Case Study No. 1532: Staff of the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin

"Wings of desire" library
5:52
Just like in Tarkovsky's "Stalker" in this remarkable movie of Win Wenders we can see a "thin line" between sound and picture, and thats is what I love.
Enjoy
Tags: Wings of desire Der Himmel uber Berlin Wim Wenders library bibliothek movie lesson damiel casiel bruno ganz otto sander
Added: 6 years ago
From: uvekza
Views: 66,790

[scene opens in the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, as the camera pans across dozens of patrons and library staff (whose thoughts can be heard by the angels Damiel and Cassiel as a great jumble of whispered voices)]
[cut to a closeup of the two angels walking side by side, as Damiel leaves to go off on his own (while Cassiel stops and closes his eyes to listen to the voices)]
[camera once again pans across the library, as several other angels can be seen standing over various patrons (as if comforting them and their thoughts)]
[cut back to Damiel, who sits down and closes his eyes in order to listen]
[cut to Damiel walking around amongst the patrons and angels, then he picks up a "ghost" version of a pencil from one of the patron's desks and begins twirling it around in his fingers]
[cut to a closeup of Damiel as he sits down and stares at the pencil, then again closes his eyes and listens]
[he eventually gets up and starts walking down the stairs, but sees an old man slowly climbing up the stairs, who stops and wipes his brow]
OLD MAN: [to himself] Tell me, muse, the storyteller, he who has been thrust to the edge of the world ...
[cut to a closeup of Damiel, who looks up and sees Cassiel watching them]
OLD MAN: [to himself] Both an infant and an ancient, and through him reveal Everyman.
[Damiel continues down the stairs, while the old man resumes his climb upwards]
OLD MAN: [to himself] With time, those who listened to me became my readers. They no longer sit in a circle, but apart, and one doesn't know anything about the other.
[cut to a closeup of the old man, who (exhausted) finds a chair and sits down]
OLD MAN: [to himself] I'm an old man, with a broken voice, but the story still rises from the depths and the slowly opened mouth repeats it as clearly as it does powerfully. A liturgy for which no one needs to be initiated to the meaning of the words and sentences.

---

From byui.edu:

WINGS OF DESIRE [Der Himmel uber Berlin] (1987). Bruno Ganz and Peter Falk appear in this story of an angel who longs to be mortal. The new Staatsbibliothek in Berlin is the setting for an early scene in which angels are at work comforting people. Because we, like the angels, can hear the often despairing thoughts of the patrons as they sit alone in their carrels, we realize that the crowded library is the "noisiest" place in the city. One of the most touching library scenes found in film. In German, with English subtitles.

---

From bu.edu:

The library scenes, filmed at the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, one of the city's most magnificent architectural spaces, give the viewer a visual experience at the opposite remove from the dinginess of the film's apartments and the confinement of its automobiles. The openness and spaciousness of the interior of the Staatsbibliothek is Wenders' visual representation of the imaginative expansions of view the library provides. Its books and maps take researchers on journeys that leave worldly walls, boundaries, and barriers behind. Writers and story–tellers (represented by a character named Homer played by veteran actor Curt Bois in his final film performance) navigate seas of time and thought that are blissfully free of the provincialism of national boundaries and the limitations of a merely personal point–of–view. (It's telling that Wenders includes globes in several of the library scenes, globes that significantly lack markings denoting the divisions of man–made political and ideological boundaries.)

It is no coincidence that the film's angels use the library as a kind of headquarters and rendezvous point, since the flights of imagination that writers and readers embark on there are the earthly equivalent of what the angels themselves do as spiritual observers. The angels exemplify breathtaking capacities of movement across and beyond all of the earth's physical and imaginative boundaries. In effect, they unite the different capabilities of birds, children, and thinkers in one identity. They are able to glide through – and see beyond – every earthly imaginative wall, boundary, and separation, bridging gaps and seeing things temporally, spatially, and emotionally whole as no terrestrial inhabitant can – darting, diving, swooping from past to present, from here to there, at the speed of thought.

