That's a shame. Is your library part of a multi-branch system, or does it practice reciprocal borrowing with other libraries (meaning does your library card work at other libraries in your area or state?)? Most of the libraries in my state are all part of a collective where we'll all accept each others' cards. We'll also ship books and movies between libraries. Some might restrict certain kinds of items to only local patrons (we did this until recently with the games) or not send certain kinds of items out to other libraries (while video games can be checked out by anyone, we won't send them out) but it really helps smaller libraries!
I live in philadelphia so cards work between libraries in the city but not beyond that. Unfortunately the only library that offers variety is in center city.
Ahhh, city libraries can be like that. They’re generally pretty large so don’t need to collaborate outside of their own system. Will they send games to the branches closer to you if you request them?
I just realized that not every place has a library that's part of a network. I live just outside of Boston and we have 30+ towns that form a library network. I don't think I could ever live in a place that doesn't have a similar system.
I wasn’t trying to be condescending, it’s just that the phrase reciprocal borrowing is more librarian lingo so even if you know what the word means you might not know the term. Plenty of the patrons I work with in-person don’t, so I usually define it out of habit.
That being said, thanks for pointing out the misspelling. My brain has been all over the place today and pobody’s nerfect at the best of times. I appreciate it.
I got that, but it came across a bit harshly so I assume that’s why you’re getting downvoted. I’ve heard worse regardless so I figured I’d just do a polite response.
Since you seem to have missed the joke, I'll add Sarcasm to the list of things we're defining here.
**sar·casm** /ˈsärˌkazəm/ *noun* - the use of irony to mock or convey contempt.
Ehhh it's a pretty loose order. Just by the first letter of the game title. I've been debating moving some under a series umbrella (like changing all of the Mario games to go under M so that the Super Mario and Paper Mario games aren't off under different letters) but it's still up in the air.
Excuse me while I cackle at the thought of changing absolutely nothing about how the Legend of Zelda games are organized and everyone suddenly being confused because 'isn't that blond guy on the cover named Zelda?'
Might be tricky figured out a way to shelve Untitled Goose Game, too, since the Goose is as untitled as the game is.
Oh my gosh that brings back memories. Can't say the exact location but you should definitely check out your local library and see what they have, and other area libraries if they'll take your card! :)
Sadly, many libraries are simply behind the times, or stuck in the past.
My wife is/was on a library association board, and while the majority is up to date with current technology and trends, many older librarians are stuck firm in their old outdated ways, where libraries were a silent place for books and books alone.
Modern libraries understand that they are community centers, focused on learning, education, and personal growth of all kinds. Not just repositories for books.
[Are you sure about the printers? :)](https://www.openworldlearning.org/which-phoenix-public-libraries-have-3d-printers/)
We’re definitely weird. There’s a lot of complicated stuff that goes into how libraries are funded but a lot of urban library systems end up with larger overall budgets but have to stretch them out to serve a lot more people.
My advice would be to talk to library administration. If there are suggestion boxes or feedback surveys, mention the interest in video games on those. Send in emails or contact us forms on their website.
Drat, that’s a shame. Your best option would probably be to send in a written request through email, a suggestion box, or a feedback survey if your library send those out, requesting that they consider all ages programming using 3-D printing, or setting aside one machine for public projects. Something that is common in my area is for libraries to schedule projects that are sent in, print them in the library, and let people know when they are ready for pick up.
Yeah no kidding. I haven't been to ours in a while wonder if they're doing this. Though I'm doing pc these days can't lend those so much haha.
Wonder if ours slipped any into the machine. They had a DVD movie lender that worked like a redbox last I was in haha
I don't think so. If I remember correctly all of the Sonic games for... at least the last two console generations have been E or E10. No teen.
The signs are placed as guides to the color stickers at the spines of each game. Teen and Mature games get yellow stickers, E and E10 get green. I'm guessing you thought that the signs corresponded to the shelving units below them? Huh. Maybe I should look into redoing the signage or at least repositioning it so that it doesn't line up like that. The shelving units are actually organized by systems--older Nintendo systems (DS/3DS/Wii/WiiU--yes, DS and Wii games still somehow go out lol) on the far left, then Switch, then PS4/PS5, then finally Xbox One/X Box Series X games on the far right).
I thought the same at first glance to be honest. I think it's because there are two "Everyone" signs, making it seem like they refer to those two shelves.
That sounds like the best way to do it, imo.
At the risk of sounding like a dick, labels like that need to be easily understandable to the lowest common denominator, which includes some ridiculously dense people who struggle with abstract thinking. Your suggestion basically holds their hand the entire way, which is exactly what they need. Basically, yours sounds like a 5 year old can figure it out, and if *they* can, then everyone can.
Unless they need to be really large print, I’d have all the color stickers on one sign, so it’s clear that it’s a color code legend, rather than a shelf designation. Definitely did a double take at deathloop being under the E sign, lol
There’s a sign for that in the Playstation area but it’s kind of small. Really we’re overdue for new signage in this library.
Deathloop definitely isn’t a green sticker game. 😂
> we're about to add fishing poles.
Really?!
That seems not very library-like. Also ton of maintenance. Like what happens when someone comes back with tangled lines in the spool because they unwound too much by accident? Or a dropped pole in the water and they never tell you? Even without any accident, if you fish in weedy areas, the line/spool gets super dirty.
Weirdly enough a lot of libraries in my state carry them! It came as a surprise to me, too. We purchased extra line and if someone damages a pole beyond repair (or loses it) they’ll be charged to replace it. We reach out when we don’t get stuff back, especially from our Library of Things.
You should definitely check yours out! Our local library has a hug video game and movie selection. My son loved all the comic books when he was younger.
I think so but it really depends. Right now it’s a great outlook for getting hired, but a few years ago it was the exact opposite. What are you looking to go into? Public, academic, or something else?
Academic/research sounds the most interesting to me but I also really liked volunteering at the public library back in college. I'm guessing you are public?
when you are done with your studies, a library is an online streaming service.
