Monday, February 4, 2013

Educational Games in the Library

         You probably have been  reading about gaming in the library. This is reaalivey new topic  that has been discussed on and off with the pros and cons of  using different games in the library.   Of course , there are many library games that librarians have been making and using for many years.
       When I first started doing games in the library, I was in a Middle school setting and I use the games to reinforce  skills that had been taught.  These were simple games that  did not take long to produce and the studnets enjoyed doing .
       Now gaming has taken a new slant, and librarians , both public , and school are having more formal games of many differnt kinds in the library.  The obvious are board games that the students do for fund . My local public library has a chess night  twice a month, and I hear it is quite successful.  
      Games in the library  pro0mote both fun in the library and also promote learning.  This leads us to the notion that libraries are not alway considered  quiet and boring. The key  with games and gaming will be to balance  study and reading with fun activites that inspire and stimulate.
       So hear is a good discussion for librarians everywhere: Do you have/ do games in your library?   What are they  ?  How do you monitor when the games are played?

      Future blogs will cover some more ideas on games and gaming in the library- perhaps latter in the week. Let me hear your thoughts on games and gaming.

2 comments:

  1. I love the idea of gaming in the library!! Our library is a middle school/high school library with an attached 25 laptop computer lab. Last summer, I was able to purchase three boxes of board games at an auction...different versions of trivial pursuit, yatzee, boggle, sequence, outburst, monopoly, etc. Not many students have had the opportunity to use them since they don't get ample time to just hang out in the library. One thing I have found is that the students love puzzles. I cannot keep up with them. Those that do have a homeroom period and a teacher that allows them to come hang out are finishing a puzzle a week. Its a nice relaxing activity for the students! Eventually, I would like to propose some real gaming such as Minecraft Mondays in the computer lab. I think some of the students would love that!!!

    Sara Snaza
    @SaramyBooks.com
    Milbank Middle/High School Media Center

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow! Sounds like you have a busy library! Good For you! I agree most students would love a gaming day -especially if it was in the lab! It really demonstrates that the library is the place to be!

    ReplyDelete