Gaming offers a great way to reach teens. This book gives library staff the tools to deliver game programming that goes beyond the basic video and board game format. Games aren't just for fun; they can also play a critical role in learning. Libraries have an opportunity to integrate a variety of games into the services and collections they provide to the community. This book shows library staff how to do exactly that through a diverse variety of popular games, some that have been around for many years and others that are new. The authors present a comprehensive overview of the topic, supplying good practice examples from successful libraries, providing necessary details on format and implementation within a library program for teens, and covering different game formats ranging from live action role-playing (LARP) and Dungeons & Dragons to Minecraft and traditional board games. Whether you're adding games and gaming to your collection and services for the first time, or looking for ways to expand your existing gaming program, this book offers solid guidance.

Helps librarians who are not themselves seasoned gamers to better understand the plethora of gaming products available and how they might appeal to library users. As games grow ever-more ubiquitous in our culture and communities, they have become popular staples in public library collections and are increasing in prominence in academic ones. Many librarians, especially those who are not themselves gamers or are only acquainted with a handful of games, are ill-prepared to successfully advise patrons who use games. This book provides the tools to help adult and youth services librarians to better understand the gaming landscape and better serve gamers in discovery of new games--whether they are new to gaming or seasoned players--through advisory services. This book maps all types of games--board, roleplaying, digital, and virtual reality--providing all the information needed to understand and appropriately recommend games to library users. Organized by game type, hundreds of descriptions offer not only bibliographic information (title, publication date, series, and format/platform), but genre classifications, target age ranges for players, notes on gameplay and user behavior type, and short descriptions of the game's basic premise and appeals.

Imagine: Teen and pre-teen boys, twenty-somethings, parents, and even younger kids streaming into the library. It's your library's monthly videogame tournament! Step boldly into a new arena of library programming with lifetime gamer and Ann Arbor's library technology manager, Eli Neiburger.As a leading expert on producing videogame tournaments and events, Neiburger explains why videogame programming holds huge potential for libraries. He offers the complete toolkit. Follow these practical and proven guidelines to get answers to all your questions - from convincing the skeptics to getting audience feedback through your blog.Learn how to serve this underserved audience and: gain familiarity with the basics of gaming culture, software, and hardware; understand how videogaming events fit into the library; learn what works and what doesn't from the experiences of the nation's leading expert; conduct a tournament in your library - including how to plan, set up, and run any size event; market the events, build an audience, and get feedback.Don't miss out on an entire generation of library users. With game-savvy librarians and this must-have resource, you'll soon be building a brand new audience of library-loyal videogame fans.

Whether gaming is already a crucial part of your library's core services or it's only just been introduced, this do-it-yourself new resource will give you the practical tools you need to organize, implement, and market successful gaming events for users of all ages. Author Kelly Czarnecki shows you how to host gaming events for all different types of users. You'll learn to select systems and resources best suited to your library and budget, plan programs, and develop a circulating collection. Czarnecki gives you step-by-step instruction for implementing an array of different programs, including video games, board games, magic gatherings, Guitar Hero Fests, and more. You'll also find helpful techniques and best practices for marketing your gaming program and evaluating its success, as well as examples and insight from librarians running highly successful gaming programs. This easy-to-follow Tech Set title gives you the guidance you need to satisfy current and new users with exciting and educational gaming services!

Join librarian and lifelong gamer Tom Bruno on his quest to bring gaming to his library community, from bringing back classic board games such as Fireball Island to offering free play in the latest virtual reality games using the Oculus Rift or the HTC Vive! Gaming Programs for All Ages at the Library shows you how you can launch and support gaming programming in your library, including: how to make the case for library gaming with your administration, how to acquire and loan gaming materials (whether or not you have the budget for them!), how to publicize your library gaming programming, and how to incorporate other library units into the gaming experience. Everything from acquisitions to budgeting to circulation is covered in this practical guide --- you’ll also learn about promotion, assessment, and experiential learning opportunities

Video games are now a ubiquitous form of media used by the majority of the American population. However, the academic research field surrounding this genre does not accurately reflect the pervasive influence of video games. The field of library and information sciences helps provide the necessary foundational support for this media. Integrating Video Game Research and Practice in Library and Information Science brings together video gaming culture and its unique forms of communication with information behavior research. By detailing the nuances of video games and their influence, this reference book reveals communication patterns within society and provides comprehensive background and analysis for libraries, librarians, and information professionals.

Video gaming has become an entertainment giant worth more than 60 billion dollars in revenue. There are a lot of contributing factors to its popularity, and foremost among them are video game streamers and YouTubers. Every day, millions of fans tune in to watch their favorite gamers play their favorite games. Streams are funny, heartfelt, and intense, but above all, enthralling. This series takes an in-depth look at some of the world's most influential video gamers and the games they play. Readers will learn how they've captured the loyalty of fans across the globe, which includes using the power of social media and internet distribution to make it to the top. Features include: Focuses on the thoroughly modern approach that popular gamers take to reach their massive audiences. Timelines showcase each gamer's rise to stardom from their humble beginnings to their crowning achievements. Provides a unique, go-to source for anyone interested in gaming.