Case Study No. 1531: Linda Bove

Sesame Street - At Your Library
4:48
This has already been posted but this copy is in better quallity and sound.
Tags: Classic Sesame Street Vintage Caroll Spinney Northern Calloway Rosoce Orman Richard Hunt Marty Robinson 1980's
Added: 7 years ago
From: wattamack4
Views: 115,994

[scene opens in the Sesame Street Library, where a young female librarian (short dark hair, white blouse, blue skirt) is shelving books, then cut to Oscar the Grouch looking around one of the shelves]
OSCAR: Hmm, I wonder if they have any books in this library that might be interesting to a Grouch.
[Gilbert and Sullivan suddenly pop up on either side of him]
GILBERT: Books, interesting to a Grouch?
SULLIVAN: You want to know if there might be books interesting to a Grouch?
OSCAR: Oh no, not you two guys again!
GILBERT: I'm Gilbert, and I know all about Grouches.
SULLIVAN: And I'm Sullivan, and I know all about what's in a library.
OSCAR: Yeah, but you guys always tell me too much about everything! All I said was--
GILBERT: Shh! We'll tell you all about it.
OSCAR: Oh, good grief, here they go again!
[the two start to sing]
GILBERT AND SULLIVAN: There's books for him! And books for her! And books for you and me! You'll find good books for everyone, at your library!
[a man dressed as a swashbuckler walks into the scene and starts singing]
SWASHBUCKLER: I love a good adventure book! With swordsmen, knights and duels!
[cut to Telly Monster with the librarian, petting a rabbit]
TELLY: And I love books of animals! Like bunnies, cows, and mules!
[cut back to Oscar, who begs them to stop singing ... by singing himself]
OSCAR: Please spare me all your action books! Or kangaroos with pouches! What I am really looking for, are books designed for grouches!
[cut to a princess holding a book and singing]
PRINCESS: There are love stories, sweet stories, tales of romance! There are books about music and books about dance!
[a belly dancer suddenly materializes in the middle of the library, as she too starts singing]
BELLY DANCER: And how about a travel book, far away lands! Full of jungles and mountains, and hot desert sands!
[cut to a female spy is standing outside of the library, hiding a book underneath her trenchcoat]
SPY: And how about a mystery book! Detectives, cops, and spies!
[a cook walks up and opens the door for her]
COOK: Well, I prefer a cooking book! With salads, cakes and pies!
[cut back to Oscar (still singing about wanting people to stop singing)]
OSCAR: I do not care for travel books! Or books on cooking hash! If you don't mind, please point me to the books that deal with trash!
[a sailor pops up behind him and dances onto the scene]
SAILOR: Sing yo-ho-ho for a song about the sea! For a sailor on the ocean is the thing I wanna be!
ALL: What?
SAILOR: I said ... Sing yo-ho-ho for a song about the sea! For a sailor on the ocean is the thing I wanna be!
[everyone applauds, as the sailor takes a bow, then a man bursts through a nearby door (wearing football pads and scuba fins while carrying a baseball bat and a football)]
SPORTS GUY: A book on baseball, football, and lots of other games! All the scores and all the players, both their numbers and their names!
[cut back to Oscar]
OSCAR: I don't care about the ocean! Or the hundred meter dash! Please won't someone find for me, the books that deal with trash!
[cut to the librarian at the front desk, as the spy brings a book for her to stamp (while still singing)]
SPY: There are books about buses and books about cars!
[she leaves, then the swashbuckler puts a book down for the librarian to stamp]
SWASHBUCKLER: There are books about planets and books about stars!
[he leaves, then the princess puts a book down for the librarian to stamp]
PRINCESS: There are books about fishing for tuna and bass!
[she leaves, then the cook puts a book down for the librarian to stamp]
COOK: And how to plant flowers instead of just grass!
[he leaves, then the sports enthusiast puts a book down for the librarian to stamp]
SPORTS GUY: There are books about people like statesmen and kings!
[he leaves (without taking his book with him like the others), as the librarian puts the ruined (?) book aside while giving him a dirty look, then the belly dancer puts a book down for the librarian to stamp]
BELLY DANCER: And how 'bout inventors who think up new things!
[she leaves, then the sailor puts a book down for the librarian to stamp]
SAILOR: There's books about sewing and science and art! There's so much I sometimes don't know where to start!
[cut back to Oscar]
GILBERT AND SULLIVAN: There are books about treasures that long ago sunk!
OSCAR: But you still haven't shown me the books about junk!
[he puts his head down in frustration, but the other two continue singing]
GILBERT AND SULLIVAN: Don't yell, don't scream! Don't start to steam! Don't make an angry face-o! If you want trash--
SULLIVAN: Don't shout!
GILBERT: There's trash!
GILBERT AND SULLIVAN: You only have to say so!
[the two turn towards the right]
GILBERT AND SULLIVAN: If you will face in this direction ... There's our special Grouches' section!
[Oscar turns to see a very dirty and disheveled bookshelf marked "Grouch Section"]
OSCAR: Wow, I'm in heaven!
[cut back to Gilbert and Sullivan, who look at each other]
GILBERT AND SULLIVAN: As we said before ...
[they start singing again]
GILBERT AND SULLIVAN: A library's a place where if you take your eyes and look! You'll find whatever you're seeking in a magazine or book! There's books for him! And books for her! And books for you and me! You'll find good books for everyone, at your library!
[the camera pans out, as all the various characters gather around (holding their books)]
ALL: The la-la-la-la-la, the la-la-la-la-la, the la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-lalala! The la-la-la-la-la, the la-la-la-la-la, The la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-lalala!
[cut back to Oscar, who looks up from reading a copy of "House Unbearable" and starts yelling]
OSCAR: Hey! Will you people please pipe down?! I'm trying to read! This is a library!
[cut back to the characters (who all put a finger to their lips), as they continue singing at a quieter volume]
ALL: You'll find good books for everyone, at your li-bra-ry!

