Game On! Gaming at the Library

(Neal Schuman, 2009 ISBN 9781555705954 $55.00)

Game On! Book Cover


Summary

Ever watched the teens and tweens in your library sneak in an online game in the middle of their research or study session? Have students come into the media center to log-in and check on their Neopets? Have concerned parents approached you to find out more about video game ratings? Even if your library hasn’t formally begun collecting, circulating, or programming with video games, you are no doubt aware of their popularity and proliferation. Now Game On! has all of the answers and approaches you need to make effective, successful choices about video gaming in your library.

Topics include:

• Video game basics —history, formats, and genres
• Benefits (developmental assets/technological skill/educational value)
• Controversies (ratings/graphics/content)
• Selection, collection, and circulation of titles
• Equipment and vendors
• Programming ideas
• Policy and management
• Storage, display, and marketing
• And more

About the Author

Beth Gallaway is convinced that playing Hangman on her cousin’s Atari when she was five helped her learn to read and spell. The first system her family owned was the Nintendo Entertainment System with the game, Super Mario Brothers, and she came in second (with 189 points!) in a Tetris competition sponsored by a local video store in the early 90s. Growing up playing Oregon Trail, Agent USA, Joust,and Mickey’s Space Adventure led to pursuit of Sim City and Myst in college; check out this (near!) complete list of games Beth has played. A creative writing major and avid reader, she sees games as just a new form of storytelling.

Audio bio for Beth Gallaway

 

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Works Cited

Games to Play Online

Core Collections

 

 

 

Press

Bosky, Terry. "Talking to the Information Goddess." Game Couch March 6, 2009. http://www.gamecouch.com/2009/03/talking-to-the-information-goddess/