Games spark teen rush on libraries
29 February 2008
Libraries in south-east Michigan are turning the page on peace and quiet.
Video game events at public libraries are drawing crowds of teens, including about 100 competing monthly at Guitar Hero at the Rochester Hills Public Library, near Detroit.
"Getting teens to come to the library is right up there with getting them to go to church: it's not exactly the first place they want to go," Christine Lind Hage, library director, told the Detroit Free Press.
Hage stocked the shelves with 1 823 games. An average of 1 300 are checked out daily.
A competition in Rochester Hills was held on February 9, and similar events are being held at other Detroit-area libraries.
Nearly 30 teens play Guitar Hero or Dance Dance Revolution every few weeks at the Clinton-Macomb Public Library, which offers 300 video games in its collection.
Stephanie Jaczkowski, 17, said it was a big social event.
The Canton Public Library began offering games and holding monthly tournaments for Nintendo Wii bowling and Super Smash Bros six months ago.
"Many of the games are complex ... They can help build cognitive skills," said Brad Bachelor, a teen librarian. - Sapa-AP
© 2008 Independent Online. 
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