Gettin' jiggy at the library
Categories: Teens & tweens, Education, Gadgets & Tech, That's Entertainment
Some folks think that the library -- a stodgy place filled with dusty books -- is an outdated concept in this era of the internet and computers. I would strongly disagree. In my eyes, the library has always been about being a shared resource, not just about books. There are lots of books, magazines, and even websites of which the average person cannot justify the high cost, for the one or two times they might want or need to use them.Unfortunately, libraries don't always get the chance to show that they're still relevant before getting shut down as a cost-cutting measure. Well, in Michigan, the libraries are fighting back, reinventing themselves and drawing in new generations of kids. It's not easy, though. "Getting teens to come to the library is right up there with getting them to go to church: It's not exactly the first place they want to go," said Christine Lind Hage, director of the Rochester Hills Public Library.
To accomplish that, the libraries are now stocking video games and hosting video game tournaments. Hage added more than 1800 video games to the library's collection and an average of 1300 are checked out on a daily basis. In addition, teens come to the library to compete with other teens at games like Guitar Hero and Dance Dance Revolution.
While it's not Moby Dick or War and Peace, it is getting kids into the library and perhaps, someday, they might return to check out one of those. In the meantime, it shows that libraries can evolve to meet the ever-changing needs of their community.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
rebecca Biernesser 2-18-2008 @ 8:10PM
There are several teachers at the middle and high school in my town that require students to use the library. They do it by giving students papers to write and research. The research has to be from books, no internet is allowed. I think it's great b/c children need to know how to find information both ways.
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SKL 2-19-2008 @ 12:51AM
I don't see this as meeting needs. There is no "need" for kids to play video games. I see no reason why my tax money, that was intended to go toward library books and related services, should go toward these games that are arguably bad for kids.
The library will always be a favored destination of those who want to read. No "video games" are necessary as far readers are concerned. If the point is to get non-readers to read books, I don't believe popular video games are going to promote that. And if the point is to provide entertainment for those who don't want to read, they should do that somewhere else and stop diverting library funds from readers.
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courtney 2-19-2008 @ 1:03AM
I completely understand where you're coming from SKL. I don't really agree with video games in the libraries either. But, as a public library employee, I understand where they are coming from. My library gets funding based on it's circs. That means the more people that come into the library and the more items that are checked out, the more money we will get to buy items. On the other side of that, if our circs decline, we get less funding.
I'm curious though to see what you think about libraries carrying entertainment videos and DVDs as well as music CDs and the like, would you consider that tax payers money mispent?
Also, just so you know, a lot of entertainment items (DVDs, Audiobooks, Videos, etc.) are donated so it could very well be that a lot of those video games were not bought with library funds..
SKL 2-19-2008 @ 1:54AM
Courtney, your question about movies and music CDs is an interesting one. Both arguably contain art, which arguably enhances a person's cultural literacy, which is arguably a legitimate purpose of a library. I have no problem with it in general. Games are an entirely different thing in my opinion.
I would have no problem if the games were donated AND the library didn't have to invest significant resources to make the games accessible.
I see your point about circulation, and while that explains why a library may feel it needs to bring in people in this way, I would prefer to see policy changes to remove the incentive to spend money in this way.
Heather 2-19-2008 @ 10:57AM
I don't get why libraries would close. How can they not be used. Don't kids get assignments where they need to use books?
I work at a library and the Toronto libarary is actually the busiest system in the world. We beat out Hong Kong and NY this year. There are always kids in our library. They don't just use the pc's either. The teachers here have feild trips to the library, we have a kindergarden outreach, we have fun days where we showed the latest Harry Potter movie the day the book came out. We had a contest for the Harry Potter book, and a strict no talking about the book policy for the first month. We will probably be doing the same thing when the next Narnia movie comes out.
You need to promote the library. If a movie is coming out they need to promote the book. remind people your there.
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Mel 2-19-2008 @ 12:11PM
Honesty, libraries are outmoded. Bookstores and the internet have take their place. I've obtained an undergraduate degree and a graduate degree without ever stepping foot in a library of any kind. It's just the new world order.
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faith 2-23-2008 @ 7:36PM
I think people forget that the role the public library plays in the average person's life is changing at a faster rate. Not every home has internet access let alone a computer. Having video games in the library is much more about getting kids in the door and getting them into a "safe place" rather than being "on the streets" or home alone, especially in our two working parent society. I think now more than ever libraries are finding their niche as community centers rather than just places that allow people to borrow books and this is evidence of that new role. While my library does have video game nights, it doesn't loan games. And doesn't spend money on the nights; we borrowed two systems from a neighboring library. We had more kids come to this program than any of our regular game nights and picked up a couple more "regulars." I would much rather have my taxpayer money go to that than maintaining our town's mini golf course or pool, neither of which get used year round like our library.
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