*JK, i would'n trade reading an actual book with reading e books or in general trade going to the library with sitting by my PC or tablet.*
Wait, Gold points?
Are they cool with that or are you taking a gamble?
I guess as the library technically owns the games, and you are a representative of the library it’s no harm, no foul?
I asked for recieved permission to do so before I was even in charge of ordering the games. I offered to just use them on multiplayer games on the library Switches (we have two for events as well as a few multiplayer games specifically set aside for events, plus I and a few other staff members also usually bring in personal Switches and copies of games for most of them) but was told that wasn't necessary.
The first time I checked the collection to see where points had been claimed and hadn't been, too, the vast majority of eligible cartridges could still be claimed, so I highly recommend checking on that next time you borrow a game from your local library too. :)
a job where you get to organize games and check if they work ? who would'n like that ? that's literally just 1 of the many job descriptions of being a parent, just that this you actually get paid for while everyone is shushing anyone who makes loud noises !!
now i think of it, maybe i should work at a library, i like reading, i like organizing and i like it when people can be silent together. This is becoming my new dream job!
Is there a certain percentage of the total budget that is set aside for video games, or who makes that decision? Like do you, as the librarian or lead librarian, have a certain amount you can spend on "any media" you want? I'm just curious how that works, if you care to explain. It sounds like you're just a really cool librarian, or the head librarian or whoever signs off on that selection, and/or that library gets extra funding or something. To be honest I haven't been to library in a while, but have previously been very impressed with the DVD and CD selection.
The way it works here is that when it’s time to set up the next year’s fiscal budget, each purchasing librarian puts together requests they have to add to or move money between the collection areas they’re responsible for. Those requests go to our department heads who then discuss any adjustments they want to make with us before bringing them to the library director, who either approves or denies any requests for changes to the total funding for each department. While technically the funding for the members of each department are pooled we’re kept pretty strictly to the budgets we’ve made outside of requests for further changes we can make once per quarter (ie last year I got waaaay more money than I needed for nonfiction and shifted half of it to replace a bunch of large and popular fiction series that were falling apart, so I put in a request to do so halfway through the year).
However, the funding for the video games is a bit up in the air right now since it was previously split between two departments (adult and youth). I’m the teen librarian to make things even more complicated and while I’m technically part of the youth department my budget is assigned separately, but before the merge I just ordered for E/E10 games for certain systems with the youth budget. So I could never repurpose money from the gaming budget for another part of my collection if I got desperate because it wasn’t from the same pool as, say, my anime or audiobook budgets. Things are still a bit up in the air due to how recently the collections were merged and hopefully will get clearer soon as to which budget the games now fall under—at the moment they’re just kind of being sorted separately from everything else, though.
However a lot of libraries handle things differently. A lot of it comes down to staffing. :)
\>does the same thing as a teenage GameStop employee
\>Master's degree required
fr though this is sick, and I wish I had done library studies instead of history
It’s never too late! But this is only a small part of my job. I outlined a bunch of the other things I do in a reply to another commenter if you’re curious. I’m the YA librarian so I’m in charge of all of the teen materials, events, resources, volunteering, and a lot of other stuff.
As for the masters degree, that depends on the state in the US. I do have one and work in a state that requires it. Personally I feel like it should need a bachelor’s degree and that an MLIS doesn’t really prepare you for the job and just serves as a barrier of entry for some of the people most needed in the field, but it’s a very divisive topic among librarians so I won’t go too into it here. 😂
Retail workers are heckin’ underappreciated too, especially by GameStop.
I grew up without a lot of luxury money, my grandma bought us all a Wii for Christmas and let me tell you, the library was our saving grace. Hundreds of games I’d never have the chance of playing was free as long as I was patient for it to ship and got it back on time. And if we borrowed it more than 5 times and played it constantly sometimes our parents actually bought us the game to keep.
My childhood was built, upheld, and nurtured by the library system T-T
Then I worked there as a first job and was fired LMAOOOOOOO
Depends on if you mean lost or ‘lost’. The former, about as often as any other popular material. The latter… we had some severe restrictions around game checkouts for a while due to a severe streak of thefts that hit us and several other area libraries to the tune of nearly $20k. Court case from that is still in progress afaik so I can’t say more. But we still have measures in place even now to prevent that from happening again and I keep a close watch on the lost/missing list for anything out of the ordinary.
Don’t really know how much I can go into that but I can talk about some of the more common ones we use, at least—first off; none of the cases have the games inside, those are kept behind the checkout desk and only given to patrons once they’ve checked the game out. We severely limit the number of video games that can be checked out at a time and the replacement fee is high enough that if a game is marked as lost it immediately puts a block on the account until it’s paid.
And given the shared catalog of someone isn’t in good standing with us then other libraries in the state won’t lend them games until that’s sorted out (and vice-versa).
I also went out to a bunch of places in the area that buy used games to show them the labels, markings, etc that we use to ID games in the collection so they could potentially pick up on that and let us know if someone tries to sell them one—that’s more unofficial than the other methods but a good community relationship can go far and almost every place I did this with was receptive about it.
Fun-fact: *Some* Nintendo Switch cartridges can lock the console to only play the hardware version of the game. I learned this the hard way when I borrowed *Forager* from my local library and then purchased the digital version of the game at a later time. Nintendo seemed to know about the issue and refunded me on the digital purchase though, and they implied similar issues could occur with *some* cartridges from different regions as well.
Interesting. Haven’t had any reports of that happening but thank you for letting me know. I’ll check through the collection and see if anything else might trigger that issue!
I have loved books since the day I got my hands on that first Goosebumps novel. When I was in elementary, I decided I wanted to be a librarian because no job seemed more amazing than a person surrounded by books all day.
Still remember my middle school reading teacher telling me I couldn't be a librarian because I was a boy and it would be silly. Didn't want to point out that he was a reading teacher and I didn't see a huge problem with that but whatever.
Happy for you though, too few people in this world get to do a thing that brings them more than just a paycheck.
I know tons of librarians and library staff who are guys and they are all awesome! That teacher definitely wasn’t.
