The American Library Association is gearing up to host another International Games Week this November, and the Games In Libraries blog has announced that registration for this year’s event has begun. A map highlighting this year’s registered libraries can be found on Google Maps.
International Games Week 2019 is scheduled for November 3rd through the 9th, and librarians across the world are encouraged to host gaming-related programs on any (or all) of those dates.
International Games Week 2018 is coming up next week and the ALA’s Games In Libraries blog wants to help your library prepare. They’ve put together a snazzy printable poster, as well as a bunch of ready-made social media posts:
International Games Week (IGW) is an annual celebration of games, play, libraries, and learning that any library in the world can join, and costs absolutely nothing to register for!
Use this social media kit to create posts to promote International Games Week at your library!
This year’s International Games Week will kick off on Monday, November 4, and go through Saturday, November 10.
The ALA’s Games In Libraries blog has announced that registration is now open for International Games Week 2018:
International Games Week 2018 is from November 4th through 10th. Libraries can choose to host one event or several.
Donation information: This year some donations will be available during registration but others will be available through the Games in Libraries blog. In order to receive updates about this year’s donations, resources, and information on running a successful event, subscribe to the blog. You can subscribe to the blog here.
Donations are available while supplies last.
If you’re hosting a gaming event at your library this November, registering for International Games Week is a great idea.
The ALA’s Games In Libraries blog has provided an update about this year’s International Games Week event.
International Games Week 2018 will begin on November 4th and run through the 10th. Registration for libraries hosting events during International Games Week is slated to open the week of July 9th, and all registered libraries will receive a package of donated games from this year’s sponsors.
The ALA’s Games In Libraries blog is also looking for volunteers to help with the lead-up to International Games Week 2018:
As you know, this is a volunteer-run event. If you are interested in helping to make the blog great again this year with a post or series, let us know by filling out the contact form. We are excited for all of the great games, sponsors, and events that await us at this year’s International Games Week!
International Games Week 2017 is fast approaching, and a new post from Colleen Ellithorpe, the Teen Services Librarian at Saratoga Springs Public Library on Programming Librarian discusses some of the benefits of participating in the event and offers up a few resources to help get you started:
Whether you’ve always been a proponent of gaming in the library or were late to the party, games have found their place in adult and teen programming. According to ALA’s Games and Gaming Round Table’s (GameRT) 2016 International Games Week (IGW) report, about 82 percent of public libraries participating already had a collection of either tabletop or console games. Some libraries loan games while others focus on game events. As technology becomes less expensive and community needs shift, we will certainly see continued growth of gaming events in public libraries.
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If your library currently doesn’t have game programming, IGW is a great time to introduce the idea, experiment with games temporarily and gauge the response!
International Games Week 2007 will take place from October 20th through November 4th.
The American Library Association has announced that registration for the 2016 International Games Day @ Your Library is now open:
This year many donations will be managed through this blog. You can subscribe to the blog to receive updates about donations, resources, and information on running a successful event.
You must register to be eligible for donations. Donations are available while supplies last.
A Press Kit to help you plan your IGD@YL event is also available.
Looking for International Games Day @ Your Library ideas? Jake Hutton, a Children’s Library Associate at the Harford County Public Library, recently published a recap of his IGD@YL event from last year on the ALA’s International Games Day blog:
After months of preparation the day finally arrived. It was a resounding success. We had a total of 70 participants, with the majority either elementary aged or adults. Most of the participants stayed the entire day, playing pretty much every game we had available.
IGD was an extremely rewarding experience, and I left work already excited for next year.
This article is from the first edition of The Video Game Librarian website I published between 2008 and 2010. It was originally written on November 15, 2008.
Here’s a nice helping of press coverage from libraries all over the United States and Canada for National Gaming Day @ Your Library 2008 (it’s probably time to rechristen it International Gaming Day @ Your Library)…
Libraries celebrate videogames
Back when I was growing up, it was a big deal when libraries introduced VHS movies to their collection of books. Now libraries are introducing the first-ever National Gaming Day on November 15. On Saturday, hundreds of libraries across the country will join the American Library Association (ALA) to celebrate the popularity, as well as the recreational and educational value of traditional board games and videogames.
The louder the better at Lapeer library as gamers take over
Parents who question the wisdom of encouraging children to play video games can turn to Pohjola for information about setting appropriate time and content limits. She can update them on the latest research that shows gaming can be educational. Pohjola prefers games the require social interaction and avoids games that are violent. Games are rated, she said, and studies show that properly monitored gaming enhances social skills and learning.
Games take center stage at library tomorrow
“It’s just an open day for kids to come with family and friends, play some games and read books,” said Kim Butler, head of the Newburyport Library children’s services. “It’s a good community event.”
The introduction of video games in Ottawa libraries, with the help of a donation from Urbandale Corp., is just another way to serve the community. In Ottawa, library branches have been successfully attracting young children through programs that begin when they are babies. As a result, librarians have been able to help instill a love of reading in many. Summer reading programs, clubs and other incentives encourage children to keep visiting their library.
Video games are an important service that the library offers now, [assistant director Laura] England said. But it wasn’t always that way.
“We used to say that we didn’t want anyone playing video games on the computers. But that’s changed.”
Library to celebrate the popularity of board games
“Gaming is yet another example of how libraries are becoming more than just educational resources for the communities that they serve,” Director Erin Steinsultz said. “They are also places where users of all ages are welcome to have fun together.
McAllen libraries to participate in national gaming day
On Saturday, McAllen’s three library branches will join hundreds of libraries across the nation in conducting a simultaneous game of Pictureka! during the first National Gaming Day @ Your Library.