Hello folks! Another short one – I’m pushing up against deadlines again – and then I’ll hand over to the illustrious and inimitable Eli Neiburger for information about this year’s videogame tournament: the Minecraft Hunger Games!
Another hundred-plus libraries have joined us since last we spoke – we’re averaging 4-5 libraries a day at the moment (which is actually slow overall, but typical for this time of year), with about 10% being outside the US. I’m proud to say that Australia is continuing to represent well and is on well track to pip last year’s record!
I’m not in charge of sponsorships, so I’m not sure if they’ve all gone, but they can’t last much longer – if you’re in Australia or the U.S. of A., get in while you can! The event is still plenty fun without them, of course, but free stuff for the collection is always nice.
Otherwise we’re keeping on keeping on as regards this year, but steadily building support for the day in the wider community. ALA Annual was probably a bit of a turning point, with game publishers starting to seek us out and take the initiative to get each other on board! Not bad for a ragtag band of library-lovers working for nothing and scattered across way too many timezones 🙂
If you’d like to help us out, spread the word through your networks (especially in networks where you haven’t seen us already mentioned – don’t forget we have that text for libraries), and encourage your colleagues to participate. If your library service has multiple branches, or you have a good collegial relationship with other libraries nearby, maybe even talk about co-ordinating your events – run an inter-library tournament, or organize to share achievements or prizes to encourage people to visit more than one library. After all, we’re not just seeking to celebrate and cultivate an intelligent appreciation of games, we’re also showing off our libraries.
But speaking of too many timezones, I’d better run! Thanks again for your support and interest. And look for Eli’s post shortly!