INFO 200 Blog Post #5: Dungeons & Dragons in the Library

Holding thoughtful and intentional programming is a necessary piece of any effective library. By finding and implementing ways to engage their communities, librarians work to foster social cohesion by means of exploration and group learning. As Stephens (2014) writes, “libraries of all kinds also serve as creative classrooms” that inspire exploration, curiosity, and growth (p. 1). As such, it is our duty as information professionals to develop and seek out relevant programming that will interest and educate our respective communities.

As discussed previously, Dungeons & Dragons allows for transformative and collaborative storytelling, problem-solving, strategizing, and practice with basic math skills. To me, there is no question as to whether it belongs in libraries, as its propensity to build community and develop skills is rather remarkable. Regardless of my own personal opinions, interest in Dungeons & Dragons has been steadily on the rise, when considering the vast amount of content produced and available on the web. From podcasts to YouTube-based campaigns, Dungeons & Dragons’ resurgence in popular culture qualifies it as a potentially viable piece of library programming.

Many public libraries are now hosting virtual and in-person (pre-COVID) Dungeons & Dragons campaigns and information seminars:

• Hartford County Public Library in Maryland hosts a teen Dungeons & Dragons group, attracting 15-20 teens weekly, where participants have become friends and have acted as a support system outside of this Dungeons & Dragons programming (Hutton, 2017).
• The Wilmette Public Library in Illinois hosts a regular virtual Dungeons & Dragons campaign for teens that has adopted the new, virtual technologies to allow for a completely virtual and COVID-safe community program that works to unite teens during a rather turbulent time (Jensen, 2020).
• The Indiana State Library System hosted a webinar to help other librarians make use of web-based technologies used to run virtual Dungeons & Dragons campaigns to help engage patrons in a post-COVID world (2021).

While this short list is certainly not exhaustive of all currently available Dungeons & Dragons related programming in libraries, I have noticed a few gaps and places for potential community-based learning to occur. Here are a few ideas I have that aim to engage and educate the Dungeons & Dragons information community:

• For those who are looking to start a campaign with their own friends, a seminar on how to build characters, begin a campaign, and gameplay mechanics can prove both relevant and useful. Librarians may want to consider sharing ideas on how to use library resources to accomplish this, whether suggesting that patrons make use of reservable rooms at the library or taking advantage of the reference books available in their catalog.
• For some, a big part of Dungeons & Dragons is using physical maps or terrain and miniatures. As 3-D printing technologies become more widespread in public libraries, those in the Dungeons & Dragons information community may be interested in classes on how to 3-D print pre-existing or their own designs. Because 3-D printing is such a versatile skill, it is likely this type of programming will attract members of several different information communities as well.
• A major piece of Dungeons & Dragons is the ability to roleplay, stay in character, and react to in-game happenings on the fly. Because of this, members of this information community may be interested in regular standing improvisational acting classes. This may be an effective way to bridge several information communities and include a diverse range of people as well.

There is some major potential for public libraries to serve as a hub for those within the Dungeons & Dragons information community. As the landscape of what is needed and expected from public libraries shifts, it is important for us (as information professionals) to embrace that patrons, “want help doing things, rather than finding things” and employ programming that will appeal and satisfy their information needs (Kenney, 2015).

References

Hutton, J. (2017, September 18). Librarians report: Dungeons and dragons in the library. Games in Libraries. https://games.ala.org/librarians-report-dungeons-and-dragons-in-the-library/

Indiana State Library. (2021, March 2). Dungeons & Dragons & beyond: How to run a library rpg program webinar [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrDM6BWfHmo&ab_channel=IndianaStateLibrary 

Jensen, K. (2020, May 6.) Cindy crushes programming: Running a virtual Dungeons & Dragons program. School Library Journal. https://www.teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2020/05/cindy-crushes-programming-running-a-virtual-dungeons-and-dragons-program/ 

Kenney, B. (2015). Where reference fits in the modern library. Publishers Weekly, 262(37). http://search.proquest.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/trade-journals/where-reference-fits-modern-library/docview/1712837050/se-2?accountid=10361

Stephens, M. (2014, May 15). Library as classroom. Library Journal, 139(9), 36. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A367965044/AONE?u=csusj&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=731efb9a

Whitten, S. (2021, March 13). Dungeons & Dragons had its biggest year ever as COVID forced the game off tables and onto the web. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/13/dungeons-dragons-had-its-biggest-year-despite-the-coronavirus.html