"The game had to be shown to [administrators] to fully understand its scope. I brought in my own laptop from home, but I know most people don't play on laptops. The game has a Downloadable Version for current account holders which would work great for presentation."

~Bob Beck,
Central AR Library System,
Little Rock, AR

World of Warcraft at the Library

Central Arkansas Library System, Little Rock, AR

The Central Arkansas Library System is based in Little AR, where a dozen branches serve a population of 183,133.

World of Warcraft (WoW) is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game with a fantasy/science fiction theme. Set in the ancient kingdom of Azeroth, players choose a side (Horde or Alliance) and through an infinite series of quests, explore the world and fight for the dark or light.

The goals of the program are to foster a sense of community between local WoW players and to dispense information about game techniques and features.

Running the Program

Events include sessions focused on roleplaying and character development within and without the WoW storylines, class-specific workshops, in-game profession workshops, Player vs. Player combat and duels, raid event techniques, WoW video production and Add-On implementation/discussion. About two-thirds of the programs are geared for all patrons and usable with trial accounts, but some are for people who are active subscribers.

Marketing

The program was targeted to current WoW subscribers who can get all the "free play" they want at home who are looking for a new way to show off their l337 sky11z (elite skills) to a captive audience and interested in meeting local WoW players.

The program was promoted through posters and a library website.

Equipment

Total immersion in the WoW universe wasn't the goal of this program, so optimal performance wasn't key," says Beck. Using laptops on hand for staff training was an easy solution. WoW has relatively low system requirements. The program uses ten Dell Vostro 1510 laptops.

One license was purchased for each computer on which the game was installed, in compliance with Blizzard's Tournament License Program.

Because the game features regular updates and patches, Beck suggests working with the library IT department to ensure that the right ports are open to allow program downloads to access the game. Installation of the game and two expansion packs (with all updates) on ten computers took about three hours.

Facility

Laptops from the mobile staff training lab were utilized for the program, although the computer lab at the Main Library was also a consideration. Because staff doesn't require daily training, these laptops were ideal for use in the program, with the added benefit that it doesn't have to be limited to one location.

Literacy Connection

To play World of Warcraft, you must know how to read and write. Gameplay consists of reading the name of a character, clicking to get an assignment from the character, reading a few paragraphs of instruction, and then following the directions. To accomplish the goals of the quest, players must develop map reading skills.

A great deal of research is performed during World of Warcraft. Players utilize data and tools from official Blizzard forums, such as a talent tree simulator to develop their character's skills, and an Armory, to compare different armor and weapons. Information literacy skills come into play when adventures uses sites like WoWHead or WoWWiki to learn more about current quests.

Technology proficiency is required not just to operate the game, but to take advantage of enhancements such as customizing the interface, adding informational toolbars, and installing Add-ons, plugins for tools that deliver more data.

Primary communication in the game is through text-based chat. A typical player monitors multiple conversations at once, including but not limited to Server messages from Blizzard, local chat from other players in close proximity, regional chat from those in the same zone, guild chat from up to 500 players in the same affinity group; party/raid chat amongst 2-25 players working together on a common quest, and any number of private conversations between two individuals. WoW has its own vocabulary, and members often lapse into "1337speak" or take advantage of SMS and chat shorthands and emoticons to communicate.

Impact

Funding $769.80

Funding was derived from the Electronic Resources budget (database subscriptions, accessibility software and equipment) for CALS System.

Games: $769.80
World of Warcraft Battlechest (contains original game and Burning Crusade expansion: 10@$36.99 = $369.90
Wrath of the Lich King expansion 10@$39.99=$399.90

Active account holders can download a digital copy of the games.

Resources

For more information, please contact Bob Beck at bbeck@cals.org.

Beck, Bob. World of Warcraft at the Library. librarywow.blogspot.com/. January 29, 2009.
Chronicles the experiences of getting a World of Warcraft gaming program started at the Little Rock (AR) Public Library.

Blizzard Authentification Key FAQS. Blizzard, 2008. http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?articleId=20499. January 29, 2009.
Information about licensing WoW.

Blizzard Tournament License Program. Blizzard, 2008. www.blizzard.com/us/inblizz/lanevent.html. January 29, 2009.
Information about tournaments/LAN parties inWoW.

LanParty.com. IGN, 1996. www.lanparty.com/. January 29, 2009.
Resource for planning Local Area Network (LAN) parties, using library computers or computers provided by patrons.

World of Warcraft 10-day free trial account. Blizzard Entertainment, 2008. https://signup.worldofwarcraft.com/trial/freetrial.html. January 29, 2009.

Steinkuehler, C. (2007). Massively multiplayer online gaming as a constellation of literacy practices. eLearning, 4(3), 297–318.
website.education.wisc.edu/steinkuehler/papers/Steinkuehler_edtech.pdf. (Accessed February 3, 2009)

Yee, Nick. The Daedelus Project. www.nickyee.com/daedelus. January 5, 2009. 
MMOG research & statistics.

Librarian Guilds in WoW:

• The Librarian, Kirin Tor. http://thelibrarian.wowstead.com. January 29, 2009.
• Library and Librarians of Aerie Peak. http://librariesandlibrarians.guildomatic.com/. January 29, 2009.