A little marketing goes a long way

Are you really gaming in your library? Or, perhaps, a better question to ask yourself is whether or not you are telling people that you are supporting gaming in your library. It is critical to remember that there is a difference between what you are doing and what others know you are doing. Librarians need to take ownership of the expertise that they possess and the valuable services that they provide.
     But isn’t all of this just some marketing mumbo jumbo? Does it really matter? Recently, three staff members from our School Library System for Genesee Valley BOCES, which supports 22 small, rural districts in Western New York, and five members of different departments presented a workshop at a small conference for our region’s School Boards Association. We grumbled a bit because there were only 17 attendees, but what we failed to realize at the time was that those were the right people at the right time (and that makes all the difference).
     Our presentation focused on the Genesee Valley game library—a national model for gaming in school libraries that presents modern board games as another type of curriculum-aligned instructional resource for libraries to offer to students and teachers. We addressed the direct connection between games and 21st-century learning skills from the American Association of School Librarians’ Standards for the 21st-Century Learner (ala.org/aasl/standards), and highlighted a few games that reinforce or extend New York State learning standards. More information and curriculum alignment documents are available on the game library site at sls.gvboces.org/gaming. While this was well received, it turned out that it wasn’t the most powerful part of our presentation.
     What truly captured the audience’s attention—and what has already had a direct impact on library programs—were the success stories from our region that were highlighted. For example, one of our member high school libraries worked with social studies teachers to use 1960: The Making of the President (Z-Man Games) to provide an immersive experience for students as they studied the electoral process. In the game, students were able to take on the role of an advisor to Richard Nixon or John F. Kennedy as they worked to secure electoral votes in this recreation of the 1960 election built around historical events and photographs. As a school library system director, I have the opportunity to travel to libraries to see the incredible teaching and learning taking place because of exceptional school librarians. And I can share these stories. Stories have impact; told correctly, they connect on an intensely personal level.
     A few days after the conference, I received a phone call from one of our member librarians. The superintendent of her district had asked her the dreaded question: “Did you hear what happened at the board meeting last night?” She waited for the axe to fall—but it didn’t. One of the board members had been at the workshop and had heard us talk about this district and this librarian and her wonderful gaming program. The board member had come back to the district and spoke up about what she had heard. Others on the board and in the school administration also noted that the librarian is a passionate member of the school community who is involved in many activities. Her contributions were finally recognized and given the credit they so richly deserved—all because of a little marketing. As a result, the furniture she had been trying to get for the library for the past four years had finally been approved. Pure coincidence? I think not. This was a result of the library’s story being told—a direct result of marketing.
     The other lesson I learned is that gaming might be more prevalent among your patrons than you think if you look a bit deeper. Sometimes we forget that there is more to the world of gaming than Wiis, XBoxes, and PlayStations. I was shocked to discover that a regional board member and one of our area’s superintendents are avid board gamers. They were already quite familiar with a number of the games we had selected and aligned for inclusion in our game library. When we share our stories, we have the potential not only to influence and enlighten, but also to connect. These two individuals were already familiar with the story I was telling about the positive potential for using games in school libraries. The benefits of this connection might not be felt immediately, like the new library furniture, but these educational leaders are now better empowered to champion the cause of gaming in libraries.
     Therefore, it was unfortunate that I received so many less-than-enthusiastic responses to a recent query on a library discussion list asking about school libraries and gaming. School librarians wrote to apologize that they were not doing anything with video gaming in their libraries though they did make use of board games, puzzles, and traditional games to connect play and learning. There was no need to apologize. Games, like any other format of library resource, come in many different varieties spread across print and non-print media. There is a huge world to explore beyond video games, and librarians need to take great pride in programs that currently incorporate chess, puzzles, or other board games.
     In his recent book, Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us (Portfolio, 2008), Seth Godin discusses the need for passionate people to assume leadership within an equally passionate group to get things done. He explains that this idea of leadership is more about building connections and capacity by providing tools and resources than it is about being in a position of power. The secret, Godin goes on to explain, is that a leader can build a tribe of supporters that can continue to share and amplify a message. This sounds like something that would be quite useful in the library world. But the question is, what tools and resources could you use to create a tribe to help support your efforts to include gaming in the library?
     The most powerful and compelling tool is your story. Telling the story about gaming in the library can open many new doors. Some who hear it may instantly connect because they already are members of the larger tribe of gamers. Others may identify more closely with the characters in the story. Who are the characters? Well, certainly you as the librarian need to be featured, but the primary focus can be on the students who are participating in the gaming program. Get them to share their stories about how they have benefitted from gaming in the library. The important idea is that the message needs to be spread that libraries are (and have been) gaming!
     It is often said that librarians are a humble group not given to self-promotion. I don’t suffer from this problem at all. But, more seriously, I think that this notion is a dated stereotype. It isn’t unsuitable to promote what you are doing—it is a job requirement. As we explore the future, such as incorporating games as curriculum-aligned instructional resources, it is important that we share what we are doing. If nobody knows you are doing something, then you really aren’t doing it. And who knows, maybe there is a new chair in it for you, too?