The document discusses the Georgetown County Library's use of innovative strategies like gaming and digital technologies to engage community members and address challenges like limited resources. Key points: 1) The library has launched gaming centers and programs to attract new visitors, especially teens and young adults, and has seen increases in library card holders, materials checkouts, and program attendance as a result. 2) Digital arts programs in areas like game design, filmmaking, and storytelling have also helped stimulate literacy. 3) The library partners with local organizations on initiatives like a hurricane preparedness project using tools like digital photography, filmmaking, and game simulations.

1. Going for the GoldInnovating and Collaborating thru Gaming and Digital Technologies The Georgetown County Library’s Challenges and Successes Dwight McInvaill, Director Georgetown County Library, SC 843-545-3304 dmcinvaill@georgetowncountysc.org Presentation to the Association for Rural and Small Libraries Conference September 2009

2. Georgetown County’s Library in 1859

3. Prosperity on the Back of Enslaved Persons

4. Georgetown County Library 2009

5. But Enduring Problems Remain

6. We’ve Got Local Problems that Need Creative Solutions!

7. And Also Some ScarierNational Ones!

8. How Do We Continue to Succeed in aBrave New World?

9. Let’s Do Something Exciting!

10. Presently, Libraries are Popular.

12. Recommendations for Libraries(According to the Da Vinci Institute) Evaluate the library experience (Survey the community; figure out how to get at the heart of what matters most to your community.) Embrace new information technologies. Preserve the memories of your own communities.(Don’t let yours disappear.) Experiment with creative spacesso the future role of the library can define itself.

13. A Paradox? If we would like things to remain the same – with libraries at the center of their communities (universities, schools, businesses, cities, towns, etc.) – then, maybe, we have got to do some things differently?

14. Augmented Library Users? Graz University of Technology, Austria

15. Augmented Libraries? Brabant Library, Netherlands (proposed) American Library Association Library in Second Life Graz Tech University, Austria

16. Why Wait for the Future? Delft Library, Netherlands

17. We Need to Cultivate All of Our Resources Now! Georgetown County Library, South Carolina

18. Our Library Faces Challenges. For example, we have Limited Resources Staff (Only 24 FTEs to serve 60,000 citizens at 4 locations) Money (Of 42 public library systems in SC, we rank only 19th in total operating income) Lack of Expertise Need to Garner Support for Innovations from: Library Board, Itself County Government Staff General Public Grant Givers

19. The Library Does All Sorts of Programs for Youngsters

20. We’ve had Success inInnovating and Collaborating

21. When We Hosted a Ben Franklin Exhibit, We Even Had Dancing in the Heart of the Exhibit! To achieve success , we collaborated successfully with our national funders, with the Humanities Council of SC, with the Studio of Dance, and with the Georgetown County School District.

22. The library system is a key member of the Georgetown County First Steps Partnership which aims to prepare preschoolers to be emotionally, intellectually, and physically ready for first grade. As part of this aim, the library established book collections in 42 childcare centers throughout the county. The library also obtained grant funds to develop a special educational curriculum and to supply a storyteller to visit each of these preschool centers monthly to entertain the youngsters and to serve as a model for the childcare providers. Additionally, the library continues to furnish monthly workshops where preschool instructors can earn continuing-education certification credits. For this work, the library system won in 2003, the first “Counties Care for Kids Award” given by the National Association of Counties.

23. So We’ve Always Known that Libraries can Benefit Young People, but First, You’ve Got to Get THEM inside!

24. We’ve Used Innovative Technology Projects to Get Folks to Visit Us One of Our Projects Involves Interactive Gaming

25. Here’s a View of our Interactive Gaming Center at our Carvers Bay Branch Your Public Library: Keeping Your Community Connected http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM7jAbvLUFc&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Egclibrary%2Eorg%2Fdefault%2Easp

26. SuccessTakes Good Rules, People, Spaces, Equipment, Games, and PR! We Started with THE LIBRARY CARD.

28. Checking Out Library Materials Comes With Being in the Library Gaming Club. Graphic Novels, Videos, Music, Magazines, Gaming Rules, and Even Regular Books!

