A Georgetown County library’s goal of attracting teens is on the right track - thanks to interactive computer gaming. In addition to dozens of young patrons, the innovative program also earned the new facility recognition this week as WebJunction’s Library of the Month.
The Carvers Bay Branch, which opened in May, serves the rural northwest portion of coastal Georgetown County. The 7,550-square-foot library is one of four in the county, but its gaming technology makes it unique in Georgetown and the state."I think we’re the only one in" South Carolina, said Dwight McInvaill, the county’s library director. "I hope (our success) stimulates others to use this method."
WebJunction, an online resource for libraries and other groups that provide public access to information technology, selects Library of the Month winners through suggestions from its members, according to webjunction.org.
Carvers Bay added another path to its information highway this week, putting its Wi-Fi technology online. The branch already had 10 Xbox 360s, 8 Dell Dimension 9150 gaming PCs, 6 children’s computers and 120 data ports.
"We initiated the program to increase library usage and reading and literacy among teenagers," McInvaill said.
The effort stands out in a county with high poverty, illiteracy and unemployment rates.
"This is a population that hasn’t had a library ever before, and consequently only 2 percent had library cards," McInvaill said of the residents served by the new branch.
The library system and the Frances P. Bunnelle Foundation, which awarded a grant to help build the facility, stepped up to make a difference.
"Carvers Bay Branch is an excellent example of a library that meets the specific needs of its community by blending traditional library services with technology innovation. It is a great step forward toward minimizing the digital divide in Carvers Bay," said Felicia Vereen, state director of library development services.
McInvaill also thinks the library’s location, next to Carvers Bay High School, will help it succeed.
The nearly three-month-old library has already started a gaming club to attract teens. Forty students joined in the first month, and now 60 take part.
"These have been very, very active teens," McInvaill said. "About 90 percent of them are African-American males. Of the 60 teens, 30 percent of them are regularly checking out books and materials."
The goal is to promote positive behavior. The teens must gain points in the computer club for gaming privileges, such as playing time. The kids also must dress properly, be cooperative with librarians and watch their behavior. Participation in service organizations and after-school programs also is encouraged. The current qualifying club members will be rewarded for their efforts at the end of the summer with new Ipods, courtesy of the Bunnelle Foundation grant.
It’s all part of the plan to link gaming to books, learning and getting teens into the library.
"Our goal is to create a new generation of users and readers in Carvers Bay," McInvaill said.
Learn more about the Library of the Month
See the full WebJunction story at http://webjunction.org//do/DisplayContent?id=13796.