---

From wikia.com:

Music by: Joe Raposo
Lyrics by: Emily Kingsley
Date: 1983
Publisher: Jonico Music, Inc. / Sesame Street, Inc.
EKA: Episode 2342

"At Your Library" is a Sesame Street song that Gilbert and Sullivan sing to Oscar the Grouch about the various types of books there are to read. However, Oscar just wants to find some books about trash.

This song also features appearances by various members of the cast singing about the types of books they like best. Luis, in a swashbuckling outfit, favors adventure books, Telly Monster is into books about animals, and Olivia, dressed as a princess, loves books about romance. Maria is fascinated by travel guides. Susan, dressed as a spy, is fond of mysteries, while Gordon, who wears a chef uniform, likes cookbooks. Bob likes living his dream of being a sailor on the ocean, and David enjoys books about sports. Linda the Librarian checks their books out for them. Finally, Gilbert and Sullivan point Oscar to a section in the library created especially for grouches.

---

From duckduckgo.com:

The Sesame Street Library is a common point of interest on Sesame Street. It was originally located next to Hooper's Store, in the spot that has since housed the Fix-It Shop and Mail It Shop. Known as the Lending Library, there were books both indoors and outdoors, and there was also a large children's section. All the residents of Sesame Street would come to borrow books. Maria worked there as a part-time job when she was still in school, while Grover would often come and help out.

Later, when the Fix It Shop came along, the library shifted to other locations in New York City, such as the one in which Linda worked, and libraries that were some distance from the street and required a certain amount of traveling, as seen in several books.

In Season 38, the library is located eight paces from the front of the Fix It Shop.

In 2004, the Sesame Street Library was immortalized in board game form as the replacement for States Avenue in a Sesame Street edition of Monopoly.

---

From sesamestreet.org:

Linda's role as Sesame Street's deaf librarian was the longest-running role of any physically challenged person in a television series, providing a positive role model for hearing and non-hearing children alike.

Linda uses sign language to communicate with her friends, and occasionally speaks. Her dog, Barkley, understands some sign language commands.

---

From wordpress.com:

When the National Theater for the Deaf was asked to do some work for Sesame Street, Linda Bove was excited to join them, and when Sesame Street decided they wanted to create a position for her, she was thrilled. Linda became "Linda the Librarian" to millions of children around the United States. She was able to show hearing people a positive portrayal of a proud Deaf woman who was capable of anything. She also taught American Sign Language to children through the show, and published several books designed for teaching ASL to kids. Her role as Linda the Librarian lasted from 1971 – 2003, and brought Linda the distinction of holding the longest roll of any Deaf person in the entertainment industry.

Case Study No. 1530: Lauren Long

"Dead in the Stacks" book trailer
0:30
Dead in the Stacks (The Curious Librarian Cozy Mystery Series)
Zana Hart (Author)

Publication Date: September 20, 2013
Tags: curious librarian cozy mystery
Added: 7 months ago
From: ToonLib
Views: 6

A library director,
suspected of
murder most foul.

