The Games and Gaming Round Table (GameRT) of the American Library Association provides a venue for librarians interested in the use of games and gaming in libraries of all types a place to gather and share.

The Games & Gaming Round Table (GameRT) of the American Library Association (ALA) provides a venue for networking and collaboration for library workers interested in the use of games and gaming in libraries. GameRT was formed in 2011 and with members from all types of libraries, GameRT encompasses a wide variety of viewpoints, situations, and user types.

The mission of the GameRT is to:

- Provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and concerns surrounding games in libraries;
- Share resources to the library community that support building and maintaining library game collections;
- Advocate for initiating and supporting game programming in libraries;
- Create an awareness of, and need for, the support of the value of gaming and play in libraries, schools, and related learning communities;
- Create an awareness of the value of games and gaming in library outreach and community engagement plans.

This resource guide, funded by an IMLS grant, shares information, curriculum and booklists for elementary and secondary age youth on both WI tribes and those outside of WI. There are acquisition sources for materials listed in the 66 page manual as well as a wide array of information of use to libraries of all types throughout WI. This resource is a treasure trove for collection development for all ages in libraries! - Reviewed by Marge Loch-Wouters
This publication is available through the
Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa College
Community Library
13466 W Trepania Road
Hayward, Wisconsin 54843
715/634-4790 108/122
library@lco.edu

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.

This video webinar (about integrating board game collections in libraries) was offered by David McHugh (a member of the Teaching Faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison iSchool; https://ischool.wisc.edu/staff/mchugh-david/) on Thursday, January 24th, 2024, as a part of the Wild Wisconsin Winter Web Conference (https://www.wildwiscwinterweb.com/) 2024.

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!"

Bibliography created by the librarians at the Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) that includes sample policies and procedures, as well as educational materials related to them

This is a Dungeons and Dragons module meant to introduce new dungeon masters and players to the game. The module runs about 2-2.5 hours and accommodates a group of 3-8 players. This module does require the Dungeons and Dragons Player's Handbook to play.The game is formatted like an escape room to introduce players and the DM to the basic mechanics in a condensed amount of time. In the attached folder there are the module pdf, printout maps, props and premade character sheets to make it easy as possible to sit down and start playing. The setting is also open ended regarding the world and lore, so it makes a good introductory game to larger campaign or to insert to an existing one.  

A series of excellent webinars and presentations about Games & Gaming in Libraries (covering a number of different subtopics -- like D&D integration in library programs, game collection development, LARPing / ARGs, playful learning science, and more) facilitated and hosted by the Indiana State Library.

Saaid Al Fawaed or 'Grasp the Benefits' is an Islamic library that contains many books related to the explanation of the Holy Qur'an, the Prophet Muhammad, and more. A special section has been created on this website for the Arabic language. Here, the user can find grammar books, how-to-read books, dictionaries, and more. The site and its contents are entirely in Arabic.

Library and Information Science (LIS) is the academic and professional study of how information and information carriers are produced, disseminated, discovered, evaluated, selected, acquired, used, organized, maintained, and managed. This book intends to introduce the reader to fundamental concerns and emerging conversations in the field of library and information science.

A secondary goal of this book is to introduce readers to prominent writers, articles, and books within the field of library science. The book originated as a collection of annotations of important LIS articles. Though these citations are being developed into a fuller text, we hope that this book remains firmly rooted in the literature of LIS and related fields, and helps direct readers toward important resources when a particular topic strikes their fancy.

A guide to amplify the wide variety of initiatives that put the library learning commons at the center of teacher and learning in a school. The acronym stands for Literacies, Information, Inquiry, Instruction, Innovation, Technology, Expertise, Service.

The League of Librarian Gamers is a closed group affiliated with the ALA Games and Gaming Round Table (GameRT). GameRT facilitates this space as a positive, progressive, and inclusive venue for library workers and game designers/publishers interested in the use of games in libraries to gather, discuss, and share resources and expertise. There is no requirement to join ALA or GameRT to utilize and join this Facebook group (please note joining this group is not the same as being an ALA GameRT member).

We discuss board games, card games, RPGs, video games, tabletop games, Magic: the Gathering, miniatures, dice games, classic games, strategic games, educational games, and escape games/puzzles. We have a particular interest in how these games can be applied to the library space (academic, public, school, and special).

The League of Librarian Gamers Facebook group was established in January 2014 by Joshua J. Carlson.

Curious about the idea of a Learning Commons, for your K-12 school, that transforms the traditional school library into a vibrant learning community? Here, you will find the current crop of resources to give you lots of ideas and helps created by the authors and other colleagues from the U.S. and Canada. Two major concepts are presented below; but, check out the various tabs for lots of resources and ideas.

If you are looking to do a diversity audit or are in need of resources to make your library more inclusive, check out this curated collection. There is also a webinar recording - How to Audit Your Collection and Why found at https://youtu.be/0r4lEMsfTzw

Article and checklist from the American Library Association's Choose Privacy Every Day campaign.

"As an avid board game hobbyist, I love when libraries include games in their collections. Games are a source of entertainment, social joy, and intellectual challenge. What better place to showcase those things than at the library!

The world of board gaming has exploded in the last few decades, and while this has infinitely improved the hobby, it has also made it much more difficult to organize. If a library wants to craft a truly great board game collection, it has to look beyond merely well-known classics such as chess and Monopoly. Consequently, as the quality of the games in the collection improve, so must the quality of the cataloging.

In this project, I endeavor to showcase how libraries currently manage board games collections as well as offer a few suggestions I have for improvement. " ~Maria Becker, Instructional, Reference, & Research Support Librarian at Rincker Memorial Library.

Website includes CURRENT CATALOGING PRACTICES, COLLECTION MANAGEMENT FAQS, SUGGESTIONS TO IMPROVE BOARD GAME COLLECTION MANAGEMENT, MARC CATALOGING EXAMPLES, and BIBLIOGRAPHY AND FURTHER READING.

Bibliography adapted from the October 2018 WLA Program: "No One Checked It Out: Transforming Perceptions of Diverse Books" given by librarians from the Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

This crosswalk was created by AASL and will also be available in a web based version in the future.

The Play Make Learn Conference is a place for collaboration and discovery in the design, research and practice of playful learning, games for learning and positive social impact, making and makerspaces, STEAM education, and arts in education. PML creates an inspirational space for preK-12 educators, designers, developers, innovators, librarians, museum professionals, makers, and researchers to tinker together, share knowledge, and celebrate one another’s work.

"I created this site to make it a little easier for parents, teachers and students to find resources, games, and have additional resources to support online learning without having to create a bunch of new accounts or remember a bunch of passwords. This is a database of links to free educational pre-K-12th grade games and research tools with no log ins or sign ups or memberships required. This site is aligned to Common Core Standards, teacher and parent needs and student interests.
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I invite you to explore and play and to maybe learn something new."

__________________________

"This site came about in early 2020 when schools around the country started to close, due to COVID 19. I saw online that there were a lot of resources that families could access, but felt that the choices were overwhelming to parents and kids who were looking for some fun and educational things to do online. I narrowed down the sources and put them onto a manageable site that is easy for kids and parents to use. The use of technology is encouraged in schools and at home in order to support student engagement. With technology, I hope to inspire the STEM leaders and innovators of tomorrow.

All of the links on this site are aligned with the Common Core Standards and are all age appropriate. With these links, all materials are free to use, without having to sign up or register for anything. I hope that you enjoy exploring these sites."
-Ms. Krystal
Youth Services Coordinator