Play On: The Use of Games in Libraries

The use of games in the library is a currently trending topic of discussion and writing in the Library and Information Science profession. Upon first consideration, gaming may seem to be irrelevant at best and a waste of time and resources at worst. However, gaming does have several significant implications for all types of libraries, including greater exposure to new information technologies and the sense of community that a gaming program can foster. Thus, libraries should seriously consider the benefits of gaming programs and be prepared to carefully develop collection policies and to properly plan gaming opportunities for their patrons. The following literature review highlights how other libraries have accomplished these goals, provides examples of the different types of gaming programs that can be implemented in libraries, and explains the advantages for the library that come with a gaming program

Creating a Library Orientation Card Game to Reach New Transfer Students

Librarians and staff at a public university drew upon previous experience with instructional games to develop, implement, and assess a card game as a library orientation activity for new transfer students. This project was shaped by a desire to meet transfer students’ unique needs as well as the logistical constraints associated with the university’s transfer student orientation. The card game, modeled after Apples to Apples, presented information about the campus library system in a fun, informal way that allowed transfer students to socialize with each other while learning. Survey responses indicated that students found the game both enjoyable and helpful

La aplicación de los juegos de mesa en la enseñanza de la Historia

Within the thriving field of games-based learning (GBL), boardgames are amongst the most important educational resources with the greatest potential, although recent research has focused much more on the potential of video games. This article will define some key concepts and propose a methodological and theoretical framework. The potential of board games in the teaching of History will be assessed, and the challenges and problems of their application to learning environments and different content that can be delivered through them examined, including specific examples.Dentro del pujante aprendizaje basado en juegos (GBL por sus siglas en inglés), los juegos de mesa están entre los recursos clave y con más posibilidades educativas, aunque las investigaciones de los últimos años se hayan centrado mucho más en el potencial de los videojuegos. En este artículo definiremos algunos conceptos clave y expondremos un cierto marco teórico-metodológico. Abordaremos la potencialidad de los juegos de mesa para la enseñanza de la Historia, al tiempo que analizaremos los retos y problemas para su aplicación en el aula y los diferentes contenidos que se pueden transmitir gracias a ellos, incluyendo ejemplos concretos

O Role Playing Game (RPG) na Ciência da Informação: uma aventura épica entre dois mundos

Esta pesquisa elabora um panorama da produção científica nacional e internacional na Ciência da Informação sobre o tema RPG. Para isto, foi utilizado o método Scoping Review que é composto por cinco etapas, sendo elas: identificar a questão da pesquisa; identificar estudos relevantes; seleção do estudo; mapear os dados; agrupar, resumir e relatar os resultados. A pergunta de pesquisa foi feita através da estrutura População-Conceito-Contexto (PCC). Foi recuperado um total de 111 artigos, dos quais 21 foram selecionados após a aplicação dos critérios de inclusão e exclusão. Foi realizado o tratamento dos dados quantitativos e qualitativos. Foram apresentados os 21 artigos recuperados, analisando o conteúdo conforme a teoria apresentada por Araújo (2014) e o TBCI. Os principais resultados mostram que os artigos recuperados foram publicados entre os anos de 2000 e 2019, sendo os Estados Unidos (EUA) o país com maior número de publicações, o idioma predominante foi o inglês. As perspectivas teóricas da CI que se destacaram estão relacionadas à educação, aos serviços prestados em bibliotecas e aos jogos. O método mais utilizado nos manuscritos foi a revisão narrativa. Conclui-se que o RPG na CI ressalta as temáticas de educação e os serviços de biblioteca, e que apesar da estratégia utilizada abranger os três campos Biblioteconomia, Museologia e Arquivologia, não foram recuperados textos que abordassem temas referente aos dois últimos campos.This research elaborates an overview of the national and international scientific production in Information Science on the RPG theme. For that, the Scoping Review method was used, which consists of five stages, namely: identifying the research question; identifying relevant studies; selecting studies; mapping the data; gathering, summarizing and reporting results. The research question was composed through the Population-Concept-Context (PCC) structure. A total of 111 articles were retrieved, of which 21 were selected after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Quantitative and qualitative data were processed. The 21 retrieved articles were presented, and their contents analyzed according to the theory presented by Araújo (2014) and the Brazilian Information Science Thesaurus. The main results show that the retrieved articles were published between the years 2000 and 2019, the United States (USA) being the country with the largest number of publications, the predominant language being English. The theoretical perspectives of Information Science that stood out are related to education, services provided in libraries and games. The most used method in the manuscripts was the narrative review. In conclusion, RPG at Information Science emphasizes the themes of education and library services, and that despite the strategy used to cover the three fields of Library Science, Museology and Archival Science, texts that addressed themes related to the last two fields were not recovered

Three Different Paths for Tabletop Gaming in School Libraries

Three school library staff members explore how they have used tabletop games in different school library settings. Teresa Copeland (Tesseract School, Paradise Valley, Arizona, USA) explores how tabletop and role-playing games have been integrated into the curriculum across a wide variety of grade levels. Brenda Henderson (Trinity High School Learning Resources Centre, Redditch, UK) discusses how a board game club has made a difference in a high school library in the United Kingdom. Brian Mayer (School Library System, Genesee Valley Educational Partnership, LeRoy, New York, USA) supports multiple school libraries in finding matches between the curriculum and authentic games and runs game design workshops.published or submitted for publicatio