Libraries Got Game: Aligned Learning through Modern Board Games

ALA Member
$41.40
Price
$46.00
Item Number
978-0-8389-1009-2
Published
2010
Publisher
ALA Editions
Pages
134
Width
6"
Height
9"
Format
Softcover
AP Categories
A
C
E
G

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  • Description
  • Table of Contents
  • About the authors
  • Reviews

The high-profile topic of gaming in libraries gets thorough consideration from two educator-librarians, who explain exactly how designer board games—which are worlds apart from games produced strictly for the educational market—can become curricular staples for students of all ages. Drawing on their experience as game aficionados and developers of a nationally recognized program that brings games to school library media centers, the authors equip colleagues with everything they need to initiate a board game project with

  • Direct links between board games and curriculum
  • Suggestions for building a core collection across grade levels
  • Strategies for program development and implementation

From promoting the idea to teachers and administrators to aligning specific games to state and national education standards, this book will help you build a strong collection that speaks to enhanced learning and social development and is just plain fun.

Check out this title's webextras!
 

Acknowledgments

Part I Reintroducing Games
Chapter 1 Designer Games
Chapter 2 Why Games Matter
Chapter 3 Redefining Resources

Part II Games for Twenty-First-Century Learners
Chapter 4 Library and Information Skills
Chapter 5 Alignment with State and National Curriculum Standards

Part III Games in School Libraries
Chapter 6 The Genesee Valley Model
Chapter 7 Starting a Game Collection

Part IV Great Games for School Libraries
Chapter 8 Top Recommended Games for Elementary School: Pre-K through Grade 5
Chapter 9 Top Recommended Games for Middle School: Grades 6–8
Chapter 10 Top Recommended Games for High School: Grades 9–12

Glossary of Designer Board Game Terminology
List of Games Discussed
List of Game Publishers
Index

Brian Mayer

Brian Mayer is a library technology specialist for Genesee Valley BOCES, an educational services agency that supports the libraries of twenty-two small, rural districts in western New York, as well as an independent library consultant on gaming in libraries. His focus is on modern board games and putting authentic games into educational settings to engage students with the curriculum. He has been instrumental in the growth of designer games as educational resources and has written several documents aligning games with national and state standards. He is the author of many articles on gaming in libraries and writes on the subject in his blog Library Gamer. Mayer earned his elementary teaching certification at Buffalo State and his MLS at the University of Buffalo.

Christopher Harris

Christopher Harris, author of the blog Infomancy, is the coordinator of the school library system for Genesee Valley BOCES. In addition to his writing on Infomancy, he is a regular technology columnist for School Library Journal, talking about "The Next Big Thing." Along with Andy Austin, Harris wrote an ALA TechSource Library Technology Reports issue on using the open source Drupal content management framework in libraries, which was published in 2008. He was a participant in the first ALA Emerging Leaders program in 2007 and was honored as a Library Journal Mover and Shaker in 2008. An avid gamer, Harris was a member of the ALA/Verizon Foundation Gaming and Literacies grant national panel of experts.

"For school librarians or teachers interested in using games in the classroom, this book is a gold mine of information. You will find everything needed to start circulating games through your libraries. For others, it's an interesting glimpse into one aspect of libraries most of us don't think about much."
--Information Today

"This is a valuable resource for K-12 librarians interested in building curriculum-aligned "designer" game collections. The authors look at modern board and card games that go above and beyond the dice rolling of Chutes and Ladders or Candy Land. They explain how specific games enhance language-arts, social-studies, and math units, and build literacy skills. The two chapters devoted to promoting and justifying the inclusion of games in the library are well documented and a wonderful source to have to convince skeptical administrators. "
--School Library Journal

"They make promoting and game collection attainable and sound without a lucky roll of the dice."
--Booklist

"With a readable, pleasant tone and great specific details, it is a worthy addition to school media professional collections at any size institution."
--VOYA

"A wonderful resource for both school librarians and classroom teachers ... Whether looking to incorporate fun and intellectually engaging activities that will enhance instruction and student learning, or developing a game library or collection, this book will serve as a valuable guide."
--Collaborative Librarianship

"A must have for anyone thinking of starting up a game collection. Brian Mayer and Christopher Harris show that schools and libraries do not have to rely on online or video-gaming to incorporate gaming into learning."
--Internet Reference Services Quarterly

"The clear message of this title is that teachers need to embrace play as one of their instructional methods ... this title offers a different strategy for teaching and learning, and the teacher librarian must always be tuned into the possibilities for alternative, unique sources of knowledge which are relevant to today's students."
--The Australian Library Journal

"When I first saw this book all I could think of were the games I grew up with as a child--Monopoloy, Chutes and Ladders, Life, and Risk, and could not imagine a book about these things in a library setting, or as educational. However the authors soon put to rest that notion and what I discovered was a whole gere of materials that indeed seemed to have much to do with learning and that would surely have a place in the school library."
--Technical Services Quarterly

"The authors are very thorough in the sections on theories of game use in education and libraries and the discussion on curriculum ... Particularly helpful are the glossary of terminology, the list of games discussed in the book, list of publishers, and an index. Overall, this book is a solid choice for school libraries with programming for children and teens."
--Catholic Library World