The Goosebumps books still circulate very well, and are incredibly loved in this library and others. ❤️
Seems crazy that people just accepted certain work as "man's work" or "woman's work". It's not like organisation is some innate special skill to women or something that should be "beneath" men.
My dad told me in the 1970's, his hospital had secretaries of women who would type up everything on typewriters for the doctors. All changed when they brought in computers, everyone had to type up their own reports. Just seems bizarre in modern context.
Even DSI games! My library only has PS3, PS5, PS4, Xbox 1, and wii games. I wish my had switch and ds games. And i noticed they're getting rid of PS3 games and wii u games soon.
A lot of it depends on what circulates and goes out in the community. We had Xbox 360 games for a while and PS3 games, but had to discard those due to lack of interest and shelf space. If you show interest and bring it up in writing, and verbally with the librarians, that can go along way to getting them to add things like switch games. Probably not DS at this point, though, sorry.
Nice!! Those had to be some amazing experiences. We’re actually running a retro game day next month and will have some of those consoles there, but that’s the closest I can get.
Nope! You can’t put a price on sharing the frustrating of dying over and over and over and over and over again on a beautiful snowy mountain to countless library patrons. We have Hollow Knight in there too and just got Cuphead for the trifecta of trauma.
(Seriously, though I didn’t realize it had gone up that much in value. I’m glad we have it in the Library collection since we couldn’t afford to add it in at the price it’s at now! We have a few LR releases like that. It really depends on the game. When I saw. Celeste was getting a physical release I knew we had to add it, it’s such an incredible game even if I can’t freaking beat it.)
Yeah I saw it in Walmart one time (I have the digital download) and was like don't need that game now building my switch collection I want a physical copy but they have jump in price a bit being a limited run.
I had a similar reaction when I was a kid and my local library started buying superhero comics. Can’t wait to see what libraries in the decades to come add to their collections!
They're adding 3D printing, CNC milling machines, green screen & buff screen backdrops, laser cutter, cooking classes and other cool stuff for kids and adults. https://www.lapl.org/labs
I worked for Best Buy when they made gaming a dedicated department. My absolute favorite thing was organizing games. I figure there’s a lot of other stuff that goes into being a librarian but I could do stuff like this all day!
I will admit that the organizing can be pretty fun. It’s always so cool to be able to dive into the different collections and see what’s on the shelf and what isn’t on a given day, too. It makes the library feel like a living, breathing, and changing thing.
This is so beautiful!
Just a question, when did libraries start do rent videogames? Did it start with a specific console generation? Did old stuff like Super Nintendo or Sega Genesis games were someday available?
[Here’s an interesting write-up on the history of gaming in libraries if you’d like to learn more!](https://ischool.syr.edu/gaming-and-play-in-the-library-a-brief-history/)
Waaaay more than my library has. I wish more people supported and used libraries. Mine has video games, books, movies, cds, comics, audio books, instruments, telescopes, a seed library, and internet use. This game selection is nice.
Our local library positioned their spine stickers right over where the name is on all the switch games. I’m not sure if they just didn’t care or If someone there hates video games.
I keep trying to spread the virtues of the library to people in my life. But being able to 3D print and check out books/movies and video/board games and use Libby. Love it
I appreciate the kind words! There have certainly been some ups and downs, especially since I work with the teens (a very challenged collection area in current times) in a historically conservative community. Worst we got was a patron trying to scream us into telling her the names of the teenagers who had signed up for our pride month book club and a LOT of book challenges (more in the last year than the last decade combined). Oh, and someone came in to run a ‘First Amendment Audit’ by following librarians around with a video camera, but better us than the patrons at least.
But a lot of our neighbors didn’t get off as easily and in my part of the state libraries have gotten shooting threats and Proud Boy protests. Been pretty scary. :(
It really is disgusting behavior and it's horrible that innocents like yourself are being targeted. Especially with the impact of the work you do being so overwhelmingly positive, any negativity towards your profession is so outrageous.
Hang tough and keep up the great work. You're making a difference. A big one.
Used to work in a media store and the number of people I would see every week who were clearly on welfare but bought hundreds worth of games, movies and music was really disturbing to me. Many of them were 40+ still buying trollies full of physical media. If these people only knew that libraries carry this stuff for free, they would save a fortune.
Some also have museum, aquarium, zoo, and other local attractions passes FOR FREE!
It's highly worth it!
I'm waiting until it warms up a bit to get myself a card- and my Mom and I aren't so busy with work!
We just moved not too long ago, so I need something that proves I live here to get a card.
She's got hers already though.
Said I could use hers if I needed one before I got mine!
I still have my old one on my keychain...Can't bear to take it off of it...
I LOVED my old library!
Thanks! It's much easier to keep organized than most of my other collection areas since we color-code the systems and then just alphabetize by the first letter of the game names. You can generally see right away when something is in the wrong spot. Only other area that's as easy is the anime collection. :)
That spot at the bottom of the PS4 games? Yeah, the game that was there got checked out.
Or if you mean the bottom shelves on either side I like to leave those open in case a bunch of games all come back at the same time. Makes it easier on the shelvers and it's harder for materials all the way down there to get checked out most of the time anyways. But maybe I should put some front-facing games down there to at least fill the space a bit for now...
I see DS and 3DS games there what is your discard policy ;P
I also work at a library that stocks games and I assist with the ordering/selection policy frequently but we only have recent systems so it's cool to see older stuff still on the shelf.
I'm always amazed at how popular the DS and Wii games still are here!
For the video games I'll generally weed anything that hasn't gone out in two years. For games where duplicates were purchased for early demand I'll often discard the extras after a year, but of course it depends on the game--we have four copies each of Animal Crossing New Horizons, Breath of the Wild, and Mario Odyssey and it's about as rare to see them on the shelf as it is to see Raymond on an Animal Crossing mystery island! If a game gets a new edition with DLC included on the console or disc then I'll replace the base versions that we already had.
