It's not just kids who play video games! Another PEW Report came out this week  - this one focused on adults who play video games.  There are some very interesting statistics from the report, one of them being that 53% of adults play video games of some kind in some way.  To find out more info like which age brackets play what kinds of games and how education and income come into the mix read the full report.

What does this mean for us? Well, I think it means we're on target with our growing video game collections and programs, but maybe we need to up our game (so to speak)? How about "M" rated games and adult video game programs?    

On Saturday, November 15th, 2008, libraries across the country participated in the first annual National Gaming Day @ your library initiative. Hundreds of libraries joined together in providing a variety of gaming events, including board games, card games, roleplaying games and (of course) video games.

At Ada Community Library in Boise, ID, my fellow SPLAT member Anna Warns and I put together video game filled afternoon for children and teens, featuring Rock Band, Mario Kart Wii and Super Smash Bros Brawl, along with snacks and beverages. We also launched our first Family Game Night on the previous day, providing a variety of games and food for entire families to enjoy at the library after hours.

But I must admit that our efforts paled in comparison with rock star librarian Tina Cherry's National Gaming Day at the Jerome Public Library. With only ten days of preparation time, Tina marshalled her troops and resources to pull off a massive gaming event for her entire community. How do I know this? Because Tina blogged about her experience in putting together her library's National Gaming Day program in every detail (including how many flies she ended up drinking in her coffee). Read her informative and very entertaining account in ten easy installments on the Idaho Commission for Libraries community page. Here's a bit from her conclusion:

What if we all got really comfortable with live gaming over the next year? What if we helped other libraries get the practice of gaming tournaments, and took the time to reach out to gamers? What if the West DOMINATED the East on December 14, 2009? What if IDAHO turns out to be a gaming force to make libraries all over the U.S. want to beat us?

So what's stopping us from being the "gaming force" that Tina Cherry dreams of? Let's all pitch in and run gaming programs at our libraries so we really can dominate in 2009 (and into the future)!

Official registration for SPLAT 101 has closed, but you can still participate in this self-paced online course! Join others and learn about these six technology-based resources that can save you time and money at work and home.

• Week 1 – Blogs
• Week 2 – RSS
• Week 3 – IM
• Week 4 – Online Applications
• Week 5 – Wikis
• Week 6 – Tagging

Still have questions? Read our FAQ, leave us a comment, or contact a SPLAT member directly using the list to the left. We hope you'll join us to learn these technologies the fun and casual way with SPLAT 101!

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I am listening to the great Michele Gorman giving a
talk called “Getting Graphic.” She just wrote a book called Getting Graphic!
Comics For Kids This is an excellent guide to help you develop a great
graphic novel collection for kids.  We
can all be super librarians with the help of this book :)

More to come from ALSC soon. Stay tuned to the
same bat channel at the same bat time…