This resource includes a document with various relevant links to help libraries and other educators begin to develop board game collections and programs for their users. This document was created by the Brown County Library in Wisconsin, and was shared with permission by Katie Boettcher, Library Staff. The resource also includes presentation slides from a presentation offered by Brown County Library Staff at the Wisconsin Library Association 2022 annual conference.Library staff that are interested in learning more about how to integrate board games into library collections and programming will find plenty of useful links and resources here! Big thanks to the Katie Boettcher and the Brown County Library Staff for sharing these.

These slides are associated with a presentation done about integrating board games in library borrowing collections (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpHfTPBG87Q) that was offered as a part of the Wild Wisconsin Winter Web Conference 2024. The presentation was given by David McHugh (Teaching Faculty Member, UW-Madison iSchool (Wisconsin).Presentation description: "Board games have never been so popular, with immense social, educational, and creative opportunities for libraries.  Join us to learn the key practical considerations for choosing games and organizing game events.  Get up to speed on the vast range of hands-on games, from cooperative problem-solvers to Dungeons & Dragons to Pokémon card tournaments.  Let the games begin!".

This is a .pdf of the accompanying slides that Chris Baker, Jenna Gilles, and Jamie Hein used in their "Video Game Collections in Libraries, Pt. #1: The 'Why', 'What', and 'How' of Selection & Acquisition" webinar that was originally offered on October 30, 2024, from 11:00 AM to 12:00 noon EDT (10:00-11:00 am CST).To watch the webinar, you can visit this link on WISELearn; alternatively, you can watch it directly on YouTube.Any questions? Please contact presentation lead Chris Baker at Chris.Baker@dpi.wi.gov. Thanks for watching -- and thank you for implementing video game collections in your library spaces!

This document is a list of possible board game examples that could be purchased to be included in startup library board game collection, to be used or borrowed by library patrons. This list was generated by David McHugh as a part of his 2024 Wild Wisconsin Winter Web Conference presentation, which is recommended as a viewing to accompany using this list (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpHfTPBG87Q).

This 2014 thesis aims to explore how video games have become an extremely beneficial tool in regards to education, art, medicine, psychology, economics, and beyond. Chapter 1 focuses on how ubiquitous video games have become in America, and what makes video games such a uniquely enjoyable experience to warrant such popularity. Chapter 2 explores how video games have become instrumental in various fields. Chapter 3 discusses the role that video games now play in the world of education; specifically how we, as educators, must adapt a modern pedagogy best suited to students who have grown up with video games, which have influenced how they learn. This is the thesis’ primary contention and purpose. Chapter 4 dissects the two most studied controversies which surround video games as a medium: video game violence and video game addiction.

Presenters:
Chris Baker (Public Library Consultant / Games & Learning Consultant, Library Services Team of the Wisconsin Dept. of Public Instruction), Jenna Gilles (Youth Services Associate, Chippewa Falls Public Library), & Jamie Hein (Library Director, Clintonville Public Library)

Description:
For years now, media usage data has shown that video games have led the entertainment industry by a massive margin, handily securing the crown as the most popular recreational medium on the planet. In the United States, 61% of Americans report playing video games for at least one hour every week; 29% of game players are 50 or older, and the average age of video gamers in the U.S. is 36, with a near-even split of 53% identifying as male, and 46% identifying as female.

The point? These impressive statistics represent an enormous opportunity for libraries in the U.S. to capitalize on – and illustrate that librarians ought to prioritize intentionally developing robust video game collections for their users to access; game collections can meaningfully help libraries reach a broader base of patrons, create exceptional new pathways for materials circulation, resonate with additional user identities, and help foster a 'community of practice' surrounding games in the library space. On top of this, video game collections help libraries showcase an earnest desire to remain relevant, accessible, and cutting-edge to their public.

In this first presentation in our series about video game collection development, you’ll hear from multiple librarians about the “why”, “what”, and “how” of video game selection and acquisition; we will highlight both philosophical and pragmatic best practices for developing video game collections – from advocacy data, to funding tips, to selection resources, to acquisition schedules, and more. A follow-up webinar in the series will focus on things like processing, borrowing rules, policy, and collection maintenance. You won’t want to miss these presentations!

Webinar date and time: October 30, 2024 11:00 AM EDT

This event was co-sponsored ALA's Games & Gaming Round Table: http://www.ala.org/rt/gamert

The Wisconsin High School Esports Association governs, supports and promotes the growth of high school esports through community development, advocacy, equitable participation, and interscholastic competition to enrich the educational experience.For more information, visit: https://www.wihsea.org/