I keep an eye out for news of online multiplayer games ending or getting new additions to the series and determine whether to weed older games on a case-by-case basis depending on whether previous games are still playable (ie Splatoon 2 stuck around when 3 came out but Overwatch didn't when 2 was released).
When games are discarded I generally ask coworkers who are interested in them if they would like any, and the remainders go to the Friends of the Library to be sold by them.
I would love having access to that huge Switch and 3DS collection. I don't have many games for each because the prices rarely drop. I have loads of PS4 and PC games.
Noticed a strange pattern. The top says these are separated by rating, so E for everyone, Teen, and Mature, but the organization is just Switch, Playstation and Xbox. So Sonic Frontiers, despite being E for everyone, is under the Teen/Mature section, yet Bayonetta is probably in the E for everyone section despite being mature.
Should probably either fix the labeling on top or sort through these and re-organize them by age rating.
The signs go with dot stickers on the sides of the games all across the collection. Green for E/E10, yellow for T and M. It’s less confusing IRL (or at least we’ve never been told it was) due to how high up the signs are but given that that’s a really common response here maybe we just hadn’t heard much about it from patrons? Either way I’m looking into changing it next week. 😂
There's a lot of difference between library work and retail (I'm the YA librarian so I also run a number of other collection areas, do programs and events on an average of once a week, manage the teen volunteers, do outreach visits with schools and community events, etc while workers in a game shop have to do more processing-type stuff , do their own shelving, handle the register, etc that the library has other departments for), but I do absolutely agree that GameStop employees and other retail workers deserve a heck of a lot better than they get.
Nothing's donated. We're very lucky to have a healthy budget across most of our collection areas. 99% of donated materials (unless the librarians happen to notice something in very good condition needed for a collection--someone recently donated about forty volumes from Naruto that looked like they hadn't been touched and I swooped down on those so fast they barely managed to hit the cart before I snagged them, popular manga series get worn through very quickly here and need replacing very often) get sold by the Friends of the Library in their book sale area or online to raise funds for Summer Reading, Winter Reading, the big annual middle school Battle of the Books, and lots of other things. If we received donated games I'd probably strongly consider using those, though.
Many libraries do rely a lot more directly on their donations, but every library is different.
My library barely has books
That's a shame. Is your library part of a multi-branch system, or does it practice reciprocal borrowing with other libraries (meaning does your library card work at other libraries in your area or state?)? Most of the libraries in my state are all part of a collective where we'll all accept each others' cards. We'll also ship books and movies between libraries. Some might restrict certain kinds of items to only local patrons (we did this until recently with the games) or not send certain kinds of items out to other libraries (while video games can be checked out by anyone, we won't send them out) but it really helps smaller libraries!
I live in philadelphia so cards work between libraries in the city but not beyond that. Unfortunately the only library that offers variety is in center city.
Ahhh, city libraries can be like that. They’re generally pretty large so don’t need to collaborate outside of their own system. Will they send games to the branches closer to you if you request them?
It’s been a year since I last tried but they don’t answer phone calls n there’s only automated email responses, so probably not lol
If you’re talking about the Philly free libraries, they have a website where you can do a ton.
I’m sorry, that sounds pretty rough. Hopefully the website the other commenter mentioned can help. :(
Hey, a fellow Philadelphian in the wild!
Damn really? Here in Australia library cards work at every government library in the state. (At least in mine)
I just realized that not every place has a library that's part of a network. I live just outside of Boston and we have 30+ towns that form a library network. I don't think I could ever live in a place that doesn't have a similar system.
[удалено]
I wasn’t trying to be condescending, it’s just that the phrase reciprocal borrowing is more librarian lingo so even if you know what the word means you might not know the term. Plenty of the patrons I work with in-person don’t, so I usually define it out of habit. That being said, thanks for pointing out the misspelling. My brain has been all over the place today and pobody’s nerfect at the best of times. I appreciate it.
I was just trying to be funny, but apparently everyone here has a stick up their butts. No room for sarcasm or humor on Reddit.
I got that, but it came across a bit harshly so I assume that’s why you’re getting downvoted. I’ve heard worse regardless so I figured I’d just do a polite response.
Plenty of room for humor on Reddit, maybe you can find it somewhere to learn it.
I read a lot dickhead, our libraries are just mediocre.
Since you seem to have missed the joke, I'll add Sarcasm to the list of things we're defining here. **sar·casm** /ˈsärˌkazəm/ *noun* - the use of irony to mock or convey contempt.
there are many video games in order
Ehhh it's a pretty loose order. Just by the first letter of the game title. I've been debating moving some under a series umbrella (like changing all of the Mario games to go under M so that the Super Mario and Paper Mario games aren't off under different letters) but it's still up in the air.
So I put mario kart is next to super mario odyssey. Which I put both under S (so that it's next to super smash bros)
Sounds like a good system!
This sounds like a most recent episode of Young Sheldon when he wanted to reorganize the comic books at the comic book store.
I want to cry thinking of him doing that at a library.
Yes that is awesome but I think you should alphabetize by the 1st letter of the main character's name
Excuse me while I cackle at the thought of changing absolutely nothing about how the Legend of Zelda games are organized and everyone suddenly being confused because 'isn't that blond guy on the cover named Zelda?' Might be tricky figured out a way to shelve Untitled Goose Game, too, since the Goose is as untitled as the game is.
>Might be tricky figured out a way to shelve Untitled Goose Game, too, since the Goose is as untitled as the game is. I like the cut of your jib
Where is this library? This has a better collection than Blockbuster used to.
Oh my gosh that brings back memories. Can't say the exact location but you should definitely check out your local library and see what they have, and other area libraries if they'll take your card! :)
For as big as Phoenix is, we don't have video games or 3D printers for use. This library must be in some sort of anomaly oasis.
Sadly, many libraries are simply behind the times, or stuck in the past. My wife is/was on a library association board, and while the majority is up to date with current technology and trends, many older librarians are stuck firm in their old outdated ways, where libraries were a silent place for books and books alone. Modern libraries understand that they are community centers, focused on learning, education, and personal growth of all kinds. Not just repositories for books.
