"Libraries are not just about books, and gaming is not just about videogames."

~Christopher Harris
Genesee Valley BOCES
Le Roy, NY

"We are very fortunate that SLS has provided us with this resource. Several other teachers are looking to use the gaming library to extend their lesson plans in the areas of ancient civilizations, global studies and government and economics."

~Renee M. Burns,
Oakfield-Alabama Middle-High School Media Center
Oakfield, NY

Modern Board Games Staff Training

Genesee Valley BOCES, Le Roy NY

The School Library System of Genesee Valley BOCES is a rural library consortium that serves Genesee, Livingston, Steuben and Wyoming counties in NY, a service population of about 27,000 students.

Chris Harris decided to start with modern board games for a library gaming program. They are less intimidating as most people have a (very positive) point of reference that helps them understand what you are talking about. There is none of the stigma associated with videogames or role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons.

Running the Program

The agenda was to play board games with member librarians, aligning games and gaming with AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learners and NY State Learning Standards.

Literacy Connections

Games like Carcassone, Settlers of Catan, Shadows Over Camelot, and others require a vast number of literacy skills in order to play and be successful. Players are not reading through text heavy games, but also analyzing the text and incorporating it into their existing base of knowledge.

Players use this new knowledge to develop strategies and conclusions to constantly evolving game situations. This process of evaluating and applying information is a core concept of information literacy and another way that players are gaining literacy skills.

Marketing

A professional development session on board gaming was marketed to member librarians by talking about it at system meetings and offering to come model use of games.

From the beginning, discussions about starting a game library were focused on the use of modern board games as a learning resource in school libraries. All games that were used have been aligned with AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learners and NY State Learning Standards.

Funding

Impact

Because Harris was able to tie the games into learning and the standards, it was a natural fit for libraries to offer them as an instructional resource as well as an entertainment option for students.

Since the training, a number of schools are integrating board games into the curriculum:

Elementary School Board Games

• Max

Middle School Board Games

• Ancient History Unit: Amun-Re, Chang Cheng, Iliad & Tribune

High School Board Games

• 1960: The Making of a President
• Power Grid

Resources

For more information, please contact Christopher Harris at infomancy@gmail.com.

SLS Game Library. http://sls.gvboces.org/gaming/gamelibrary. March 13, 2009.

AASL. Standards for the 21st Century Learner. AASL, 2008.
www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslproftools/learningstandards/standards.cfm
The American Association of School Librarians document on the ability to use a range of tools and skills (technological, interpersonal, communication) to effectively participate in the workforce.

Mayer, Brian. Board Games and the AASL Standards for the 21st-Century Learner. 2008. http://sls.gvboces.org/gaming/node/23. January 29, 2009.
A document that examines how board games connect to both the new school library standards and New York State educational standards.

Genesee Valley BOCES. Swift Six. sls.gvboces.org/gaming/. January 5, 2009.
Resources for board gaming in school libraries.

Board Game Geek. www.boardgamegeek.com. January 5, 2009.
Tabletop game reviews and discussion.

Board Game News. www.boardgamenews.com. January 5, 2009.
Covers gaming news and reviews of designed board and card games.

Nicholson, Scott. (2007). Board Games With Scott..www.boardgameswithscott.com/. January 5, 2009.
Videocast of tabletop game reviews: how to play, why it's great, and how to use it in a variety of gaming experiences.