Thursday, January 31, 2008

2008 Texas Teen Read! Manual: Game On! TTR.08

"The Texas Teens Read! Advisory Committee selected the theme Game On! TTR.08 for the first Texas Teens Read! and nominated artist Rod Espinosa to design the manual."

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Nintendo Donates 21 Wii's

Norman Oder, Library Journal, 1/25/08
"Nintendo has decided to donate 21 of the popular games (valued at $250 each) to encourage library gaming. The recipients are the Alpena County Library, MI; the Free Library of Philadelphia; the Pasco County Library, FL; Ann Arbor District Library, MI; the New York Public Library; and the American Library Association (ALA), which will use its Wii at various events to promote library gaming initiatives."

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Your Input Needed on GLLS2008 Location!

forwarded from Jenny Levine, The Shifted Librarian and ALA Strategy Guide

"We're at the point where we can finally pick a location for the 2008 ALA TechSource Gaming, Learning, and Libraries Symposium, but the pickings aren't as good as we'd hoped for. Recognizing that we can't please everyone all of the time, I'd love your input on the choices we do have.

More background and info at
http://gaminglearningandlibraries.ning.com/forum/topic/showid=917484%3ATopic%3A3024
(http://tinyurl.com/3dzlp3). Please respond there or to jlevine AT ala DOT org).

DO NOT REPLY HERE! Please reply on the GLLS2008 Ning Site.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Games and Gaming Member Initiative Group-ALA

On January 16th, the ALA Council approved the formation of the Games and Gaming Member Initiative Group. The charge for the group, is:
To engage those interested in games and gaming activities in libraries and to collaborate with ALA units to support gaming initiatives and programs across the Association. Games, as defined in their broadest sense to include traditional and modern board, card, video, mobile, computer, live-action, roleplaying and miniature games, and gaming activities, including planning and running gaming programs, providing games for informal play, developing a game collection, creating games, development of information and other literacies through games and partnering with other community organizations to support gaming, will be topics for professional exploration. This group is open to all
members.

Scott Nicholson (srnichol at syr.edu), associate professor at the Syracuse University School of Information Studies and director of the Library Game Lab of Syracuse, appeared before the ALA Committee on Organization on January 15th as a Designated Organizer with a petition with 149 member signatures to request that the group be started as a channel to bring together librarians of all types to talk about tabletop and digital games.

The Member Initiative Group structure is designed for new topics and creates an ALA organization that lives for 3 years. After that time, if the group is flourishing, it can apply to become part of the ALA's permanent organizational structure as a Round Table. ALA will be creating a discussion forum, blog, wiki, and other methods for the group to begin discussions shortly. More information about the Library Game Lab of Syracuse and updates on the Games and Gaming MIG will be posted here.

Thursday, January 03, 2008