Check-In: July 2014

It has been waaay too long since I last updated this blog.  Grad school kept me pleasantly busy.  I found myself doing a lot of writing and research for Research and Methods.  Having been one month into working at the CPL, I decided to focus on teens and video gaming in particular.  At some point, I can post my work to this blog (that's a note to self right there) but for now I will just highlight a few key notes.  

I knew that video gaming had a bad rep, but I discovered that more about why.  I sought out research and articles about the positives found in video gaming and found that there were, in fact, multiple psychological, social, and developmental benefits of playing video games- these increase when played amongst peers. On author discussed that his research found teens more social than playing alone, especially in games that require it of them.  While my paper was a grant proposal for a possible research study (I chose to observe three libraries who use planned video game programming as well as drop in programming to determine which one is A) more successful to the teen and B) why.)  I used my findings on social video gaming and put two and two together when two teens at the CPL approached me about starting a Minecraft club.  We first met Saturday January 18th and, up until this month, have always had two hour Saturday sessions.  

It has been a very experimental project, having- at the time- only one Minecraft account.  We began by allowing teens to drop in (without registration programming) and I found myself pleasantly surprised at the turn out.  Needless to say, out first meeting led to me booking the meeting room for our second meeting.  Since then, we have been once a month and have had a turn out of, on average, 15 teens.  Some times the teens bring their own devices, but I use the laptops at central.  I've got it down to a science: set up starts at 1pm and goes until the event starts at 2:30: I do this so that I can update the game as well as position the laptops (staggered so that the teens can interact easier, which they do) and the cables running from the sides of the room, under the table, and plugged in accordingly.

Up until June, we had a free for all.  Those who wanted single player did that and those who wanted multiplayer could sign in with their own accounts and play that way.  In June, I tried something different.  The server wasn't up and running yet (Craftbukkit didn't really take off right away) so this was an easy choice.  In June, I provided two Building Challenges they could vote on.  One was a Pirate Ship building challenge and the other was a Treehouse/fort building challenge.  (They chose the treefort).  Now, children's and I are working together to use this challenge at the grade 2-5 level.  (So far we have had two "survive the night" challenges, played in survival mode, and they were a hit!  Spoiler: kids love sticker prizes!)  These challenges are surprisingly adaptable for younger ages.  it gives them flexibility, but it gives the librarian a sense of structure in and otherwise chaotic world.

After the June meeting, I sat with a teen from CPL who had made their own server (a Minecraft Vanilla server), took notes, and created Epica- a creative server.  We made a white-list, admin-list, and more.  Its a little time consuming, especially if you aren't abreast of computer jargon and computer files, but I chose to focus on it because I wanted to take that one step further towards bringing my teens together.  So, now, those who own their own Minecraft account (i.e. purchased the game, not just signed up for the demo) can log in, I put them on the white-list, and they can create together.  For July, I intend to give them a pixel art building challenge.  The idea is that they use so many wool/wood/iron/etc. blocks and create something that looks like it belongs in a 16bit NES game.  If they play in the server, I have (in my free time) gone into the server and created a "CPL Pixel Art Exhibit" sign and space.  There, they can show friends and family their work- or tinker with it at a later date.  As for the others who do not own an account, they can still compete in the challenge in single player mode.  I'm still working on the grading criteria(grading art is hard because its subjective..) but, when I do, I will post that here as well.

For now, I look forward to continuing to developing this idea.  I am also tinkering with HTML for the teen page of the website as well as creating Pinterest boards for read-a-likes, taking a "paper-free"/"printer-friendly" approach.  I enjoy making brochures for read-a-likes, but there's something about Pinterest (as a social media) that just jives better with people.  Also, they can bookmark our page for easier location.  I have set the pins so that, if clicked on, it will zip you to the OSL page for that item (well for the book of that item).  It is my current experiment, of which I am currently using Facebook and the website to promote.  

Stay tuned for more!

It's Been Such a Long Time

Yes that's a Boston reference.

I realize that I hadn't made a blog post since last semester for class and, even longer, since July for British Studies.  

So what's new?  I have completed my PFE course at the Cranston Public Library.  I applied at the end of last semester for a Teen Librarian Assistant position that became available and won the job after two interviews and a phone conversation.  I've been there two-three days a week for a month now and I absolutely love it.  I'm taking my research findings on Minecraft and turning it into an actual program.  While we're still working on getting an educational license, we do have single player access.  In addition, we are transitioning from collection development in Teen CDs and Teen DVDs to Teen Video Games.  My first suggestions included Marvel Ultimate Alliance and Rockband.  Right now we have an XBOX 360 and a Kinect and I have been alternating between games on Mondays and Wednesdays while I am on the desk. 

In addition to Cranston, I am still working at North Kingstown and URI Government Publications.  I still love what I do at both of these jobs (particularly working at the Young Readers desk at NK)but alas, both of these jobs end in May when I graduate from my final semester of grad school.  So, in the next few months, I am going to be keeping an ear to the ground for Teen positions as well as Circulation and other fields of the library I enjoy.  My long-term goal is to stay in RI a while longer and add some roommates to my life to keep rent down/continue having a social life.

Outside of work, I am taking two courses this final semester.  LSC 523 Special Libraries and LSC557 Research Methods.  Also, in March, the comps are happening.  So much for that portfolio I was making!  I will have to test my librarian skills with essays demonstrating my acquirement of knowledge, knowing the ALA code of ethics, and being up on current library events.  It should prove interesting.

Movie-wise, I am a little behind on the Oscar nominees.  I want to see Her and Captain Phillips.  I have seen American Hustle and Wolf of Wall Street, which I loved.  
I'm sad to see Hateful Eight cancelled(if only for the time being).  
Sherlock season 3 was wonderful!  
I'm also looking forward to About a Boy on NBC, new episodes of New Girl, and more Crazy ones.  I have fallen very behind on Dracula and American Horror Story Coven.  But, I'm ready for GoT and The Walking Dead. 

And finally, I have entered the dating world again.  I was going on a few dates with someone I met at Comicon, but then I realized I was putting in more effort than the other party and have stopped pursuing that.  However, I went on a date last night with my new trivia host and things look promising.  He's funny, has both similar and different interests than me, likes to sing and be social, and has nice hair/brown eyes.  He seems genuine and I am genuinely intrigued by him.  So that feels nice.  I realize I have gone on a few dates in the last two years, but nothing really sparked.  Not like this.  So here's to hoping!  

And with that, I am off to work in Teenland!  I am looking forward to posting my Oscar predictions and a few YouTube videos for class again.  Stay tuned!