Games and Activities: An Alternative Foundation for Library Instructional Learning

Abstract

A resurgent games movement is underway within academic library instruction. One reason is because games teach skills that encourage changes in how students think about information, problem solving, and participating in discovery-based learning. These are skills instruction librarians advocate in students through information literacy. While games have found success within library instruction there is still much to discover about the best fit for games in this environment. This article addresses how instruction librarians interested in games but have doubts, can find inspiration from how the author and other librarians have integrated games within instruction. Further, instruction librarians can begin to focus not only on how games can be played, but how to think about integrating games without fearing a loss of purpose within the session.