GenCon is the largest tabletop-game convention in North America that occurs annually in Indianapolis, Indiana and is contracted to continue happening in Indiana at least through 2023. This webinar will be presented by someone who has attended the convention in a multitude of hats; as a spectator, as a game-player, as a librarian taking advantage of the opportunities of Trade Day and as an event presenter. The webinar will cover a variety of basic information for attending and participating in the convention, whether you consider yourself a gamer or just a curious librarian.
Date Recorded: 4/16/20
Format: Archived YouTube Video
Presenter: Jennifer Taylor, Hagerstown Public Library
The Heroic Adventure Kids Club (Or HAK Club, for short) is an RPG club of elementary and jr. high aged students that are sponsored by the local library. The H.A.K. Club began in January 2017, formed by 4 students from the Hagerstown Elementary School and a librarian at the Hagerstown Public Library acting as sponsor. The students wanted to learn to play role playing games and there was interest in using it as a play test idea for the community outreach coordinator of the school who was interested in the benefits of elementary students playing role playing games and how it might be used towards social skills & behavior improvement. The club has grown, expanded to two “level” age groups of participants. The group has been written about in newspapers and has been part of three summer reading programs and been featured on the list of “Great Things Happening in Indiana Libraries” by the Indiana Library Federation (ILF). We want to share the origin, the challenges that were faced and the secrets to our success as this group has continued for over three years. We’ll cover what has worked, what hasn’t worked, a few things libraries should always keep in mind & what the plans are for the future.
Teen patrons in every community live lives that are more and more hectic with little spare time and sometimes shrinking awareness of libraries and what they have to offer. It is sometimes the case that to engage them the best thing to do is to go where they are. In the community of Hagerstown, IN, a significant part of that has been accomplished by going into the high school and with the development of a program called the Quick Play Game Club. The program began over three years ago, originally as an International Gaming Day event that was highly successful, working in partnership with the school.
This presentation explores games developed by libraries to support information literacy and internal training. One benefit of creating games is being able to tailor experiences to the culture and needs of libraries and their communities. Some games covered in this session include the University of Tennessee Libraries’ interactive Breakout Game for first-year studies courses, Acquisitions Adventure (which is used for internal training of acquisitions staff), and the Pendergrass Clue board game (which supports one of our branch libraries). This session showcases games created by other libraries as well.
Under the staircase, an old study room, an accessible storage closet … anywhere can become a mini makerspace! The North Riverside Public Library, a small library outside Chicago, was able to cobble together funding using our budget and grants to create mini makerspaces in small nooks around our library. We will talk about our process, research on materials and space design, and how we solicited valuable feedback from patrons. We’ll also discuss our failures and successes throughout the planning and implementation process, including budgetary constraints and unique workarounds that we discovered. This talk will be applicable to any small or rural library willing to get creative.
Libraries are busy places. From programming to services, we want people to know about everything. The challenge? We often have very limited (if any) marketing budgets. Join Kim Crowder, Director, Communications, for The Indianapolis Public Library, and learn easy tips and tricks to boost your marketing strategy on a budget. See examples of what has worked and where your time is best spent.
This webinar will explore opportunities for libraries related to the world of TED – including, but not limited to, staging a TEDx event and hosting an ongoing TED Ed Club. The presenters will discuss their ongoing partnership, full of successes and failures, while inspiring librarians to bring these two worlds together at their own libraries.
Looking to book an author at your library? Put your library’s best professional foot forward and avoid common pitfalls. Join Indiana author Kelsey Timmerman and Indiana’s Letters About Literature Coordinator, Suzanne Walker for this discussion about best practices when booking an author. From making sure their dietary needs are met to paying them efficiently, there’s more to booking an author than just deciding on a date. Hosted by Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Award Program Coordinator, Caity Withers. Be sure to bring all of your questions regarding booking authors.
Youth need more than traditional literacies to succeed in life – they also need emotional intelligence. Learn how you can build Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) into any teen program and help your teens develop their self-management, social awareness, and relationship skills. You’ll leave this session with great resources and concrete ideas for incorporating SEL at your library. Presenter: Brin Chenille Bugo, Calgary Public Library
Join Deb Gaff, youth services librarian at the Bartholomew County Public Library—and former teacher—as she discusses the STEAM programs she does for students both in school and at BCPL. First she shares valuable strategies for establishing a relationship with schools and explains how BCPL got started with these initiatives. Then she highlights her programs, including Coder Dojo, working with robots, a Nick & Tesla book club, and more.