"DO games belong in a library?" A co-worker has been dogging me about this question for weeks. And....since I wrote the iHCPL module post asking this very question, you would think I'd have the answer. Or at least...an opinion. The truth is, I'm not sure.
To know the answer would be to presume our beloved library has a static function and I don't believe this premise to be true. Like all organizations that exist to serve the public, part of our job is to evolve -- as people's needs evolve. I don't for a minute believe, as some gloomily predict, that books will become obsolete. People come into the library all the time and tell me that while they never read as children, they've come to enjoy reading as they've grown older and are not in so much of a rush. Perhaps the kids who avoid books now will someday "come around." Or, maybe they won't. But there will always be people, I think, who will find a kind of true satisfaction in the written word that they can't find elsewhere.
I do agree that games hone certain skills and do increase technical expertise, especially with computers. I'm just not sure if the idea of luring kids into the library with games...or candy or anything else...will nudge the reluctant reader to see the light any faster. Yes, I've read the articles and yes, I've seen the statistics but I've also watched a generation of kids (my own included) who've grown up on fast food, high-speed connections and instant messaging, who can't sit still long enough to finish reading a sentence, let alone possess the requisite skills to compose one. Games are quick(er) entertainment (usually) and provide that immediate gratification sought by so many. Maybe games do have a place in the library but not for the reasons some people are inferring. Maybe games provide the outlet for a different kind of customer need that has nothing to do with reading and therefore, deserve a place here. For that matter, what do expensive, caffeine-saturated beverages have to do with books? I'll leave that question for the inquisitive mind of my curious co-worker.
To know the answer would be to presume our beloved library has a static function and I don't believe this premise to be true. Like all organizations that exist to serve the public, part of our job is to evolve -- as people's needs evolve. I don't for a minute believe, as some gloomily predict, that books will become obsolete. People come into the library all the time and tell me that while they never read as children, they've come to enjoy reading as they've grown older and are not in so much of a rush. Perhaps the kids who avoid books now will someday "come around." Or, maybe they won't. But there will always be people, I think, who will find a kind of true satisfaction in the written word that they can't find elsewhere.
I do agree that games hone certain skills and do increase technical expertise, especially with computers. I'm just not sure if the idea of luring kids into the library with games...or candy or anything else...will nudge the reluctant reader to see the light any faster. Yes, I've read the articles and yes, I've seen the statistics but I've also watched a generation of kids (my own included) who've grown up on fast food, high-speed connections and instant messaging, who can't sit still long enough to finish reading a sentence, let alone possess the requisite skills to compose one. Games are quick(er) entertainment (usually) and provide that immediate gratification sought by so many. Maybe games do have a place in the library but not for the reasons some people are inferring. Maybe games provide the outlet for a different kind of customer need that has nothing to do with reading and therefore, deserve a place here. For that matter, what do expensive, caffeine-saturated beverages have to do with books? I'll leave that question for the inquisitive mind of my curious co-worker.
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1 comment:
I think someone should spend more time on her blog and less time talking about me and my healthy habbits?
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