Go back to start: gathering baseline data about gaming in libraries

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop some baseline data about games in libraries in North America. The term games is taken broadly in this piece to mean all types of games from card and board games to video games. The focus is primarily on public libraries, but there is some discussion of school and academic libraries as well.Design/methodology/approachThere were two surveys done. The first was a phone survey of 400 public libraries, selected at random. The second survey was a Web‐based convenience sample of libraries of different types. In both studies, we asked questions about the support of gaming in the library, the types of gaming programs run in the library, and the goals and outcomes of those gaming programs.FindingsAround 78 per cent of public libraries support gaming of some type. About 40 per cent run formal gaming programs, and about 20 per cent circulate games. The larger the library, the more likely they are to support gaming. The primary goals of gaming in libraries are to attract the underserved, attract current library patrons, and to create a space for social interactions between members of the community.Research limitations/implicationsThe first study is a random sample and therefore is a statistically significant representation of the population. The second study, being a Web‐based convenience sample, is not statistically representative of a population.Originality/valueThis type of baseline data is not available. Understanding how libraries are supporting games is valuable to researchers in asking appropriate questions. In addition, it helps libraries considering adding games to their services to learn how other libraries are doing it.