Originally posted: July 23, 2008 Quiet in the library? Shhh! Should libraries stock video games or ban them? Tell us why. When we learned libraries were installing video games to draw teens and young adults through their doors, our first thought was that it's like luring people to church with free beer. Who says that's a good idea? Sure, they'll come, but then how do you get rid of them?
The library, we thought, was a place for study and contemplation, not a hangout for gamers. Yes, we know modern libraries often have more DVDs than Blockbuster, more computers than the local community college and better coffee than Starbucks. Comic books and CDs can be checked out along with books and magazines. Yoga and wine-tasting sessions supplement the story hour, poetry readings and lectures. Some libraries have become de facto senior centers, resource labs for home-schoolers, rehearsal studios for community dance and theater groups ... but still. Video games? What's nextminiature golf? Walk-in medical clinics? Taco Bell? To our surprise, the video game trend is endorsed by the Chicago-based American Library Association, which recently got a $1 million grant from the Verizon Foundation to develop a national model for library gaming. Eighty percent of public libraries allow video games on their computers, according to a 2007 Syracuse University study, and 13 percent have separate game stations such as Nintendo, Wii or Xbox. Libraries are no longer just about literacy, if they ever were. They've evolved into social and recreational centers that mirror the communities they serve. Large- type and audio books for aging Boomers. Computer literacy lessons for seniors. Free wi-fi for students. Multi-lingual resources for immigrants. Cultural enrichment courses for everyone. The video games are targeted at the hard-to-reach young adult demographic that is too busy or distracted (temporarily, we hope) for things like books and newspapers. Though many suburban systems offer gaming among the stacks, Chicago's librarians and their high school advisory council agreed to keep them out, sticking to the more traditional mission of reading, writing and public speaking. That's fine with the ALA. Public libraries get roughly 80 percent of their funding from local taxpayers, so it makes sense for local programs to be determined by local needs and interests, even if that means (gulp) Super Smash Brothers Brawl. If you're concerned about video games promoting violent or addictive behaviors (not to mention noise), rest assured that librarians are concerned, too. But they're heartened by evidence that shows the games teach problem-solving and social interaction skills. And did we mention that they get kids into the library? Better still, according to the Syracuse study, 75 percent of those who come to the library for the video games return later for something elseperhaps even to check out a book. | Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) =========================================================== Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] SUBscribing, SIGNOFF commands send to: Listproc @ lists.acs.ohio-state.edu Questions, problems, complaints, compliments;-) send to: galron.1 @ osu.edu Ha-Safran Archives: Current: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html History: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/history.html AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org
