Gaming in libraries is not a new concept, and several great books have already been published on how to promote activities ranging from board games to LARPs into modern public library programming. In their second book involving public libraries, Leorke and Wyatt aim not to reinvent the wheel but to understand the intersection of play, gaming, and public spaces in the broader context of society, urban planning, and public libraries…. Part history book and part philosophical and theoretical exploration, this book will be relevant as public libraries continue to evolve and reinvent spaces in the digital age. For lovers of gaming and libraries and those seeking to understand the intersection of play and public spaces.

Library Journal

Libraries support recreational needs of users, increasingly through games and play. As trusted, inclusive public spaces, libraries constitute a unique environment to study this aspect of culture. This book shares the transformation of libraries as playgrounds, drawing from the researched experiences of several countries, particularly Australia, Finland, and Singapore…. Each chapter includes numerous endnotes to back the authors’ stances. A few color photo examples are scattered throughout the book. The appendix lists interviewees and case studies, and an extensive bibliography and index conclude the book. This relatively short book provides a well-researched and clearly written examination of the public library’s role in game making and play, responding to and reflecting community needs.

Booklist

Based on their impressive fieldwork and the most recent research, the authors have here produced a volume that is of high value to both game and library scientists, as well as for practical library work.

J. Tuomas Harviainen, Associate Professor of Information Practices, Tampere University

Leorke and Wyatt take the reader through their journey of discovery, investigating how libraries play an instrumental role in public culture through play. As games and play continue to serve as cultural battlegrounds, the library as a broker and advocate for playful spaces, places, and cultural nourishment deserves a careful social and historical treatment. This work is a welcome synthesis of the importance of play, institutions, and the possibilities for civic engagement.

Florence Chee, Associate Professor of Digital Communication, Loyola University Chicago

Leorke and Wyatt use interviews, space analysis, and reviews of library and game studies literature to explore both the embrace of and resistance to concepts of “play” in library spaces. The authors examine how the terms “games” and “play” have different meanings and contexts, and reference precedents such as the work of Johan Huizinga and Roger Caillois. They build on concepts and perceptions of games and play to explore how the spaces, services, and influence of libraries intersect with these various interpretations. Positive impacts of engaging play and game spaces in libraries are well illustrated, with analyses and photographs of spaces within libraries and supporting interview excerpts. Criticisms of the effect on “serious” purposes and spaces of libraries are acknowledged and challenged, starting with an editorial comment that opens the volume. Although the authors focus on city-based libraries and renovated spaces, the global perspective and wide-ranging examples and interviews provide a refreshing perspective in both library and game studies research. This book can serve many purposes, including inspiration for library space design, activity or program creation, and supporting arguments for gaming programs and presences within libraries. This book is recommended for graduate students, researchers, faculty, professionals.

Choice Reviews

The Library as Playground opens a space for more discussion, debate, and strategic planning on both (a) how public libraries and public librarians contribute to and support play, and (b) how and why play becomes integrated into the daily work and spaces of librarianship.

Journal Of Education For Library and Information Science