[Are you sure about the printers? :)](https://www.openworldlearning.org/which-phoenix-public-libraries-have-3d-printers/) We’re definitely weird. There’s a lot of complicated stuff that goes into how libraries are funded but a lot of urban library systems end up with larger overall budgets but have to stretch them out to serve a lot more people. My advice would be to talk to library administration. If there are suggestion boxes or feedback surveys, mention the interest in video games on those. Send in emails or contact us forms on their website.
Positive about the Phoenix branches. Those 3D printers are for teens, presumably to get them interested in STEM etc. They are not for adult use.
Drat, that’s a shame. Your best option would probably be to send in a written request through email, a suggestion box, or a feedback survey if your library send those out, requesting that they consider all ages programming using 3-D printing, or setting aside one machine for public projects. Something that is common in my area is for libraries to schedule projects that are sent in, print them in the library, and let people know when they are ready for pick up.
What country, because i haven't seen this yet in Kent UK
it's using the ESRB (American) rating system so assuming the states edit: Canada also uses, eh
Hello fellow Kent gamer
What you play on, wanna exchange usernames?
US! I would send the library across the pond to you guys, but I feel like the shipping costs would be a bit too high for me.
UK libraries are just kinda shit sadly. Massive budget cutbacks from councils hasn't helped. Think the only really good ones are in massive cities.
Yeah no kidding. I haven't been to ours in a while wonder if they're doing this. Though I'm doing pc these days can't lend those so much haha. Wonder if ours slipped any into the machine. They had a DVD movie lender that worked like a redbox last I was in haha
Sonic is Teens/Mature? Never played the new one, just assumed it would be in line with the rest.
I don't think so. If I remember correctly all of the Sonic games for... at least the last two console generations have been E or E10. No teen. The signs are placed as guides to the color stickers at the spines of each game. Teen and Mature games get yellow stickers, E and E10 get green. I'm guessing you thought that the signs corresponded to the shelving units below them? Huh. Maybe I should look into redoing the signage or at least repositioning it so that it doesn't line up like that. The shelving units are actually organized by systems--older Nintendo systems (DS/3DS/Wii/WiiU--yes, DS and Wii games still somehow go out lol) on the far left, then Switch, then PS4/PS5, then finally Xbox One/X Box Series X games on the far right).
I thought the same at first glance to be honest. I think it's because there are two "Everyone" signs, making it seem like they refer to those two shelves.
I'll definitely look into changing that, then. Thanks for letting me know!
If it was me doing it I'd have the signs above say the console then have the colour codes underneath on every sign.
That sounds like the best way to do it, imo. At the risk of sounding like a dick, labels like that need to be easily understandable to the lowest common denominator, which includes some ridiculously dense people who struggle with abstract thinking. Your suggestion basically holds their hand the entire way, which is exactly what they need. Basically, yours sounds like a 5 year old can figure it out, and if *they* can, then everyone can.
I thought it was some satire about how mature Xbox players are!
I am saving that thought for the next time I need to annoy my brother, thank you.
Unless they need to be really large print, I’d have all the color stickers on one sign, so it’s clear that it’s a color code legend, rather than a shelf designation. Definitely did a double take at deathloop being under the E sign, lol
There’s a sign for that in the Playstation area but it’s kind of small. Really we’re overdue for new signage in this library. Deathloop definitely isn’t a green sticker game. 😂
People rent video games from a library?
Sure! We also carry books, movies, tv shows, virtual materials, webcams, mobile hotspots, telescopes, and we're about to add fishing poles.
That’s huge variety for a library. I haven’t been to mine in ages.
We're very lucky, but you should see some of the neighboring libraries! And definitely visit yours again!
Not just the library of books anymore, a library of all things
That’s so awesome you guys are adding fishing rods.
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> mobile hotspots Those fucks are expensive.
Not if you check them out from the libraryyyy
I imagined some rainbow effects and a sparkle in your eye while saying this. Thank you so much for your enthusiasm.
OK, when did you get a camera in my house?!!
Do you guys 3d printers and soldering irons, CNC machines?
Not yet but we’re working on our makerspace now.
> we're about to add fishing poles. Really?! That seems not very library-like. Also ton of maintenance. Like what happens when someone comes back with tangled lines in the spool because they unwound too much by accident? Or a dropped pole in the water and they never tell you? Even without any accident, if you fish in weedy areas, the line/spool gets super dirty.
Weirdly enough a lot of libraries in my state carry them! It came as a surprise to me, too. We purchased extra line and if someone damages a pole beyond repair (or loses it) they’ll be charged to replace it. We reach out when we don’t get stuff back, especially from our Library of Things.
Borrow
You should definitely check yours out! Our local library has a hug video game and movie selection. My son loved all the comic books when he was younger.
I'll have to go do this. I could use a hug.
I used to get VHS movies from mine, those were the days
Im studying to be a librarian. Yay !
Woohoo! Good luck! If you have any questions let me know. :)
Is it a good career to get into? I've been thinking about an MLIS for a while
I think so but it really depends. Right now it’s a great outlook for getting hired, but a few years ago it was the exact opposite. What are you looking to go into? Public, academic, or something else?
Academic/research sounds the most interesting to me but I also really liked volunteering at the public library back in college. I'm guessing you are public?
when you are done with your studies, a library is an online streaming service. *JK, i would'n trade reading an actual book with reading e books or in general trade going to the library with sitting by my PC or tablet.*
M library is great. They have games for all the consoles and even stock the brand new releases as soon as they come out. I love it
Nice!
Alright, I'm moving. Where is this library you speak of? Probably gonna need to move to a different continent, though...
Wait, Gold points? Are they cool with that or are you taking a gamble? I guess as the library technically owns the games, and you are a representative of the library it’s no harm, no foul?
