Today is National Gaming Day @ Your Library 2008

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.

National Gaming Day @ Your Library is here! If your library has anything planned, feel free to contact me through the comments on this post or by email at videogamelibrarian AT gmail DOT com to tell me all about it.

And don’t forget to start planning for next year’s National Gaming Day @ Your Library, which will be held on Saturday, November 14, 2009.

1UP Covers National Gaming Day @ Your Library 2008

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 11, 2008.

National Gaming Day @ Your Library, which is scheduled for Saturday, November 15, got another boost yesterday with some news coverage from 1UP. The article includes a brief writeup of what will be happening during National Gaming Day as well as a quote from ALA President Jim Rettig:

“Gaming formats have become a valuable tool for libraries,” said American Library Association President Jim Rettig. “Not only has this new format increased library usage from hard to reach users such as teens, we also have found that video games attract a variety of users and are a great vehicle to teach basic technology skills.”

UPDATE: A second writeup about National Gaming Day @ Your Library was published by the mainstream gaming press today. Be sure to check it out at Joystiq.

National Gaming Day @ Your Library 2008 Reminder

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 10, 2008.

This is a friendly reminder that National Gaming Day @ Your Library is scheduled for this Saturday, November 15, and it’s not too late to get involved. In fact, the American Library Association has two programs that can help librarians get their game on.

The first activity will be a national video game tournament using the Ann Arbor Library’s GT System. Interested librarians can sign up at icanhaz.com/ngd to participate.

If a national video game tournament sounds like too much, librarians who register to participate can also obtain a copy of the Hasbro board game Pictureka! for free. Hasbro has offered to donate a copy of the game to every public library branch in the U.S. And because of that, the second activity is an attempt to set a record for the most number of people playing a board game at the same time. The free copies of Pictureka! were sent out a few weeks ago, so if you’re at a public library, it’s likely you’ve already received yours.

Finally, an online publicity tool kit with downloadable artwork, a customizable postcard, a sample press release, a sample letter to the editor, and much more can be found at the ALA’s Games and Gaming Resources page or through a Facebook Event.

Free Resources for National Gaming Day @ Your Library 2008

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

National Gaming Day @ Your Library (which is on Saturday, November 15) is getting closer and closer and the American Library Association has two programs that can help librarians get involved.

The first activity will be a national video game tournament using the Ann Arbor Library’s GT System. Interested librarians can sign up at icanhaz.com/ngd to participate.

If a national video game tournament sounds like too much, librarians who register to participate can also obtain a copy of the Hasbro board game Pictureka! for free. Hasbro has offered to donate a copy of the game to every public library branch in the U.S. And because of that, the second activity is an attempt to set a record for the most number of people playing a board game at the same time.

Finally, an online publicity tool kit will be available starting tomorrow, October 1. This kit will include downloadable artwork, a customizable postcard, a sample press release, a sample letter to the editor, and much more

More information (and the online tool kit) can be found at the ALA’s Games and Gaming Resources for NGD 2008 page or at the Facebook Event page.