WML Tech Updates

Today I watched Jenny Levine’s (Internet Development Specialist and Strategy Guide, American Library Association) Gaming in the Library webconference sponsored by the SirsiDynix Institute.

“Much is happening in the world of gaming right now, and it’s not just a lot of teenage boys sitting in the basement staring at a screen for hours on end. No, gaming has tremendous potential for libraries to reach out to new users, offer new services, and help complement efforts in community-building, information literacy, and other areas. - Don’t know much about gaming but you want to know how it can benefit libraries? - Not sure what kinds of services your library could offer (especially on a limited budget)? - Are you an avid gamer who would like to offer services but you need help convincing others? - Just want to hear what other libraries are doing? We’ll cover all of these topics and more in just one hour. Get the scoop that helps you clarify your thinking about gaming and libraries.”

The average age of today’s gamer is 33years old.  There are 90 million people up to age 35 gamers in the world. There are 77 million Boomers.  In the 2003 Pew Internet study, everyone that had taken the survey had played a game - that’s 100%.

Gamers:

• see themselves as a hero on a quest
• willing to experiment with things
• like to fix things
• team players
• collaborative
• good at multi-tasking
• have an inherent trust of “bosses” (the main bad guy that you have to beat at the end of each level)
• strong organizational skills
• use to creating own content

You don’t want to be seen as the person who is the boss, who has to be beaten.  You ‘d rather be the person who is a friend that offers advice - like a librarian

How do we justify gaming in the library?

She’s encourages that we read: Everything Bad is Good for you:  How today’s poplular culture is actually making us smarter (by Stephen Johnson)

Games have stories, narratives, and great content. There are lots of books and services that we have that don’t necessarily related to the mission of the library, but we do them anyway.  (like story time, book group clubs, etc.)  The point is, that this is a way to make connections.  Making connections adds value. It’s about having great experiences, knowing people’s tastes.

Ann Arbor Public Library’s gaming community is a great example.  They have over 300 comments on many of the gaming posts on the library’s blog.

Libraries provide a safe community, a place to learn, information literacy and media literacy.   Students today process and multi-task so differently than adults today.

Jenny gave lots of examples of libraries doing things, including both academic and public libraries.   She encourages that libraries run their own tournaments.  For example, at Wake Forest, the users bring in their  own equipment.

Play capture the flag in the library.

University of North Carolina at Greensberg has an information literacy game, and it’s open source and available to be adapted at other libraries.  

Arizona State University, West Campus - They started a game that was originally a board game, and then they put it online.

Quarantined: an information literacy game at another university.

Bloomington Public Library is doing a film festival of kids’ machinama.

Eli Neilburger is writing a book about why gaming is a valid resource for libraries.

How much will all this cost?  You could start off as a proof of concept.  Let the users help plan the event and bring their own equipment.  Just pay for food and drinks.  Then, it can get more complicated.

The future:  Gaming isn’t going to go away. There are lots of opportunities

Adopt the Gamer Ethos:

• play
• try
• experiment
• good enough
• team-based approach that utilizes individual strengths

Libraries need to move away from always trying to be perfect when it comes to starting something new.  It doesn’t hurt to play, try it out, and accept failure and move on, or celebrate success and look for ways to improve.

We also need to learn how to develop teams based on strengths, not necessarily based on who is “supposed” to be there.  Maybe having a representative from each library or department on a new project team isn’t the best way to getting the best results, but rather put people with those passions and strengths that are needed to help the project be successful on a team together.

Recommended books:

• Meet the Gamers (in Library Journal)
• What Video Games have to Teach us about Learning and Literacy
• Got Game?
• Gaming and Libraries: Intersection of Services
• Eli Neiberger’s book (June 2007, ALA Editions)

Other Resources

• 2007 ALA TechSource Gaming, Learning, & Libraries Symposium
• LibGaming Google Group
• Game On: Games in Libraries
• http://www.goodexperience.com/games/

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Rachel’s thoughts: Maybe we should have a gaming night in the library for library staff so they can get more comfortable with gaming and better relate to the students.  There are a few places in the library system where we could set up projectors, screens, and computers.  But there probably aren’t too many staff that have xbox 360s or Nintendo wii’s.  But maybe it’s something to consider.

Today I watched a SirsiDynix Institute webcast: Learning 2.0 : Make “Play” Your New Year’s Resolution. (A PDF of the presentation, as well as a video, are available on the website.)

As the Nationwide insurance commercials taunt “life comes at you fast”, it’s time for librarians to jump into the knowledge pool of Web 2.0 technologies and discover how these tools are changing the way many library users communicate, collaborate and receive information. Helene Blowers, Technology Director for the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County shares insights and best practices around the creation of Learning 2.0, an online self-discovery program designed to encourage staff to explore new technologies (blogs, wikis, podcasts etc.) and reward them for “play.” Join us for this informative session and then think about adding another resolution to your personal New Year’s list… cause it’s true, life (as well as new technology) does come at you fast!

This was a wonderful session! It provided a good overview of what all these Web 2.0 technologies are as well as sharing a successful program that engages library staff in learning about these tecnologies. This is particularly exciting for me because it coinsicides with how I feel in regards to continuous learning and keeping current with major technological factors impacting libraries not only today, but into the future. Social web tools aren’t going away - they are being embraced by many people, in particular younger generations like myself. So a program that involves people, encourages participation, and rewards people for taking the time to play (and learning new skills in the process) is something that I think would be very beneficial here at Vanderbilt. The possibility of it actually happening (in the next few years), however, is doubtful. But I believe so strongly in the benefits of such a program that trust me, I won’t be quiet about this.

Anyway, Learning 2.0 Program consisted of a jam-packed schedule intended to expose participants to a variety of tools:

Week 1: Introduction
Week 2: Blogging
Week 3: Photos & Images
Week 4: RSS & Newsreaders
Week 5: Play week
Week 6: Tagging & Folksonomies
Week 7: Wikis
Week 8: Online applications & tools
Week 9: Podcasts, Videos & Downloadable audio
+ 1 month of extra exploration time

More information about thier actual program can befound on their site.

Also, Blowers also shared feedback from the program, blog entries from participants, and lots of information that is helpful to anyone interested in possibly developing such a program.

What are benefits of such a program?

• Exposing staff to new tools
• Encouraging PLAY
• Empowering individuals
• Expanding the knowledge toolbox
• Eliminating FEAR

So add another New Year’s resolution to your list: PLAY!