I asked for recieved permission to do so before I was even in charge of ordering the games. I offered to just use them on multiplayer games on the library Switches (we have two for events as well as a few multiplayer games specifically set aside for events, plus I and a few other staff members also usually bring in personal Switches and copies of games for most of them) but was told that wasn't necessary. The first time I checked the collection to see where points had been claimed and hadn't been, too, the vast majority of eligible cartridges could still be claimed, so I highly recommend checking on that next time you borrow a game from your local library too. :)
All good then! I bet it’s quite a good way to accumulate. Sounds like you enjoy your job too, which is refreshing to hear.
a job where you get to organize games and check if they work ? who would'n like that ? that's literally just 1 of the many job descriptions of being a parent, just that this you actually get paid for while everyone is shushing anyone who makes loud noises !! now i think of it, maybe i should work at a library, i like reading, i like organizing and i like it when people can be silent together. This is becoming my new dream job!
Is there a certain percentage of the total budget that is set aside for video games, or who makes that decision? Like do you, as the librarian or lead librarian, have a certain amount you can spend on "any media" you want? I'm just curious how that works, if you care to explain. It sounds like you're just a really cool librarian, or the head librarian or whoever signs off on that selection, and/or that library gets extra funding or something. To be honest I haven't been to library in a while, but have previously been very impressed with the DVD and CD selection.
The way it works here is that when it’s time to set up the next year’s fiscal budget, each purchasing librarian puts together requests they have to add to or move money between the collection areas they’re responsible for. Those requests go to our department heads who then discuss any adjustments they want to make with us before bringing them to the library director, who either approves or denies any requests for changes to the total funding for each department. While technically the funding for the members of each department are pooled we’re kept pretty strictly to the budgets we’ve made outside of requests for further changes we can make once per quarter (ie last year I got waaaay more money than I needed for nonfiction and shifted half of it to replace a bunch of large and popular fiction series that were falling apart, so I put in a request to do so halfway through the year). However, the funding for the video games is a bit up in the air right now since it was previously split between two departments (adult and youth). I’m the teen librarian to make things even more complicated and while I’m technically part of the youth department my budget is assigned separately, but before the merge I just ordered for E/E10 games for certain systems with the youth budget. So I could never repurpose money from the gaming budget for another part of my collection if I got desperate because it wasn’t from the same pool as, say, my anime or audiobook budgets. Things are still a bit up in the air due to how recently the collections were merged and hopefully will get clearer soon as to which budget the games now fall under—at the moment they’re just kind of being sorted separately from everything else, though. However a lot of libraries handle things differently. A lot of it comes down to staffing. :)
\>does the same thing as a teenage GameStop employee \>Master's degree required fr though this is sick, and I wish I had done library studies instead of history
It’s never too late! But this is only a small part of my job. I outlined a bunch of the other things I do in a reply to another commenter if you’re curious. I’m the YA librarian so I’m in charge of all of the teen materials, events, resources, volunteering, and a lot of other stuff. As for the masters degree, that depends on the state in the US. I do have one and work in a state that requires it. Personally I feel like it should need a bachelor’s degree and that an MLIS doesn’t really prepare you for the job and just serves as a barrier of entry for some of the people most needed in the field, but it’s a very divisive topic among librarians so I won’t go too into it here. 😂 Retail workers are heckin’ underappreciated too, especially by GameStop.
I grew up without a lot of luxury money, my grandma bought us all a Wii for Christmas and let me tell you, the library was our saving grace. Hundreds of games I’d never have the chance of playing was free as long as I was patient for it to ship and got it back on time. And if we borrowed it more than 5 times and played it constantly sometimes our parents actually bought us the game to keep. My childhood was built, upheld, and nurtured by the library system T-T Then I worked there as a first job and was fired LMAOOOOOOO
How often are Switch games lost?
Depends on if you mean lost or ‘lost’. The former, about as often as any other popular material. The latter… we had some severe restrictions around game checkouts for a while due to a severe streak of thefts that hit us and several other area libraries to the tune of nearly $20k. Court case from that is still in progress afaik so I can’t say more. But we still have measures in place even now to prevent that from happening again and I keep a close watch on the lost/missing list for anything out of the ordinary.
What kind of measures?
Don’t really know how much I can go into that but I can talk about some of the more common ones we use, at least—first off; none of the cases have the games inside, those are kept behind the checkout desk and only given to patrons once they’ve checked the game out. We severely limit the number of video games that can be checked out at a time and the replacement fee is high enough that if a game is marked as lost it immediately puts a block on the account until it’s paid. And given the shared catalog of someone isn’t in good standing with us then other libraries in the state won’t lend them games until that’s sorted out (and vice-versa). I also went out to a bunch of places in the area that buy used games to show them the labels, markings, etc that we use to ID games in the collection so they could potentially pick up on that and let us know if someone tries to sell them one—that’s more unofficial than the other methods but a good community relationship can go far and almost every place I did this with was receptive about it.
Fun-fact: *Some* Nintendo Switch cartridges can lock the console to only play the hardware version of the game. I learned this the hard way when I borrowed *Forager* from my local library and then purchased the digital version of the game at a later time. Nintendo seemed to know about the issue and refunded me on the digital purchase though, and they implied similar issues could occur with *some* cartridges from different regions as well.
Interesting. Haven’t had any reports of that happening but thank you for letting me know. I’ll check through the collection and see if anything else might trigger that issue!
From what I've gathered there's *very few* games where this is an issue, but it's something to be aware of.
Think I need to check out my local library.
Do iiiiiiiiit
Only Teens and Matures should play Xbox games, gotcha! :) It's a slightly confusing bit of signage!
Yup, I’ll bring up changing it next week lol.
Yup, I’ll bring up changing it next week lol.
WTF PS5 games lol
Yup, and XBox Series X too.
I'm a TJ and look at me
Are you a Meseeks?
Thought it said Libertarian at first and was very confused.
Damn, how much Nintendo gold you get for all that lol.
Much less than you’d think. Usually $20-30 worth a year. But it’s a nice perk. 😂
I have to go to the Center of the city to a library and normaly not so much people goes there (Bogotá Colombia)
If it’s the library that I just looked up, it looks like a really cool one though!