29. Great Staff is Key to Success! Marilynn Robb, Carvers Bay Branch Manager

30. Donald Dennis, Overall Gaming Project Manager (Bunnelle Youth Technology Experience Series –BYTEs)

31. Truman Winns, Carver Bay Branch Library, Gaming Site Assistant

32. Good Spaces are Needed, too. That takes additional planning, along with equipment.

33. Surround Sound Rear Speakers in ceiling Center Channel (High) Meetings Gaming Research Teaching Movies Listening Learning Teleconference Camera LCD Flat Panel Display Main Left Main Right Center Channel (Low) XBOX Receiver DVD/VCR Headphones Computer Network HUB Signal Limiter Audio Mixer USB HUB Power Outlet A/V Input Network Port Sub Left Sub Right

34. Kool-Aid Jammers will Draw Some Folks in like Bees to Flowers! So will Good Publicity.

38. Wait! Is This Really Okay? Are You Sure? Parents are often concerned.

40. Games Sometimes Provide Stories in a New Format

41. Games Encourage Problem Solving and Critical Thinking

42. Games Involve Experimenting and Evaluating

43. Games Meet Developmental Needs of Teens Established by National Middle School Association

44. Games Encourage Social Interaction Between Peers and Non Peers, Enforce Rules and Boundaries, Encourage Creative Expression, and Reward Competence

45. Some Games Help to Release and Manage Anger and Frustration (See this Book: Grand Theft Childhood)

46. Some Games are Physically Healthy: Dance Dance Revolution Gets Heart Rates Up to 140 Beats Per Minute

47. Some Games Help Students with Special Needs (See this study from 2005: The Effects of a Consumer Oriented Multimedia Game on the Reading Disorders of Children)

48. Games have Recreational Value

49. Many Games are Social

50. Some Games Require Reading Instructions, Menus, and More

51. Some Games (D&D, Sports Games, etc) Require Statistical Skills and an Understanding of Probability

52. Some Games Introduce Us to History, Music, etc.

56. Digital Photography February

57. Audio March

62. June – Tronster Hartly (Sr. Programmer ~ Firaxis Games Web conference)

63. July – Ron Brown (USC)

64. August – Adam Cooksey of Perry Cunningham (Game Stop - Local)

65. September – NONE – Hurricane party

66. October – DJ Hammonds (Artist - Local)

67. November – Alan Webb (Game Tester, Level Designer - Web conference)

68. December Tim Collins & Donald Dennis

69. January – Kathy Tempesta (Zenimax, Producer, Test Lead)

70. February – Steve Roff Service over Self (Approached, not confirmed)

71. March - Sean Torrens (Parks & Rec – Local)

78. Try Educational Games http://www.stopdisastersgame.org/en/home.html

79. Turn Little Devils Into Little Angels!

81. Some Educational Games Can Be Found Online. Here’s a Selection of Nine. Bank Jr. Teaches grades 1-5 students about how to handle money through simulation and games. This is a fun site. http://www.bankjr.com/

82. What2Learn Prepare for exam success by playing over two thousand FREE interactive activities and revision games. http://www.what2learn.com/

83. CBBC Roar Run your own nature park. http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/roar/

84. CBBC KS3 Bitesize Here’s an online video game from the BBC where players have to answer questions related to English, Science and Math. As you answer the questions correctly, a little “questionaut” in a balloon gets to continue on his journey. http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/games/questionaut/pop.shtml

85. Time Pirates Here’s an extraordinarily ambitious interactive game-site designed to help students learn about the history of London from 2,000 years ago to now. http://timepirates.atticmedia.com/flash/

86. iCue It’s a very interactive collaboration between NBC and MIT with much to the site. It deals basically with how to learn about the news, but that’s an understatement. It’s designed for students thirteen years-old and above. You can play games, watch videos (with very easy simultaneous access to transcripts, save student work, and a ton of other activities. You have to register, but it’s free and easy to do so. http://www.icue.com/

87. Free Poverty It’s an online geography game similar to the popular Free Rice vocabulary game that donates money to purchase rice for distribution by the United Nations. In Free Poverty, though, money to distribute water is supposedly distributed to Third World countries for every correct answer. http://www.freepoverty.com/

