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Which Game Console to Buy for Your Library?
As the holidays are upon us and our purchasing-obsessed minds start thinking of ways to spend money, I am looking for which game system to purchase for the library system. It would be great to say that our teens would be happy with any old game system in the library but, face it, gamers are IT junkies, they want the greatest and latest. Sure, if you brought a Nintendo 64 in for them, they would play it, but it wouldn’t have near the response that a PS3 would.
But is the response worth an extra $500 in limited programming funds?
As I am making my decision, I have done a lot of research and asked a lot of game junkies what their opinions were as well. Here is our assessment of the current available gaming consoles.
Xbox 360– You could definitely look into purchasing this system. It is slightly on the pricey side, but not ridiculous at $400, and its games can be pricey as well. However, Xbox is known for its multiplayer games. This system also has the ability to split multiplayers onto two screens, meaning that opponents can’t see what the other one is doing… which is really, REALLY handy for strategy and fragging games. According to my gaming buddies, it is a lot easier to connect through the Internet with Xbox360 and play your friends online.
Original Xbox- Its dead. If you are set on the Microsoft system, then you have to do the Microsoft thing; buy the upgrade (i.e. 360), which will play regular Xbox games.
PS3– If you have a supersized budget, you could consider it, this thing goes for $600 at the starting price. The system is almost offensively expensive, they are working on pay to play online, and the games can easily run upwards of $70. So, essentially, you are talking ONE system and a limited amount of games that you would likely have to stagger the purchasing of to make sure that you had a fresh, new game to show off to your kids through out the year. I have personally found several reviews for some of their more popular games which say that it is tough to find people playing online right now, a problem which may change with the growing number of buyers, but it is still an unappealing statistic to consider. That said, the PS2 was known for making superior storyboard games and I am sure the PS3 will continue that standard.
PS2– Not dead yet and might not be for awhile. The PS3 sold 400,000 less units than expected in November; that could have serious implications to Sony trying to keep the PS2 lifeline alive (as people don’t seem completely keen on buying the next generation). They are still pumping a lot of money into this console at the moment, however, it will become obsolete… even the PS2 cannot defeat Darwin. However, consider the price, the popularity of its games and the reasonable prices of them, it is still a solid purchase for the moment.
Nintendo Wii– A fresh new look at gaming. As a employee at EB Games said “Nintendo took a look at games like DDR and Guitar Hero and said ‘We should make an entire system built around this kind of interactive gameplay.” In other words, PS3 and Xbox 360 are working on refining the systems they already have, Nintendo went to revolutionize the gaming system. The basic console is $250 and the games peak at $50. Players can make their own Avatars, which they can save in the controller and then bring to their friends house. You can purchase games all the way back to the NES online and play them on the Wii as well. The one starting disadvantage is that you have to purchase the memory card, but hey, it’s an SD and you may already have that in an antiquated PalmPilot or digital camera.
So, what is the best purchase?
Personally, I am going to purchase the Nintendo Wii. I have a feeling that as popular as the system is right now, many of the youth in my library are waiting for someone else to buy it first… so that will be me. I like the idea of an interactive gaming system, games that tend to be designed for both genders and, of course, the price is right for my limited budget, in both console and games. The ability to download some of the classics like Mario Kart and Party is appealing as well as they are games I can have many play at a time and all generally enjoy. And the simplicity of the controllers was a big plus for these games as most times I will bring this out for the kids, they will not have a lot of time to learn 12 button controls and commands.
My EB Games buddies unanimously said the Nintendo Wii for much of the same reasons I did. They emphasized the downloading games, and updating games ability, along with the more physical response of the games themselves… stating that “a good game makes you want to jump out of your seat, but only the Wii requires it.”
But my gaming buddies largely went with Xbox360. They liked the library of games the system had to offer, said they enjoyed the multiplayer aspects of it, and the price was reasonable considering you could play online free. They also take to Halo 2 the way a rat takes to the New York City filth though.
What say you? Anyone else considering a purchase?
Ski Battle Game
Perhaps it was the extra helping of Grandpa’s “extra-special” eggnog that had me roaming the game sites of Internet last night but I came across this Ski Battle to help bring in the winter time cheer for a season that has unseasonably warm.
Let’s see who can create the best slopes incorporating a library background.
For any teachers out there with enough computers and some need to kill time with their students this week, have a go as well.
Rethinking the Catalogs
For the general user, the library catalog can be a complete pain. They are not set up for general users, at least users who don’t know exactly what they are looking for. Today’s catalogs, although improved, still require a certain understanding of the cataloging system and a large amount of creativity in order to the full amount of information from them.
If you wanted to search the Socialism movement in Poland during the 1920’s, there are several search strategies to try. You could start with a title or keyword search and hope there is a specific book on the subject. If no results come up, then move to lesser specific terms and find books with either Socialism or Poland in the title, then go to the shelves and hope there is a section in the index on your desired subject.
My personal preference would be to browse the subject headings under Poland and see if Socialism is a subheading. If that doesn’t work, switch the terms and see what happens. If there still aren’t any results, then it’s time to start thinking of alternative subject terms that this research might be found under like “Political Parties,” “Communism,” or general Polish history done by decades.
It’s all good and fun for me, but how would our patron feel if they were looking for this and having to try all these different search strategies?
How can we wonder why our patrons turn to the Internet for their information?
It’s not even a matter of whether or not they trust what they read, it is a matter of convenience. There is far less hassle for them to type into terms and come up with results… usually in the first couple tries.