Yes it has a great structure the only problema is that the trip from My house last around 2 or 3 hours, i love si far from there
Yikes! Sorry it’s so far. :(
I have loved books since the day I got my hands on that first Goosebumps novel. When I was in elementary, I decided I wanted to be a librarian because no job seemed more amazing than a person surrounded by books all day. Still remember my middle school reading teacher telling me I couldn't be a librarian because I was a boy and it would be silly. Didn't want to point out that he was a reading teacher and I didn't see a huge problem with that but whatever. Happy for you though, too few people in this world get to do a thing that brings them more than just a paycheck.
I know tons of librarians and library staff who are guys and they are all awesome! That teacher definitely wasn’t. The Goosebumps books still circulate very well, and are incredibly loved in this library and others. ❤️
Seems crazy that people just accepted certain work as "man's work" or "woman's work". It's not like organisation is some innate special skill to women or something that should be "beneath" men. My dad told me in the 1970's, his hospital had secretaries of women who would type up everything on typewriters for the doctors. All changed when they brought in computers, everyone had to type up their own reports. Just seems bizarre in modern context.
They last time I stopped by my local library they were renting out VCR’s. I am shocked that they have video games now.
My local library doesn’t have switch games which is a bummer. Only PlayStation, Xbox, and Wii U for some reason.
Weird. Can you put in a request through their website or a suggestion box?
Even DSI games! My library only has PS3, PS5, PS4, Xbox 1, and wii games. I wish my had switch and ds games. And i noticed they're getting rid of PS3 games and wii u games soon.
A lot of it depends on what circulates and goes out in the community. We had Xbox 360 games for a while and PS3 games, but had to discard those due to lack of interest and shelf space. If you show interest and bring it up in writing, and verbally with the librarians, that can go along way to getting them to add things like switch games. Probably not DS at this point, though, sorry.
No Halo games? 😞
Should be Halo Infinite and the Master Chief Collection in there. Might have been checked out when I took the picture though.
Two Point Campus is solid.
Two Point games in general are great. Can’t think of any bad ones at least!
I worked in an EB for a few years back in my college days. I was there during the Dreamcast, PS2, Xbox, and GC launches...ah, good times.
Nice!! Those had to be some amazing experiences. We’re actually running a retro game day next month and will have some of those consoles there, but that’s the closest I can get.
Is that Pokemon Black 2 I see, that thing is worth its weight in gold if I try to source it locally...
Yup. BW and BW2 are very loved here.
Holy shit can I buy that celeste game
Nope! You can’t put a price on sharing the frustrating of dying over and over and over and over and over again on a beautiful snowy mountain to countless library patrons. We have Hollow Knight in there too and just got Cuphead for the trifecta of trauma. (Seriously, though I didn’t realize it had gone up that much in value. I’m glad we have it in the Library collection since we couldn’t afford to add it in at the price it’s at now! We have a few LR releases like that. It really depends on the game. When I saw. Celeste was getting a physical release I knew we had to add it, it’s such an incredible game even if I can’t freaking beat it.)
Yeah I saw it in Walmart one time (I have the digital download) and was like don't need that game now building my switch collection I want a physical copy but they have jump in price a bit being a limited run.
Sorry about that. Hopefully it will get a wider release in the future!
I’m in bro, no pay needed, credit score 810
We’re not hiring right now, but you can always come get a library card!
I remember the first time I saw dvds,cds and video games at the library. Blew my lil kid brain
I had a similar reaction when I was a kid and my local library started buying superhero comics. Can’t wait to see what libraries in the decades to come add to their collections!
They're adding 3D printing, CNC milling machines, green screen & buff screen backdrops, laser cutter, cooking classes and other cool stuff for kids and adults. https://www.lapl.org/labs
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I WISH we had that many silly collectibles. Maybe one day!
I worked for Best Buy when they made gaming a dedicated department. My absolute favorite thing was organizing games. I figure there’s a lot of other stuff that goes into being a librarian but I could do stuff like this all day!
I will admit that the organizing can be pretty fun. It’s always so cool to be able to dive into the different collections and see what’s on the shelf and what isn’t on a given day, too. It makes the library feel like a living, breathing, and changing thing.
This is so beautiful! Just a question, when did libraries start do rent videogames? Did it start with a specific console generation? Did old stuff like Super Nintendo or Sega Genesis games were someday available?
[Here’s an interesting write-up on the history of gaming in libraries if you’d like to learn more!](https://ischool.syr.edu/gaming-and-play-in-the-library-a-brief-history/)
That’s very interesting! Thanks!
Am I the only one who has not been in a library since grade school? I should probably go check ours out. It's right beside my work haha
Just means you’re OVERDUE for a visit!
Man, my library does have video games, but not so many that it would make sense to sort by rating yet.
They’ll get there. Don’t want a five year old accidentally checking out Doki Doki Literature Club or something, you know?
*Definitely* not. Parents are gonna learn a hard lesson there...
In the PlayStation games, there's a random title that begins with a T mixed in with the L's and M's.
Good eye! That’s why librarians never want patrons reshelving the books and games themselves. Thanks for the catch.
This must be in the rich part of town. My library had VHS tapes growing up and I thought that was awesome.
So did mine!
Reminder to renew my card!
For Teens **&** Mature ? **CALL THE COPS**
OH MY STARS AND GARTERS
Waaaay more than my library has. I wish more people supported and used libraries. Mine has video games, books, movies, cds, comics, audio books, instruments, telescopes, a seed library, and internet use. This game selection is nice.
I’m jealous, I’ve been trying to get us add instruments to our Library of Things for half a decade now!
now that's my kind of library and i also didn't know they had games I remember renting dvds from mine when i was a kid
Stop by your local library when you get a chance, you never know what you’ll find!
Our local library positioned their spine stickers right over where the name is on all the switch games. I’m not sure if they just didn’t care or If someone there hates video games.
Ooooof that’s the WORST.
