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GUILDERLAND -- Next to Huck Finn, the narrative arc of Sonic the Hedgehog might leave some purists wanting. But in an effort to draw younger readers into the public library, trustees voted Thursday to blaze a new digital path. Voting 7-2, the board approved $3,000 to expand the library's video game collection to include a mix of PlayStation 2, Xbox and Nintendo titles that patrons will be able to borrow like books, CDs and other media. The library also will buy one of each console to play the games there on special nights. Guilderland is the first in the Upper Hudson Library System to make the investment, capping a lengthy discussion that centered on the role of libraries in the community and the educational merits of the games. Library Director Barbara Nichols Randall had already backed the proposal. Guilderland's debate also offered a window on how libraries, many of which depend on voters to approve their multi-million-dollar budgets, are forced to constantly re-evaluate the services they offer to stay relevant. "If we don't provide materials that people are interested in, then people stop using the library," Guilderland's Teen Services Librarian Trevor Oakley told trustees last month. "We go away. All of us." The library already circulates computer games. Oakley brought the proposal to the trustees earlier this fall, along with Joshua Carlson, an intern from the University at Albany. But Oakley contends it's more than just pragmatism that warrants the games a place in Guilderland's stacks and limited budget. Oakley and Carlson, citing a growing body of scholarship, said the games teach players to move with savvy through the digital age, learn faster and boost confidence as they advance to higher levels and provide a gateway to other library materials. But Trustee John Daly questioned those studies, arguing there isn't enough information about the effects of "gaming" on teens, such as whether it causes aggressive or addictive behavior. "The only rationale I could support for this program is if we could demonstrate, in fact, that we were encouraging youths to visit the library," said Daly, who voted no. Nationally, the games have begun their slow creep into mainstream libraries, prompting lengthy articles in trade magazines, studies trumpeting their educational value and a buzz among younger staffers who, increasingly, come from the Super Mario generation. In January, the American Library Association's mid-winter conference will feature a gaming night. Accredited library journals now review them like books. "We don't see a lot of rotted minds around. We see a lot of worried parents," said Marc Prensky, author of the book "Don't Bother Me, Mom -- I'm Learning!" The library's collection could include games rated as suitable for all ages as well as for more mature audiences. But Oakley stressed that games like the "Grand Theft Auto" series, a notorious shoot'em up, would not be among them. Trustees asked that librarians choose a mix of educational, cultural and action games and that they be screened carefully with "a substantial effort" to cross-market the games to other library reading material. But Nichols Randall Thursday downplayed any danger of her library becoming an arcade. "No more than we morphed in a music store when we started to have 33 1/3 records back in the day," she said. Notice Date: December 19 , 2006
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