Whether librarians (guardians and keepers of information and bibliographic control) like it or not, our patrons are moving along without us; they have found another way. It is up to us to bring them back and make our catalogs easier to use. We need to find ways in which they can find the information they want in ways they are used to searching now; ways like relevancy results, tagging & folksonomy, recommended/alternative/similar reads options. Perhaps our catalog could even link to a couple trustworthy Internet sites. If you are feeling really daring, let your patrons have the option to add their own tags to a specific title (obviously, put an administration hold on submissions for approval).
There are libraries that have taken notice and made steps to improve the usability on the patron of their catalogs but many of us are still way behind. We can contain bibliographic control for our sake and use but we have to start looking at things from our patrons end. After all, what good is all this information and entertainment if they are unable to find it in the first place?
Blog is cross-posted here.
Making Sure the Policy Meets Its Purpose
A friend of mine works in a library that is having trouble with a specific group of teens. They were coming in, getting on the computers and causing a ruckus (I love that word) by looking at inappropriate sites, shouting to each other and making the atmosphere uncomfortable for other patrons in general. This went on for about two weeks and showed no signs of slowing down. Obviously, something had to be done. The supervisors decided to take charge of the situation and put forth a policy which they felt would end teen shenanigans once and for all…
Any patrons under 18 must present a school ID or have a library card in order to use a computer.
And the result?
A local private school does not use photo IDs, therefore some of these students cannot use the computers. As with most communities, there is a group of children who are unable to get cards because of their parents accumulating large fines, they are now unable to use the computers. Teens who are “in transition”, have neglecting or abusive parents, homeless, or unable to get their parents signature for whatever are all banned from using the computers in the library as well.
So, does the policy meet its purpose? Even taking the most utilitarian positions on this policy would tell you that a lot more people are negatively affected than helped by its implementation. Ultimately, the result of this policy is simply less teens on the computers and the only way the policy could be considered successful from this is by assuming that all teens are the problem, not just the aforementioned troublemakers.
Speaking of which; if anyone is wondering how the unruly teens are dealing with this policy, not to worry… They all have school IDs and are still having a good time.
Pimp My Bookcart Contest
Just as quickly as the authors of Unshelved had finished their comic sequence, Pimp my bookcart, fans started sending them emails telling them how they were going to actually do the program at their library. They thought it was such a great idea, there is now an official “Pimp My Bookcart Contest” on the Overdue Media website.
The contest lends itself to the perfect programming opportunity for Young Adult Librarians. It’s a chance for their teens to take a piece of library equipment and really have some fun with it. In the end, not only does the YA have their very own bookcart, but they also have a chance at winning $250 worth of merchandise from the Overdue Media Store as well. All entries will be posted on their site.
Exactly how many shirts of this Pimp My Bookcart logo t-shirt (left) could I wear in a week!?
MMORPGs/Online Gaming as Social Networks
Sure, Myspace is fun in the fact that anyone can make a thousand friends. You can even add music, videos, customize the backgrounds and, did I mention, make a thousand friends. Eventually, it all becomes a little static. Ultimately, it is a personality profile… a really cool one at that, but all communication is done through typing and emails.
But actual Cyberworlds, now that is where the fun is to be had!
Massively-Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game-sites (MMORPGs) like World of Warcraft or Runescape (a free version of WoW) are not as much a collection of social introverts as people think. It’s not about sitting in their chosen room of darkness and defeating dragons of varying levels of difficulty… well, not completely.
The success of these games has little to do with storylines. There are challenges offered in order to advance a character’s levels and abilities but there really isn’t a true definitive end, just harder and harder challenges. The worlds are more about the social encounters, creating clans, rivalries, and alliances. It’s social cliques along with the action; real-world interactions within fantasy settings.
But it is more than that. Business deals have been made and sealed within the realm of WoW, marriages have been acted out here and then taken place in real life, virtual funerals have been held for teammates who died in real life but were too far away to pay respects. In fact, some of my friends from high school are held a reunion in WoW a week ago.
So, its not just about challenges, it is community as well. People’s personlity plays a big part in whether or not they are part of one clan or another, connections build a large part of success. Social networking is as integral as it is fun for players in these games, in obth the cyberworld and realworld (remember the business deal?).
Is it time to start changing our premonitions of gamers as social introverts?
Teens in the Library
“Why don’t we just turn the library into an arcade!?”
I tend to get this response from the more, umm, veteran professionals when I bring up gaming programs in the library. Truth is, I’ve gotten similar cynicism for other non-traditional teen programs as well (and I know I am not alone). I’m not completely sure what the issue is but it seems an odd reaction. Why hate programs that bring people into the library?
Or is the issue that these programs bring teens in the library?
Teens are not always seen as an asset in the library community and, sometimes, they are viewed as an outright nuisance among our co-workers. At my previous job, also as a YA Librarian, I had several co-workers flat out state “they do not work with teens.” In fact, a great crux in my job is battling for our teens’ rights to be wherever they please in a library.
I hear many of my cohorts express the same difficulties.
But why teens? Why teen programs? Why the feeling that teens have no place in the library?
When I asked my coworkers why they had issues with teens, I heard a lot of the same answers. When I asked them what their greatest frustrations were with patrons in general, I heard pretty much the same answers as before.
The following is a list of general complaints I have heard. As you read them, ask how many of these are exclusively teen issues and how many actually apply to the general patron population:
They are loud
They are rude
They use bad language
They only come here to use computers
They only come here to rent videos
They look at inappropriate sites
They steal books
They only read magazines
They sleep in the library
They disrupt other patrons
They smell
Feel free to add your own list, but ask yourself… are any of these really just teen issues?
Library Garden 