The victim?
A library board member
notorious for his
womanizing ways ...

Can the
Silvermine Public Library
survive such a scandal?

---

From bookdepository.co.uk:

The Silvermine Public Library had never had a dead body on the floor before. The body was that of library board member Mark Wagner, and it could have been a heart attack. But of course the possibility of murder came up. Who would have killed Mark? What about the many women he hit on, putting his big hands where they didn't belong? What about the many people who had suffered from his rapacious real estate deals? If you counted up who was annoyed at Mark, it would be hundreds or even thousands of people in Silvermine (pop. 10,000). If you counted up who might really have done it, well, there were several suspects.

Some people were talking about the library director Lauren Long, but she had her hands full, trying to keep the momentum for a new library going forward while everyone's attention was on the death. There was her love life to keep going, too, and then someone tried to break into her house, more than once. Was she marked for murder? In this new story, the first of the Curious Librarian Cozy Mystery series, author and librarian Zana Hart weaves a tale that leaves red herrings all over the library.

---

From amazon.com:

Mark Wagner was lying dead in the stacks of the Silvermine Public Library, his body sprawled in front of the 100s and 200s, not that the occult books, the near death experiences collections, or the Bibles would do him any good now. They weren't his sort of thing anyway. As Lauren Long stood looking down at his body, she thought that if he had ever written a book it would have been more along the lines of "How to Cheat on Your Wife and Keep Her as Your Housekeeper" or maybe "101 Ways to Rip Others Off with Real Estate Deals."

Mark's cold body had been found by Richard Black, the janitor, at 6 this morning. Richard had called the police and then her as library director. She had thrown on some sweats and jogged the three blocks from her house. So here she was, arriving even before the police. She was surprised that she wasn't feeling much emotion, no more than if she had been looking at a piece of paper on the floor. No doubt her emotions would come later. She guessed Mark had died quickly, likely from a heart attack. He had had one last year, just before she came to Silvermine.

"I'm glad the library was closed and that you were the one who found the body," she said to Richard. "What if he had died during the preschool story hour?"

"Would have given the kids an education," Richard said. "But finding the body didn't bother me. I must have seen hundreds of dead bodies in Afghanistan, a lot of them buddies of mine who deserved to live a lot more than this sleazebag. Half the town could have murdered him gladly."

He nudged a dead hand with the toe of his boot and went off to continue the cleaning. With his shaved head, earring, neck tattoo, muscular physique, and black clothing, Richard had a bad-boy look that Lauren found attractive. He wasn't her type, though.

Last night Mark had been very much alive. He had had a little smile on his face as the other members of the library board each announced how much they had raised in pledges for a new library building. Margaret Snow had pledges of five thousand dollars, the other people less. He had chosen to be the last to speak, and then he had said, "I don't have the exact numbers yet, but it should be just over a hundred thousand." That caused a stir.

Even then, Laura had been skeptical, wondering how much of that would actually turn up, but now that his body was lying here, she hoped that his would-be donors would honor their generous pledges. The board would need a good amount raised before they could even think of going to the voters for a building that could cost around a million dollars. Mark was casual about paperwork, so who knew what he had written down?

She supposed she should be feeling sad that he had died, but her mind kept going to the fundraising. She'd come to Silvermine last year to run the library, choosing this job over some much better-paying ones, mainly because the challenge of creating a new library interested her. She liked the town of Silvermine and thought it would be a great place to live. Tucked in below some of the great mountains of Colorado, with a population of just under ten thousand, it had lots of historic buildings from its days of mining glory. It was only a few hours' drive across the mountains to Denver, where she had grown up, gone through college, and gotten her Master's of Library and Information Science.

How had Mark come to be in the library, anyway? With it closing at 9, and Mark's announcement around 8:30 or so, he must have just made it in the door before they closed. But how would Deanna or Ashley not have seen his body on the floor when they locked up? Everyone knew to check the whole building carefully at closing, even the closets, bathrooms, and office. Ever since they'd found a homeless man sleeping overnight in the library last winter, even Deanna had been careful to close up securely.

Things weren't adding up. Had Mark snuck in later for some reason? With all his real estate experience, he could easily know how to get into locked buildings. She thought he wouldn't have had any trouble breaking into an old Carnegie library. But why?

