When University senior Dan Erickson walked into the Science Library in the basement of Onyx Bridge this term, he noticed something new. A metal shelf full of video games greeted students as they entered the library.
The Science Library, which holds materials related to biology, chemistry, physics and computer science, recently purchased 40 video games, including “Mario Kart DS,” “Guitar Hero II” and “Super Mario DS,” that students and faculty can check out for free with student identification. The library also owns four consoles – an Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS and Nintendo Wii – for checkout, along with extra controllers and accessories.
Libraries across the country are purchasing video games to be checked out as they continue to expand their collections beyond books and into DVDs, video games and computer-related media. University librarians say video games can be applied to academic use in the computer sciences, psychology and sociology fields. Offering technology-related materials also helps attract new and younger patrons into library systems, librarians say.
At the University, the video games have been flying off the racks.
Some 90 percent of the games have been checked out at least once since the library purchased the games about six weeks ago, said Lara Nesselroad, the Science Library manager.
“That’s just ridiculous in terms of how much a collection is checked out,” Nesselroad said. “Elsewhere in the library system, items in the most popular sections like the Knight Library video collection are checked out 70 percent during the course of the year.”
Two weeks ago, the only console available was a PlayStation 3 for a one-day checkout.
Library staff asked students, faculty and children of librarians for feedback before buying any games to ensure they only bought what students were interested in.
“We’ve basically got the best hits right now,” said Annie Zeidman-Karpinski, a science and technology services librarian.
Zeidman-Karpinski spearheaded the video game collection after she attended a conference during the summer.
The librarians say the video games serve dual purposes.
“There are academic uses and there are fun uses,” Nesselroad said. “We’re not trying to decide which of those uses people decide to use the games for.”
Students may be interested in studying computer applications or game design, Nesselroad said, adding the games help improve learning, memory and coordination.
Zeidman-Karpinski said some games have academic applications.
The game “Brain Age” for Nintendo DS, for example, features activities designed to help stimulate the brain and “give it a workout,” according the game’s description. “Trauma Center: Under the Knife” for Nintendo DS is a surgical simulation game and may help anatomy students, Zeidman-Karpinski said.
Video games may not be so different from the library’s traditional materials.
Gaming can even be compared to literature, Nesselroad said. Just ask her 15-year-old son, Spencer Bellerby.
“He says there’s this entire world that somebody built with rules and logic where people interact,” Nesselroad said. “There’s even a storyline. Gaming is really just a new kind of story.”
Zeidman-Karpinski said students can also learn in a risk-free environment when playing video games and can improve decision-making skills.
Although University librarians say the video games have plenty of academic applications, they’re hoping to draw students who may not otherwise come to the library.
“We want people to feel comfortable here,” Nesselroad said. “We want them to see things that are familiar – things that don’t make this a scary place.”
A video game collection may attract new patrons, said Mary Ginnane, vice president of the Oregon Library Association and Youth Services manager at the downtown Eugene Public Library.
“Libraries both academic and public are looking for ways to relate to the new interests and skills of the upcoming patrons,” Ginnane said. “Not having barriers about what kind of format we’ll be involved in is one of the ways we’re responding to that.”
The arrival of the video games, along with other new media, to libraries has caused a stir in the past, but University librarians haven’t heard too many complaints about the video games.
Andrew Bonamici, the associate librarian for instructional services, said he has heard one complaint about the video game collection. The complaint questioned the academic use of them.
“I think there’s an increasing awareness that the games are a great learning tool,” Bonamici said, adding that the library always aims to enhance the educational experience.
Erickson said he was comfortable with the libraries purchasing consoles and games because not every student can afford such items.
Although complaints have been few, they may disappear altogether.
Ginnane compared the video games to libraries offering DVDs and videos.
“In a few places, controversy erupted,” Ginnane said. “They said we were trying to compete with video stores. It just takes time for people to embrace different media.”
Libraries throughout the state began to extend collections beyond books and started offering computer software loans in the mid-1980s, Ginnane said. From there, libraries continued to offer more technology.
College libraries across North America are offering more video games for customers to check out. Larger collections have popped up at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the McMaster University Library in Canada hired an immersive learning gaming librarian in August.
At the University of Oregon, students can reserve video games and consoles on the Science Library’s Web site. The library also has extra controllers, three dance pads for Dance Dance Revolution, classic and GameCube controllers for Wii, a guitar for Guitar Hero II and a microphone for a karaoke game. Items can be checked out for up to three days.
Zeidman-Karpinski said she hopes students organize a collaborative gaming night, and hopes the gaming collection will continue to grow.
“As the collection gets older, it will end up being a historic collection of what was popular at this particular time,” Zeidman-Karpinski said.
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