Actually, a number of the library studies do show that video game events do seem to increase other library usage - sometimes by the people coming (aka teenagers), sometimes by their parents (which also encourages reading in the household, and for teens, if a little less directly.) I'd have to dig for the studies, but there've been quite a few at this point, as well as a bunch of supporting anecdotal evidence discussions even from people who weren't fond of the idea at first
( ... )
The whole thing just sounds to me like they're pretty much admitting defeat at trying to instill any sort of literacy in most of the younger generation, and are now willing to settle for faking it by replacing actual books in the libraries with useless crap, so that they can congratulate themselves on "getting kids into libraries", even though getting them in there won't mean anything any more.
Much more concise than my response, and that is it exactly.
I suppose more patrons will stop libraries from closing. But they should just come out and admit that's what this initiative is about, rather than claiming that it magically promotes literacy.
My son (14) is big into gaming, and has been since he was ~5 or 6. He actually decided reading was something he needed to learn, in order to be able to make his way through various games. It was also the motivation behind him learning to type
( ... )
I think the video games in libraries have the potential to be good, bad, or neutral - it all depends how exactly they're going to run the program. I know the S. Walter Stewart branch (near the East York Civic Centre) has had great success piloting a series of gaming nights, similar to what a previous commenter described with interactive, relatively family-friendly games. I'm cautiously excited about this initiative, but then we're a household with a few game systems, and Duncan is allowed to watch/participate in moderation, with preschool-friendly things like Wii Sports and the like.
I'll admit it, I love video games and so does my husband. We are also both avid readers. I like the idea of a video game lending library because buying new games get damn expensive, and if kids come into the library to rent games and end up developing their interest in books as a result, then so much the better.
What I don't get is why libraries need gaming systems. *That* is, I think, a very bad idea.
Comments 6
Reply
Much more concise than my response, and that is it exactly.
I suppose more patrons will stop libraries from closing. But they should just come out and admit that's what this initiative is about, rather than claiming that it magically promotes literacy.
Reply
Reply
Reply
What I don't get is why libraries need gaming systems. *That* is, I think, a very bad idea.
Reply
Leave a comment