Case Study No. 1529: Fiona (Lead Balloon)

Overdue library fine - Lead Balloon - BBC sitcom
2:25
Rick Spleen tries to get out of paying an over due library book fine with little success. Hilarious short from BBC sitcom Lead Balloon.
Tags: BBC Jack Dee Rick Spleen Comedy Funny Sitcom Lead Balloon Laugh Joke Short Free Video
Added: 5 years ago
From: BBCWorldwide
Views: 29,935

[scene opens with Rick Spleen entering the public library, where (after looking at a poster of his face up on the wall) he walks up to the young female librarian (long brown hair, glasses, brown blouse) at the front desk]
RICK: Hi ...
[she slowly turns in her chair and faces him (a bored look on her face)]
RICK: Is, uh, Fiona around?
FIONA: I'm Fiona.
RICK: [pause] Oh, right ... Is there another Fiona works here?
FIONA: No. Why?
[he pauses, then tries to laugh it off]
RICK: Nah, I just wondered, y'know. Sometimes that happens ... Get two people with the same name working at the same place. That can cause confusion.
[he shakes his head]
RICK: Uh, I'm Rick. Uh,Rick Spleen. I-I'm doing the thing here on the Seventeenth, to save the library--
[she smiles (her demeanor immediately changing to a more friendly tone)]
FIONA: Oh, you're Michael's friend!
RICK: Well, I ... I'm just gonna do the--
FIONA: I thought I recognized you from all the posters ...
RICK: Yeah, well, that's actually not the official poster. I'm gonna do something much better, but uh--
FIONA: Well, it's very good of you to come and help us out.
RICK: Well, I'm just doing my bit.
[she laughs]
RICK: Oh, and, um ...
[he reaches into his plastic bag and takes out a childrens' book]
RICK: I, uh, I found this at home so I thought I'd better bring it back in. Sorry.
[she takes the book and giggles]
RICK: Sorry.
[she scans the book and begins typing on the computer]
RICK: So, um, is it gonna be okay if I move some of the furniture? I wanna put all the chairs and tables to the back, maybe black out the windows. I suppose there's gonna be quite a lot of people, actually ...
FIONA: There's an overdue charge of six pounds to pay on that.
RICK: [pause] Sorry?
FIONA: That'll be six pounds, please.
RICK: Nah, I was just thinking under the circumstances you could waive the, uh, fine.
FIONA: Oh, I understand, but there is an overdue charge of six pounds.
RICK: Yeah, I know, I'm just saying--
FIONA: Fifteen pence a day, to a maximum of six pounds.
RICK: Yes, but considering the fact that I'm gonna be doing a show for you--
FIONA: I'm sorry, we can't make exceptions.
RICK: Not even for someone who's gonna be saving your library?
FIONA: No ...
[she remains polite but firm, as they both just stare at each other for a moment]
RICK: You didn't even know that was missing!
FIONA: You would've had a letter at the time ...
RICK: I didn't get a letter at the time!
FIONA: You waited ten years to return this ...
RICK: I didn't wait ten years to return it, I just forgot that we had it at home!
FIONA: Please don't raise your voice.
RICK: I'm just saying I forgot that I had it at home, it's not like I was sitting around going--
[he grabs the book out of her hands, then starts waving it around while talking in a sarcastic tone]
RICK: "Ha ha ha, we got the library book!"
FIONA: Please don't snatch!
RICK: Oh forget it, I'll take the bloody thing home ...
[he turns to leave]
FIONA: I must warn you that if you remove a library book without checking it out, that is viewed as theft.
RICK: Alright, here ...
[he drops the book loudly on her desk]
RICK: I'll give it back.
[she pushes the book across the desk back towards him, addressing him tersely]
FIONA: I can only accept the book when you pay the outstanding fine.
RICK: Great ... Well, you know what? Let's talk about this again on the Seventeenth, yeah?
[he turns and leaves]
RICK: When I've got an audience!

---

From wikipedia.org:

Lead Balloon (Series 2, Episode 9)
"Points"
Original Airdate: 29 November 2007

Rick is caught speeding and risks a driving ban if he gets three more points on his driving licence. His attempts to persuade Mel and Marty to admit they were driving his car prove futile and he believes there is no hope, until he learns Magda has recently passed her driving test. Michael convinces Rick to appear at an event to save the local library but later informs him his appearance has been cancelled because Rick refused to pay a 6-pound fine on a late book and threatened the librarian (played by Matilda Zeigler). As a result of his threats Rick has to attend an anger management class.

