This article is from the first edition of The Video Game Librarian website I published between 2008 and 2010. It was originally written on July 28, 2008.

Last week, the Chicago Tribune published a story (“Quiet in the library? Shhh!”) that asked the question, “Should libraries stock video games – or ban them?” The author of the article was shocked… SHOCKED… that libraries would dare do such a thing:

The library, we thought, was a place for study and contemplation, not a hangout for gamers. Yes, we know modern libraries often have more DVDs than Blockbuster, more computers than the local community college and better coffee than Starbucks.

They would go to compare stocking games for checkout to building a miniature golf course in the middle of the stacks. Thankfully, the rest of the article was more levelheaded, and the author pointed out that the American Library Association whole-heartedly supports gaming in the library. The relationship between teens and games was also compared to how senior citizens favor large print books for an example of “special populations” in collection development.

Sadly, the author also seems to be under the impression that video games are only for kids and teens. This impression was hopefully changed thanks to a slew of user comments on the original article and two letters to the editor (“Community Center” and “Video Games Are Vital Part of Any Educational Environment“) that pointed out how well video games fit in a library and how video games are no longer just for kids or teens (as if they ever were).