Library Gaming-Related Panels at Comic-Con 2008

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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 16, 2008.

This year’s Comic-Con convention in San Diego will feature two panels that should be very interesting to any librarians interested in adding gaming/geekiness to their library:

Gamers in the Library?
Saturday, July 26 6:30-7:30
Room 30CDE
Did you know that at least 7 out of 10 libraries support gaming? From consoles to D20, board games to CCG’s, gaming in libraries is a hot topic. Find out about this seemingly odd combination with Kearsten LaBrozzi (Glendale Public Library, Arizona), Susan White (University of Advancing Technology), Mike Pawuk (Cuyahoga County Public Library), and Merideth Jenson-Benjamin (Glendale Public Library, Arizona). Hear about successful programs, learn pitfalls to avoid, and find out why gamers in the library are here to stay.

Graphic Novel Help in Libraries
Sunday, July 27, 11:30-12:30
Room 3
Graphic novel collections are booming in libraries. How can a librarian manage when there seems to be a new “must have” title coming out every week? Jill Patterson (La Habra Branch Library) Merideth Jenson-Benjamin (Glendale Public Library), John Shableski (Diamond), and Hillary W. Chang (McCully-Moiliili Public Library) discuss practical ways for librarians to survive their graphic novel collection.

San Diego Comic-Con 2008 will be held from July 24th through the 27th.

VGL Review – Penny Arcade Volume 5: The Case of the Mummy’s Gold

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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 7, 2008.

The Case of the Mummy’s Gold, the fifth collection of the Penny Arcade webcomic, was released last week. It captures all of the comics posted by writer Jerry “Tycho” Holkins and artist Mike “Gabe” Krahulik from 2004. There is also an introduction by Holkins, a forward by Star Trek‘s Wil Wheaton (who is something of a patron saint for geeks everywhere) ,and commentary by Holkins on every strip.

If you’ve never experienced the Penny Arcade comic strip, it’s definitely worth a look for anyone interested in video games and geek culture. If you’ve never read it before, a full archive of the strip’s entire run can be found at the Penny Arcade website. It’s vulgar (the strip is meant for an adult audience), but also extremely clever.

The art is fantastic (and fantastically violent at times), as Krahulik really began to find his stride in 2004. This volume is also home to one of my favorite strips, “The Utility of Rare Erotica.”

While it may be a little inappropriate for kids, older teens and adults who love video games and follow the ups and downs of the industry will love this collection.

Verdict: Highly Recommended

ALA Receives $1 Million Grant to Study Gaming

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This article is from the first edition of The Video Game Librarian website I published between 2008 and 2010. It was originally written on June 30, 2008.

The American Library Association has announced that they have received a $1 million grant from the Verizon Foundation to “track and measure the impact of gaming on literacy skills and build a model for library gaming.” The eventual plan is to offer this model to librarians across the country.

The grant was announced at the ALA’s annual conference, which took place over the weekend.

As part of the grant, the American Library Association will work directly with 12 leading gaming experts to document the use of gaming as a literacy tool and monitor the results of gaming initiatives. The information will be used to build “The Librarians’ Guide to Gaming,” a comprehensive, online literacy and gaming toolbox, which will then be field-tested by additional libraries.

The gaming experts that will build this Librarians’ Guide to Gaming come from the following libraries:

  • Ann Arbor District Library, Ann Arbor, Mich.;
  • Public Library of Charlotte-Mecklenburg County, Charlotte, N.C.;
  • Columbus Metropolitan Library, Columbus, Ohio;
  • Georgetown County Library, Georgetown, S.C.;
  • Minneapolis Public Library, Minneapolis, Minn.;
  • Old Bridge Public Library, Fords, N.J.;
  • Pima County Public Library, Tucson, Ariz.;
  • Reidland High School, Paducah, Ky.;
  • School Library System of Genesee Valley BOCES, Le Roy, N.Y.;
  • The New York Public Library, New York;
  • Todd Wehr Library, De Pere, Wis.;
  • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Ill.

For those who regularly contribute to the LibGaming Google Group, the names of these libraries (and the librarians who have been tagged as “gaming experts”) may look familiar to you. I wish them the best of luck as they build the Librarians’ Guide to Gaming and I hope to hear more about their progress soon.

Sixth Halo Novel Announced

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This article is from the first edition of The Video Game Librarian website I published between 2008 and 2010. It was originally written on June 17, 2008.

Bungie has revealed that the next book in the series of novels based on Halo will be released this Fall. The book will be titled Halo: The Cole Protocol and will be written by Tobias S. Buckell.

According to Bungie, the novel “reveals the location of the Spartan Gray Team and takes readers into an unexplored conflict of the Human-Covenant War where unlikely alliances are formed and shattered…”

How to Run a Super Smash Bros. Brawl Tournament

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This article is from the first edition of The Video Game Librarian website I published between 2008 and 2010. It was originally written on June 13, 2008.

This post comes from Jennifer Lovchik, the Teen Services Librarian at Bellingham Public Library in Washington. She has recently put on her first Super Smash Bros. Brawl tournament and it was a rousing success. After sharing her story with the LibGaming discussion group, I asked if she would be willing to share it here as well.

So with that, take it away Jennifer (and thanks for the great post)… Continue reading →

University of Michigan Will Open a Game Library

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This article is from the first edition of The Video Game Librarian website I published between 2008 and 2010. It was originally written on June 6, 2008.

I stumbled across this bit of news on the LibGaming discussion group a few days ago and it is too cool not to share. Dave Carter, a librarian at the University of Michigan’s Art, Architecture & Engineering Library is working on a Computer and Video Game Archive for the library.

The Archive will be a “usable” game room that will be filled to the brim with games that can be played on in-house gaming stations as well as a full library of books on everything related to gaming. The available games and systems will run the gamut from classic PC games to the Atari 2600 to the NES all the way up to the current big three (PS3, Wii, Xbox 360).

He’s also writing about the experience of building the archive at libgames.blogspot.com. I can’t wait to see how it goes.

Are “Public Performance Rights” Required For Game Programs?

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This article is from the first edition of The Video Game Librarian website I published between 2008 and 2010. It was originally written on June 6, 2008.

The question of whether or not it’s legal to use video games in a public program has come up in four places over the last several days: The School Library Journal, GamePolitics.com, Joystiq’s Law of the Game column and at the LibGaming Discussion Group.

Here’s what they had to say… Continue reading →

Metal Gear Solid Has Been Adapted Into a Novel

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

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots will be released for the PlayStation 3 on June 12, and the highly-anticipated PS3 title will be joined on store shelves by a novelization of the first title in the series, which was released earlier this week.

Written by Raymond Benson (best known for authoring a series of James Bond novels from 1997-2002 and for two stories based on the Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell franchise), the book is simply titled Metal Gear Solid.

Here’s what the back of the book has to say… Continue reading →