Case Study No. 1528: University of East London Librarian

The Library Game Walkthrough
9:53
This is a walkthrough the game that me and Raph build for the University of East London.
Tags: Clemnet Clemente Guerra CGNetwork Library game Uel
Added: 6 years ago
From: clemnetg
Views: 284

"The Library Game"
UEL (University of East London)
LLS (Library and Learning Service)
SCOT (School of Computing & Technology)

Developed by: Clemente Guerra, Raphael Courtenay
(c) 2007
V1.0

Movement control
Move the cursor to either side of the screen to rotate the camera left or right.
Hold down the spacebar to move in the direction the camera is looking. Release spacebar to stop movement.

Messages
Look out for new messages. These will tell you which tasks you need to complete next.

Completing tasks
To progress through the game, each task needs to be completed. Successful completion of each task will lead to the next. Look out for the red target zones for the location of the next task.

[scene opens with an alien (green bald head, dark jacket, white t-shirt, blue jeans, single gold earring) inside the University of East London Library, as he approaches the female librarian (African American, floral print shirt) standing at the helpdesk]
PLAYER: Hello.
HELPDESK: Hello, welcome to the library. Feel free to ask me for help at any time.
[the player heads for the red circle surrounding the computers, as "The online catalogue holds information about every publication in the library. You will need to enter your user number then the key words associated with your book to search for it." appears on screen]
[cut to a representation of the UEL online catalogue, as the player enters user number "0795097"]
[the screen changes ("Logged on as Afiijes Quasgao" appears), then the player searches under "Keyword" for "shockwave 3d"]
[the catalogue displays two books ("Director's third dimension" by Paul Catanese and "Macromedia Director 8.5 Shockwave Studio for 3D" by Phil Gross), so the player selects "director's third dimension" and returns to the help desk]
PLAYER: I found the book in the catalogue. What do I do now?
HELPDESK: Use the reference number and match it to the shelf number.
[the player heads for the red circle surrounding the stacks area, as "Move the mouse over the books to find the correct reference number." appears on screen]
[cut to a shot of three rows of identical blue books, as "Find this reference number: 006.693" appears on screen]
[before the 20-second time limit expires, the player finds the correct book, as "You got it!!" appears on screen]
[cut back to the alien, who heads for the red circle surrounding the copy machine, as "The photocopier is very simple to use. Click on the lid to open or close it. Correctly position the document. Close the lid to start copying. Take your new copy of the document. Press Enter to continue." appears on screen]
[cut to a closeup of the copy machine, as the player makes a copy, then returns to the help desk]
PLAYER: Hi, I would like to take this book out please.
HELPDESK: Sorry, I'm quite busy at the moment. You can use the self checkout machines behind you. Just swipe your card and enter your PIN.
[the player heads for the red circle surrounding the self checkout machine, as "Swipe your card." appears on screen]
[cut to a closeup of the self checkout machine, as the player moves the card over the scanner]
["Now enter your PIN using the numpad then press Enter. The default PIN is 0000" appears on screen, and the player types it in]
["You entered the correct PIN. Wait for your receipt then press Enter." appears on screen, as the "virtual" receipt prints out of the machine]
["Congratulations, you have successfully checked a book out of" appears on screen]

---

From sconul.ac.uk:

The project presented here evolved at the same time as we opened our wonderful new library at our Docklands campus. We sought new ways of promoting these splendid new learning spaces and the services they contain, and we identified games technology as having the potential to pro-vide an innovative and enjoyable way of learning library and information skills. An entertaining and enticing game could replace the rather tired and ineffective library tour often provided at the start of each semester.

We approached Elias Pimenidis, a national expert in gaming software in our school of computing and technology, who thought that teaching library skills would be an interesting application for games technology.

Developing the information literacy of our users is one important aspect of our contribution to our university's learning and teaching strategy. The university's learning and teaching committee encourages bids for projects that will enhance the learning and teaching experience and promote students' success. Such projects are normally awarded to our academic schools, but we took the bold step of making a joint bid with the school of computing and technology to develop 'The Library Game'.