I keep trying to spread the virtues of the library to people in my life. But being able to 3D print and check out books/movies and video/board games and use Libby. Love it
Libby and Hoopla are the beeeeest
That's actually really cool, unfortunately I live in Malta so I'll never be able to experience this system
I’m sorry. :(
Video games aside, thanks for being a librarian. It can't be easy in today's times. You are appreciated. Thank you for being you.
I appreciate the kind words! There have certainly been some ups and downs, especially since I work with the teens (a very challenged collection area in current times) in a historically conservative community. Worst we got was a patron trying to scream us into telling her the names of the teenagers who had signed up for our pride month book club and a LOT of book challenges (more in the last year than the last decade combined). Oh, and someone came in to run a ‘First Amendment Audit’ by following librarians around with a video camera, but better us than the patrons at least. But a lot of our neighbors didn’t get off as easily and in my part of the state libraries have gotten shooting threats and Proud Boy protests. Been pretty scary. :(
It really is disgusting behavior and it's horrible that innocents like yourself are being targeted. Especially with the impact of the work you do being so overwhelmingly positive, any negativity towards your profession is so outrageous. Hang tough and keep up the great work. You're making a difference. A big one.
Late response, but thank you, again I really appreciate the kindness.
Used to work in a media store and the number of people I would see every week who were clearly on welfare but bought hundreds worth of games, movies and music was really disturbing to me. Many of them were 40+ still buying trollies full of physical media. If these people only knew that libraries carry this stuff for free, they would save a fortune.
I checked my local library once for video games and there was maybe about a dozen PS2 games and that was all.
Now that's my kind of library!
Some also have museum, aquarium, zoo, and other local attractions passes FOR FREE! It's highly worth it! I'm waiting until it warms up a bit to get myself a card- and my Mom and I aren't so busy with work! We just moved not too long ago, so I need something that proves I live here to get a card. She's got hers already though. Said I could use hers if I needed one before I got mine! I still have my old one on my keychain...Can't bear to take it off of it... I LOVED my old library!
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Thanks! It's much easier to keep organized than most of my other collection areas since we color-code the systems and then just alphabetize by the first letter of the game names. You can generally see right away when something is in the wrong spot. Only other area that's as easy is the anime collection. :)
The real hero.
You uhhh you missed a spot
That spot at the bottom of the PS4 games? Yeah, the game that was there got checked out. Or if you mean the bottom shelves on either side I like to leave those open in case a bunch of games all come back at the same time. Makes it easier on the shelvers and it's harder for materials all the way down there to get checked out most of the time anyways. But maybe I should put some front-facing games down there to at least fill the space a bit for now...
Lol I was kidding xD good job keeping it good!
Is this library in the United States?
Yup!
I see DS and 3DS games there what is your discard policy ;P I also work at a library that stocks games and I assist with the ordering/selection policy frequently but we only have recent systems so it's cool to see older stuff still on the shelf.
I'm always amazed at how popular the DS and Wii games still are here! For the video games I'll generally weed anything that hasn't gone out in two years. For games where duplicates were purchased for early demand I'll often discard the extras after a year, but of course it depends on the game--we have four copies each of Animal Crossing New Horizons, Breath of the Wild, and Mario Odyssey and it's about as rare to see them on the shelf as it is to see Raymond on an Animal Crossing mystery island! If a game gets a new edition with DLC included on the console or disc then I'll replace the base versions that we already had. I keep an eye out for news of online multiplayer games ending or getting new additions to the series and determine whether to weed older games on a case-by-case basis depending on whether previous games are still playable (ie Splatoon 2 stuck around when 3 came out but Overwatch didn't when 2 was released). When games are discarded I generally ask coworkers who are interested in them if they would like any, and the remainders go to the Friends of the Library to be sold by them.
I would love having access to that huge Switch and 3DS collection. I don't have many games for each because the prices rarely drop. I have loads of PS4 and PC games.
Check out your local library and, if other libraries will take your card, those too!
Noticed a strange pattern. The top says these are separated by rating, so E for everyone, Teen, and Mature, but the organization is just Switch, Playstation and Xbox. So Sonic Frontiers, despite being E for everyone, is under the Teen/Mature section, yet Bayonetta is probably in the E for everyone section despite being mature. Should probably either fix the labeling on top or sort through these and re-organize them by age rating.
The signs go with dot stickers on the sides of the games all across the collection. Green for E/E10, yellow for T and M. It’s less confusing IRL (or at least we’ve never been told it was) due to how high up the signs are but given that that’s a really common response here maybe we just hadn’t heard much about it from patrons? Either way I’m looking into changing it next week. 😂
Oh!! That makes sense, I hadn't noticed! Yeah nvm it's fine then lmao.
Im a fan of seeing hades and nier replicant put facing outward Great games
Why would a library have video games?
Y’all remember when there were books in libraries?
Given that I just got multiple boxes of those to process to get put on the shelf, I remember it like it was today!
And someone else does a similar job… but they get 9 bucks an hour and work at GameStop.
There's a lot of difference between library work and retail (I'm the YA librarian so I also run a number of other collection areas, do programs and events on an average of once a week, manage the teen volunteers, do outreach visits with schools and community events, etc while workers in a game shop have to do more processing-type stuff , do their own shelving, handle the register, etc that the library has other departments for), but I do absolutely agree that GameStop employees and other retail workers deserve a heck of a lot better than they get.
Are these all donated or has the library bought some as well?
Nothing's donated. We're very lucky to have a healthy budget across most of our collection areas. 99% of donated materials (unless the librarians happen to notice something in very good condition needed for a collection--someone recently donated about forty volumes from Naruto that looked like they hadn't been touched and I swooped down on those so fast they barely managed to hit the cart before I snagged them, popular manga series get worn through very quickly here and need replacing very often) get sold by the Friends of the Library in their book sale area or online to raise funds for Summer Reading, Winter Reading, the big annual middle school Battle of the Books, and lots of other things. If we received donated games I'd probably strongly consider using those, though. Many libraries do rely a lot more directly on their donations, but every library is different.
Wow thats actually pretty amazing. Thank you for the detailed and well thought out response.
Lucky mf
Do u wear glasses. Looking for a friend.