YALSA members: please take a moment to vote for co-conveners of the YALSA gaming interest group in the poll online at:
You MUST be a YALSA member to vote; have your ALA membership card handy! The two candidates with the most votes will be co-conveners for July 2007-June 2008. Choices and candidate statements follow; you can also write in a candidate.
Polls close at 11 PM EST June 30, 2007.
FYI: The purpose of the YALSA Teen Gaming Interest Group is to discuss
issues relating to teens and gaming and to develop and disseminate best practices in collections, programming, and related topics in the field of gaming (including video, computer, internet, handheld, mobile, board, card, and miniatures) for young adults ages 12-18. The group meets at Midwinter and Annual. Bring a program to share, a game recommendation, or your questions about starter collections or successful gaming events. Check out online discussions in ALA’s Online Communities, and Recommended Games Lists on the YALSA Wiki.
Please choose a convener for the YALSA Teen Gaming Interest Group. The two candidates with the most votes will be co-conveners for July 2007-June 2008. Choices and candidate statements follow; you can also write in a candidate.
Kelly Czarnecki: “Kelly Czarnecki has served as co-convener of the YALSA Gaming Interest Group for 2006-2007 where she helped add content to the YALSA wikiat http://wikis.ala.org/yalsa/index.php/Gaming_Lists_%26_Activities, invited speakers to the meetings at conference, and posted updates to members and attendees. She is active with teens and video gaming programs at her library in Charlotte, NC and writes a column for YAttitudes on a variety of game activities as well as School Library Journal. Kelly would like to see the interest group continue to work toward developing a selection list of games which was started by Beth Gallaway and continue to be a resource for libraries working with teens for gaming programs.”
Beth Gallaway: “As founder of the group, I’d like to see out the first three years of this Interest Group and help shape how YALSA Interest Groups work. I’ve been pleased to work with Kelly to put on three meetings that have had a program element and look forward to coordinating our first program in Anaheim in ’08 on programs related to gaming that aren’t tournaments. I’ve been gaming since I was five and travel around the country doing workshops on how libraries can appeal to gamers with programs, services and collections;my book on Gaming & Libraries comes out at the end of year.”
Jami Schwarzwalder: “Games, like teens, are often misunderstood, and as a leader for the YALSA gaming interest group it would be my honor to help support librarians, defend gaming, foster new initiatives in gaming services, as well as encourage gaming programs to become as common as preschool story time. Since I was young I’ve been involved in the world of gaming. As a child, gaming served as a way to socialize with my mother and friends. As a teen, I interacted in unique worlds available through Role Playing Systems, designed video games, and my own imagination related to tabletop games. In college I studied education, and soon discovered that gaming had many educational elements that also benefits today’s teens and children. While in library school, I evaluated many games and developed a collection policy. Both are now available online at my website www.mbmpl.org. I’ve also worked with individuals from the game industry to promote partnerships with schools and libraries.”
Results will be announced by July 1 2007. Thanks for your participation.
