GAME COLLECTION REPORT
In October, 16 games were checked out of the library.
NEW ADDITIONS TO THE CIRCULATING COLLECTION
October additions include four games transferred from the Unplug & Play programming collection: Risk/Castle Risk, Evolution: The Beginning, Blokus, and Alhambra.
To see a list of the games in the library’s collection, go to Jervis Library's website,
www.jervislibrary.org, click on
GAMES at the bottom of the page, then
Game Collection at the top of the page. Circulating games are highlighted in yellow. To see the Unplug & Play collection, go to the bottom of the sheet and click "Unplug & Play."
UNPLUG & PLAY RETURNS TO REGULARLY SCHEDULED THIRD TUESDAY
We're still indoors with COVID precautions in November, but we're back to our regular third-Tuesday schedule. Due to the job fair taking place in the auditorium on November 17, Unplug & Play will be held on the first floor of the library—either in the Dillon Magazine Room or the Main Reading Room. Look for us when you get here. While it's possible that things could change—for better or worse—by November 16, these are the current rules for attending programs in the library:
Please note the following COVID safety restrictions:
- All individuals must wear a mask over mouth and nose at all times.
- Auditorium capacity is limited to 20 individuals.
- Elevator use restricted to one rider at a time.
- Food and drink may not be consumed while in the library at this time.
A NOTE OF THANKS
I was asked recently how long we'd been holding game sessions at the library, and it reminded me that it's been 13 years this month since our first meeting for National Gaming Day in November, 2008*. Since then there have been 1,164 individual table sessions played at the library. 387 different titles have been played at least once, but The Game of Life and Magic: The Gathering are tied for most played—27 times each—with Ticket to Ride coming in third at 21 plays. Total attendance (so far!) for all game programs at the library since 2008 is 2,015! Thank you to all of those who attended as well as those who supported games at the library in other ways, from those who signed up for this newsletter to those who donated games (nearly 250 games have been donated by participants, Giving Tree supporters, and game publishers over the years) to library staff members and volunteers who helped set up the room and run sessions when I could not be there. As well, thanks to those who checked out our new circulating games, and to staff members who counted pieces of returned games and approved the purchase of games and supplies, and to those who continued to attend virtual "Plug & Play" programs during the pandemic. Finally, thanks to library director Lisa Matte for giving games in the library a chance, for supporting Unplug & Play as it evolved over the years, and for thinking up the name "Unplug & Play!" To those who have attended a game program, checked out a game at the library, or helped in any way, I hope the library's games have provided as much entertainment, respite, challenge—as much joy—as they have for me.
That's all for this month. I hope to see you across a game table in the near future.
Peter Chien, Games Librarian
Jervis Public Library
315-336-4570
*Our first game program was in November, 2008, when we participated in the American Library Association's National Games Day program in which they attempted to set a world record for the number of people playing the same game simultaneously. The game was Pictureka. We received our copy from Hasbro, who donated copies to a multitude of libraries across the country. For various reasons relating to the inability to verify simultaneous participation over so many distant locations, a record was unable to be confirmed.
