Direct link to article... [littlegreenfootballs.com]
There's a battle going down at the Sollers Point Branch of the Baltimore County Public Library system. It's a one-point game in the fourth quarter with only seconds left on the game clock. Huddled around a big screen in a small room, 10 or so teenagers cheer on their joystick-wielding buddies. The ball is snapped, the kick is up ... no good. It's wide right, and the crowd goes wild, trash talk flying.Every Wednesday, battles like this one boil over at Sollers Point, where the weekly Xbox program for teens starts at 3:30 p.m. and ends at 5.
"If they're being really good and the next shift can take over, they can stay until 5:30," says Sollers Point librarian Liz Slack. Today, the kids get their extra half-hour.
More Games Means Better Circulation
According to a study published in Library Journal last year, about 15 percent of libraries in the U.S. currently lend games to cardholders to take home. But other research shows that gaming in the library is far more prevalent -- and teenagers game the most.
Sandy Farmer is the manager of Central Youth Services for the Houston Public Library, which has four Nintendo Wiis, four Xboxes, several Nintendo DSs, some iPads, seven PlayStations and a few big-screen TVs.
"It's a primary part of our service that we offer, and it results in a 15- to 20-percent increase in the circulation of books," Farmer says.
More: At Libraries Across America, It's Game on : NPR