We produced a briefing document outlining the need to develop a library game to introduce our diverse student population to library services. We envisaged a game that would be fun and interac-tive for both novice computer users and mature gamers. If successful, it might attract more stu-dents to use the library facilities and even interest other university libraries in using this approach.

Our bid for some £10,000 for an eighteen-month project was successful – a small sum in view of the ambitious nature of our project, but at least we could experiment with enhancing the experience of learning library skills.

Our partnership approach was crucial. The project team consisted of two library staff – the director of service (Andrew McDonald) and the academic services and skills manager (Simone Okolo) – and Elias Pimenidis, a senior lecturer in the school of computing and technology. The director of library and learning services provided the vision and impetus for the project, guiding and supporting its progress. The academic services and skills manager was responsible for managing and deliv-ering the project, and acted as the library contact for the game's developers. The senior lecturer in the school of computing and technology provided expert academic leadership and support, guiding four of his students through the design, develop-ment and testing of the game in relation to our specification. This gave these undergraduates on a computer games programme of study valuable first-hand experience of developing a game in response to customers' requirements. Developing the game using commercial software specialists would have been way out of our financial reach.

The development team faced a number of chal-lenges. They had to capture a real library environ-ment in the game and concentrate on the peda-gogic challenge of ensuring that players under-stood how to use various library services rather than simply playing the game itself.

EDUCATIONAL GAMES IN ACADEMIA

Academic gaming can provide the social and con-templative counterpart of sensual video gaming while maintaining the elements of fun that make games so attractive to a wide range of people. It is these features of the computer games used in academia that inspired the project discussed here.

In designing a computer game developers have to establish the objectives of the game by identifying its desired impact: here for helping library users navigate new library services. This influences the gameplay, especially the motivational elements of the game design. They also need to consider what will make the user continue to want to play the game until the objectives are fully achieved. The impetus to explore the use of games technology in our information skills work lies with the fact that as librarians we continuously seek new and inno-vative ways of teaching students library skills.

Acquiring library skills as early as possible in their learning careers is essential for students to enjoy success in their academic work. Library skills are about learning how to learn, are part of being an educated person and are valuable lifelong and employment skills.

Learning these new skills is not always easy, and creating effective library induction programmes that enhance the learning of library skills offers several challenges. It is these challenges that the game discussed here aims at overcoming.

DEVELOPING THE GAME

The challenge for the project team was to offer the experience of a virtual-world learning envi-ronment to university students. The aim was to present a game that would enhance their experi-ence of gaining library skills, sometimes regarded as a rather tedious and unexciting experience, particularly amongst a student population charac-terised by wide cultural and educational diversity. In doing so the developers had to overcome the strict training environment of academic gaming, introducing gaming elements that make the game attractive to this diverse student population and, at the same time, maintaining the educational focus.

The game starts on the main floor of the library – the most important part of the library – where librarians, the main helpdesk, self-service machines, online catalogues, photocopiers, printers and binding machines can all be found. The story is of an alien who crash-lands at City Airport and who surfaces in the university library nearby and realises he has to learn how to use our services to survive.

Players are presented with an easy-to-use inter-face. For each stage of the game the interface presents a set of instructions and this provides continuous guidance for the player throughout the game.

The game is subdivided into a set of mini-games. Starting off, the player is required to find a book situated on a particular shelf and, once located, the player will have to pick the book off the shelf and borrow it, using the self-service machines. Each mini-game presents the player with a par-ticular interface, and once completed the game reverts to the initial interface.

There will be five mini-games at the end of the current phase of development. They cover:

* finding a book on the online catalogue
* finding a book on the shelves
* using the self-check machines to borrow a book
* asking a question at the helpdesk
* photocopying a chapter of a book.

The game also features a scoring system to deter-mine the winner and the relevant reward.

The development team initially comprised four students who produced a design specification for a very early 'pre-alpha' version of the game. The team was subsequently reduced to two students, who continued with two revisions of the original design and, almost fifteen months after the initia-tion of the project, completed a competent beta version of the game. It is this beta version that is due to be tested by a wide audience of users, comprising students from different schools across the university.

A questionnaire has been developed that aims to capture feedback from all participants in the evaluation release phase of the game. The pur-pose of the feedback is two-fold: firstly, to provide an analysis of the educational impact of the game on users and, secondly, to allow the developers to identify improvements in the technical and game-play features of the game.

