"The book was better,"

Books are one of the oldest forms of entertainment. Taken more generally, as a narrative, they are the oldest form of entertainment. And yet, despite all of our advances, in other mediums, the book still reigns supreme. Go to your local theater and sit back for two hours of modern film complete with CG effects generated by super computers, multi-million dollar budgets, and the best actors in the world. On the way out, there’s a good chance you’ll hear someone remark “Yeah, it was pretty good… but the book was better.”

I know I have said it many times myself. Even a film like the Shawshank Redemption, which has long been one of my favorite movies, was put to shame when I read the book. But what makes books so much better? I believe it’s the luxury of time. In a book, the author has all the time in the world to express their vision. Authors aren’t constrained by a 2 hour time frame, a special effects budget, or the numerous other intricacies of movie making. And books can achieve things which are practically impossible in movies. The subtleties of a character, their inner thoughts, everything they’re feeling can be poured out onto the page. In a movie, you’d be left with just an expression on an actor’s face.

It seems that might never change. I can’t even begin to imagine what could replace the book as the ultimate medium for storytelling. The format might change to e-books, e-paper, or audio books, but it’s still a book at the end of the day. It’s a funny thought. We’ve come so far with our technology, but one of the simplest forms of expression is still our most powerful.

Video Games in the Library

Since starting the SLIS program, I occasionally stumble across an article about using video games in the library to draw in more users. Initially, this both surprised and intrigued me. Were libraries really doing this? And does it work? I recently did a literature review for my research class on those very questions and the answers appear to be “Yes” and “Probably”.

A pilot study recently found that roughly 40% of public libraries run an in-house gaming program of some kind. If true, that’s far more than I would of guessed. But looking around it seems to be a new wave that’s rapidly catching on. Articles are popping up everywhere, detailing how the libraries got their gaming projects started and what the outcome has been. Every one of these stories I have read has been entirely positive. The patrons, especially the kids, seem to love it and the librarians are having some fun too. Does it help circulation? Well, that depends on who you ask. The anecdotes seem to vary wildly, all the way from “no change” to a “400 percent increase” in young adult materials circulation. Unfortunately, despite the growing enthusiasm for such programs, no studies have yet been published on the outcomes. Still, it’s hard to imagine a downside to this, unless you feel this undermines the purpose of the library.

I could certainly understand someone feeling that way, but I don’t think I would agree. We’re far beyond the stoic intellectual library at this point, in practice at least, if not in image. Videos games fit right in with the fiction section, DVDs, music CDs, audio books, and computer terminals. But perhaps more importantly, video games fit with the library as a community center. If I had to guess, that’s the direction see things going in the public library world. The Internet might be convenient, but it will never really replace meeting up with people face-to-face and having fun talking, playing games, watching movies, doing workshops, and yes, even learning.

- Joe