Emerging Leaders 2011 Team G
Selection & Purchasing
Selection
When selecting video games for a library collection, consider the following criteria:
• Type of collection (e.g. circulating vs. non-circulating or programming collection). • Audience for collection (Is the collection for entertainment purposes or academic study? Will games be collected for children, teens, adults, or a combination of these?). • Curriculum support. • Game ratings. The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) gives each game a rating based on age appropriateness. Ratings include EC (Early Childhood), E (Everyone), E10+ (Everyone Ten and Older), T (Teen), and M (Mature). More information can be found on the ESRB website:http://www.esrb.org. • Game platforms. Games are available on many different platforms (e.g. Wii, PlayStation, etc.). Librarians will need to consider patron needs and budget constraints when considering which platform(s) to purchase for. As newer platforms are developed, consider whether to collect for these new platforms and whether it is necessary to keep games that are playable on older platforms. Conversely, platforms affect collection weeding; the Collection Maintenance section provides further details. • Collection of gaming items in addition to actual games (e.g. game consoles and accessories, game guides, gaming periodicals, and texts on the subject of games and gaming). • Reviews and recommendations for which games to purchase. • Qualities that make a game culturally significant. (See What Makes a Good Game.)
The following resources provide reviews and information that may be helpful in selecting video games for any kind of collection:
1up.com: http://www.1up.com/ 8-Bit Library Reviews: http://blog.8bitlibrary.com/reviews/ Children’s Technology Review: http://childrenstech.com/ The Escapist: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/ G4TV.com: http://www.g4tv.com/ Gamasutra: http://www.gamasutra.com/ Game Informer magazine and online reviews: http://www.gameinformer.com/ GamePro magazine and online reviews: http://www.gamepro.com/ GameRankings.com: http://www.gamerankings.com/ Gamerdad Presents... Gaming With Children: http://www.gamingwithchildren.com/ GAMES magazine (particularly the Games 100 feature in the holiday review issue):http://www.gamesmagazine-online.com/ Gamespot.com: http://www.gamespot.com/ Giant Bomb: http://www.giantbomb.com/ IGN.com: http://www.ign.com/ Joystiq: http://www.joystiq.com/ Metacritic game reviews: http://www.metacritic.com/ Nintendo Power magazine Official X Box Magazine: http://oxmonline.com/ PC Gamer: http://www.pcgamer.com/ (for PC games, not console games) Playstation: The Official Magazine: http://playstationthemagazine.com/ XBox Live's Major Nelson Radio podcasts: http://majornelson.com What They Play: The Family Guide to Video Games: http://www.whattheyplay.com/
A Teen Advisory Group and/or library staff members with gaming expertise may provide valuable input.
Purchasing
The Librarians’ Guide to Gaming: An Online Toolkit for Building Gaming @ Your Library has a list of vendors and retailers that will accept purchase orders from libraries. http://www.librarygamingtoolkit.org/vendors.html
In addition to the vendors on this list, the following vendors and retailers carry video games:
Recorded Books - http://www.recordedbooks.com/ SQR Solutions - http://www.sqrsolutions.com
Gifts & Donations
Gifts and donations of video games and equipment are a feasible way to start or grow a library's video game collection. Consider the following when thinking about gifts and donations for your video game collection:
• Cataloging & processing costs. Since most video games require original cataloging, library staff will invest their time in processing donated video games. In addition, staff time may be needed to test equipment and/or games (which requires the library to have appropriate equipment) before adding them to the collection. The time required to complete these tasks could negate any potential savings from the donation. • Audience for collection. Donated games may be more useful where games are being used for patron entertainment versus an academic setting where games are being selected for curriculum support or for their cultural significance.
Donated materials considered for addition to the collection should be vetted according to the guidelines offered in the "Weeding" section of the policy. Particular attention should be paid to the "age/currency" of the item and potential issues of "versioning". The circulation statistics of similar versions or gaming experiences in the collection should be consulted to gauge demand.