The Frances P. Bunnelle Foundation has just awarded to the Georgetown County Library a grant of $600,000 to expand their successful interactive gaming/computer program for teens throughout the county. The library will receive $200,000 per year for the next three years to continue their work at Carvers Bay while establishing the program at three other public libraries.
Starkville (MI) Public Library held a 2-day Monopoly tournament, won by a local homeschooler.
The Fayetteville Public Library has been providing a videogame experience for all ages since May; event organizer Monica Kuryla comments that “the 21st-century library is turning into a community media center. It’s about the social experience of the community, and gaming furthers that purpose.” The article also cites Scott Nicholson’s work with GameLab at Syracuse.
The Longview Library is leaving Rock Band set up and available from 3-6 on Wednesday & Thursdays all summer in the Library’s soundproof, air-conditioned auditorium.
Carroll County Public Library is offering game tournaments this summer. “Video games are actually a perfect fit for the library,” said PR specialist Lisa Back… “A lot of video games focus on learning and they have a social aspect.”
Vashom (WA) Library offers a mix of gaming experiences: board, card, computer and console, and has for the last ten years in their Late @ the Library programs every other month for four hours on Saturday night. “We wanted to give the teens something to do at the library … It’s really given them a sense of ownership of the library,” Librarian Hester Kremer said.
Gamespot sponsored a program featuring the PS3 and Wii Fit at the Bossier (LA) Parish Library with plans to return in the fall.
The Serious Games Portal picked up on libraries getting serious about games. with a nice round up blog post about notable gaming initiatives and ALA’s Verizon grant.
The Detroit Free Press has an article about how libraries have reinvented themselves in the digital age, and because of it, libraries in most communities are thriving.
The Teen Scene at the Waco Library is using a blog to promote their gaming events. Notice the poll about DDR in the left menu
Other Gaming news:
Rock Band II’s track list has been released, with 84 songs to start with and more available for later download.