Case Study No. 1527: Carroll Lewis

I Need a Book Preview
1:40
A preview clip of LVN's, I Need a Book. Full information on this DVD can be found on http://www.lvn.org.
Tags: readers advisory libraries
Added: 3 years ago
From: libraryvideonetwork
Views: 108

[scene opens with a middle-aged man speaking directly to the camera]
TERRY LYONS: There are three good ways of expanding your knowledge and the options available to your customers. The first is to compile a readers' advisory notebook. Have library staff write mini-reviews in a notebook, using the appeal characteristics to highlight each title.
[cut to a binder marked "Looking For a Good Book? Readers' Advisory Notebook (Award Winners/Websites/Book Lists)"]
TERRY LYONS: [in voice over] Now, each person will interpret the characteristics somewhat differently, but a solid readers' advisory notebook can be an invaluable tool for customers.
[cut to a male African American librarian ("Carroll Lewis, Librarian") speaking directly to the camera]
CARROLL LEWIS: We have a readers' advisory notebook organized by genre that we keep at the reference desk. It has categories like science fiction, fantasy, romance, and a mini-description of each book.
[cut to Carroll sitting at the reference desk and leafing through the notebook]
CARROLL LEWIS: [in voice over] Since we are all trained in appeal characteristics, we try to mention them in the description. It's easy at a glance to find setting or pacing, and to give appropriate reference to the customer.
[cut back to Terry speaking directly to the camera]
TERRY LYONS: It's also important for librarians to keep current about fiction. National Public Radio and Oprah are resources our customers use to learn about new books, and we should use them also. Let it become part of the weekly routine to check the bestseller's list, library displays, and lists of upcoming books to learn about books before they are read by customers.

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From worldcat.org:

I need a book! : readers' advisory for adults
Author: Terry Lyons; Library Video Network.; Baltimore County Public Library.
Publisher: Towson, MD : Library Video Network : Baltimore County Public Library, [2006].
Edition/Format: DVD video : English
Summary: Explains how to create a comfortable conversation with your customer in order to find the best book for them.
Notes: "See how to create a comfortable conversation with your customer in order to find the best book for them. By learning about the appeal characteristics and applying them to your customer's answers, you will be able to match them up with the right book. This program also shows you how to perform a 'Quick Dip' and learn about a book in just five minutes"--Container.
Credits: "Terry Lyons, a leading North American readers' advisory instructor and consultant, provided much of the content for this program"--Container.
Description: 1 videodisc : sd., col. ; 4 3/4 in.

Case Study No. 1526: Staff of the "Silent Library"

Silent Library Episode w/ K-1 Kickboxer Ernesto Hoost
9:54
A funny Japanese game show.
Tags: Old Man Bites Tenderly Bad Smell Air Slapping Machine
Added: 7 years ago
From: ikevinax
Views: 137,804

From wikipedia.org:

A segment from the popular Japanese variety show "Downtown no Gaki no Tsukai ya Arahende!!"

In "Silent Library," the cast members are playing a card game in a staged library setting, whereby one of them has to undergo a punishment upon choosing the card with the skull and crossbones on it (similar to Russian roulette). Although the game requires that they remain silent during the entire segment, the members repeatedly let out bursts of muffled laughter that is loud enough for the occupants of the library to hear. Former K-1 champion Ernesto Hoost once made a special appearance, as well as comedian Koki Mitani.

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From igametv.com:

This clip is from the game show called Silent Library. The premise of this show is that 6 people are placed in a library where they are not allowed to make noise. Every few minutes, they reveal a clue such as "Wasabi Roll" and "Bad Smell Air" that hints at a juvenile punishment that one person in the group has to endure. They then deal one card each face down, and the loser is the one that has the "death" card. Watch as the loser ends up having to:

(1) get a nosehair pulled out ("Outwitted")
(2) eat an entire California roll full of wasabi ("Wasabi Roll")
(3) breathe in a bag full of foul-smelling air ("Bad Smell Air")
(4) get repeated slapped by a slapping mechanical arm ("Slapping Machine")
(5) have a balloon inflated underneath his shirt until it explodes ("Huge Balloon")
(6) get whacked across the backside by a Japanese baseball player ("Hitted Hip")
(7) get chewed on by an old man without his dentures ("Old Man Bites Tenderly")

... all while the other players try to suppress their laughter.