88. Maps are a part of every great adventure. They help you find your way, share information, look at patterns, and solve problems. What can YOU do with maps? Help endangered animals Find sunken treasure Explore a pyramid Collect rocks on Mars Go on a family adventure Learn more! http://www.mywonderfulworld.org/toolsforadventure/index.html

89. Stock News Game In it, you’re given a very short piece of information about a company, and then have to predict if its stock goes down, stays the same, or goes up by the end of the day that news came out. It’s accessible to high Intermediate or Advanced English Language Learners to get a little more of a sense of how the stock market works. http://www.stocknewsgame.com/play_game.php

90. And Have a Family Game Night at the Library It was a full house Tuesday April 7th, 2009 when we had our first family game night at the Georgetown Technology and Game Lab. We had twelve participants that evening, mostly kids with some parents, a number we expect to grow in the months to come. Webkinz are stuffed animals with a code for online play. Kids tend to their virtual pets in safe online activities. http://www.webkinz.com/us_en/ Ooga is a tabletop recognition game where kids hunt dinosaurs with rubber suction cup spears. http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/9506 In Blokus 3D, players get 3-D pieces to try to place by already-set pieces of their own color. http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/6411 Bella Sara gives girls the chance to trade special beautiful horse cards. Online, girls can care for their horses in various ways. http://bellasara.com/

91. Bring a New Crowd and their Parents Into the Library! And Watch the MagicHappen!

93. Track Kids’ Progress in Literacy and Good Behavior

94. Expect Good Results.Here’s Ours in “Year One”: Increase in library card holders from only 2% to 13% 42.7% of registered users are under 18 years old 56.8% of these juveniles are checking out library materials 15% of local high school students are members of the gaming club (81 of 550) 30% of gamers are checking out 4 items monthly 90% of gamers are African-American Males 20 teens monthly attend cultural programs at the library

95. Add an Exciting Video Game Design Endeavor.

96. http://scratch.mit.edu

97. Try Video Game Design and Review Competitions Video Game Concept Competition Over the course of the summer, June 9th – July -25th BYTES participants at any GCLS location will be able to present video game design concepts. These concepts will be presented to video game design professionals for review. Prizes will be awarded for the best idea, and best presented pitch. Awards will be given at the August open tournament. Each entry of sufficient length satisfies one literacy requirement. Video Game Review Competition Over the course of the summer, June 9th – July -25th BYTES participants at any GCLS location will be able to submit video game reviews in one of three categories Written in word or other appropriate program, Oral recording, Video recording. Reviews will be judged by professional video game reviewers. Awards will be given for each category with at least five entries at the August open tournament. Each entry of sufficient length satisfies one literacy requirement. Competitions will be repeated during each school quarter, if participation justifies continuing the program.

98. We Also Use Digital Arts to Stimulate Literacy along with Library Usage

99. It Takes Good Equipment

100. It Needs Good Instructors

101. Add Great Young People to that Mix

102. You’ve Got Success!

103. Again

104. And Again

105. And Again!

106. A 2009 ICMA “Library Innovation Grant” Let’s Us Bring it All Together! The Hurricane Project Georgetown County, SC ICMA Public Library Innovation Grant Digital Library of Historic Hurricane Photographs Digital Film Collection of Oral History Interviews Digital Storytelling on Hurricanes using Photostory3 Digital Video PSAs on Hurricanes by Teens Digital Game Simulations for Young People on Hurricanes Web 2.0 Ways to Communicate Hurricane Dangers Collaborators: Georgetown County Library Georgetown County Emergency Management Georgetown County Service Over Self Georgetown County Schools Frances P. Bunnelle Foundation Contact: Dwight McInvaill, Director, Georgetown County Library dmcinvaill@georgetowncountysc.org 843-545-3304

108. Kids Star in PSAs on Hurricane Prevention

109. Local Artists Design the Props that Help the Kids Become Stars!

110. Young People Go “Out on the Town” to Film Other PSAs Themselves!

114. Using Technology Creatively Can Lead to a Good Community Spirit

115. Some Folks Have Considered our Strategies to be Good Ones.

116. We Plan to Continue to Reach for the Gold thru Gaming and Digital Technology!

117. For More Information, Contact: Dwight McInvaill, Director Georgetown County Library, SC 843-545-3304 dmcinvaill@georgetowncountysc.org Here he is going after more gold at the White House!