Video Gaming @ Your Library

The latest video in the Visibility @ Your Library series takes a look one of ten U.S. libraries that recently received money to help people play video games. Yes, you read that right: the American Library Association (ALA) gave out $5,000 grants as part of their Libraries, Literacy and Gaming initiative and the Indian Trails Public Library of Wheeling, Illinois was one of the lucky recipients.

Sure, everyone loves video games. However, a more important point is made by Sally Decker Smith, who works as the Library’s Grant Writer. “Our budget’s tight, everybody’s budget’s tight,” she reminds us, “and to get some money that’s not tax-payer money, that will benefit the taxpayers, is just a wonderful thing for us to be able to do.”

Dale Lipschultz, Literacy Officer for the ALA’s Office of Literacy and Outreach Services (OLOS), believes that gaming plays a key role in adolescent education. She explains that, “they learn to hypothesize, they learn to predict outcomes, and most important of all, kids really do practice reading…because so many of the games are text based.”

Free video games? Just tell me where to sign up!