'R.']

Narrator: Yes. [Dramatically:] The Library!

References:
Martinez, M. (2008, June 30). Video games are newest tricks in your library’s book. Chicago Tribune. [Online]. Retrieved July 1, 2008 from http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/
chi-videogaming-martinez_30jun30,0,1971117.story