[Michlib-l] Minecraft...

Thu Sep 18 08:50:46 EDT 2014

Here at CRDL we have a Minecraft server that runs 24/7/365 unless something goes wrong with it (which happens from time to time). The primary audience for Minecraft seems to be skewing younger these days, mostly elementary and middle school. But, we keep our older kids engaged by allowing them to have leadership opportunities on our server and at our events.

We were recently featured in School Library Journal http://www.slj.com/2014/08/teens-ya/national-library-lock-in-event-features-authors-games-and-minecraft/ because a national Minecraft LAN that was led by Jack Mackled as part of the National Teen Lock-in  https://sites.google.com/site/teenlibrarylockin/home. Jack has created a website with some basic info on running Minecraft servers & programs in the library http://mil.crdl.org/ and we also have a Facebook group for Q&A. https://www.facebook.com/groups/minecraftinlibraries/ We originally acquired 10 accounts to be used for program purposes and we now circulate them in-house. They get a *lot* of use during our after school hours! I would definitely recommend purchasing some accounts to help cross the digital divide for those who do not have their own personal account. We also collect usernames on the permission slip when we run after-hours events so that we know who is being a troublemaker if we run into any issues. If you lack technical prowess at your library location do not let that scare you off! There are most certainly teens and/or young adults in your neighborhood that are interested in taking a leadership role to assist you in making your event a reality.

With the recent hullabaloo regarding Bukkit plugins and the acquisition of Minecraft by Microsoft change is in the air when it comes to the future of the game and how it is used in public libraries. But, it remains popular here with a majority of our computer use after school dedicated to Minecraft on our server.

Hope this helps!

Tinna D. Mills

Teen Services Librarian
Chippewa River District Library System

-----Original Message-----
From: michlib-l-bounces at mcls.org [mailto:michlib-l-bounces at mcls.org] On Behalf Of Craig Buno
Sent: Wednesday, September 17, 2014 7:27 PM
To: 'Michael McEvoy'; G Nartker
Cc: michlib-l at lists.mcls.org
Subject: Re: [Michlib-l] Minecraft...

At Kent District Library we have 20 Minecraft licenses that we let the public use if they do not have their own.  When we have an event the hosting library will usually have 10-20 computers for patrons to use, so it is really important that people register for events, especially if they need to use a laptop and or a license.  It is also important for them to register so we know how many tables and chairs to set up and I would often try to make a large square so people could all interact this also help to keep all the cables and cords in the middle to prevent tripping hazards.  It is helpful to have everyone say their first name and username so they get to know each other a bit.  

We have an in house server that we only turn on during hosted events and it just runs basic vanilla minecraft, I would usually upload a new map for each program so it was something different.  At first I tried to have objectives and projects to work on as a team.  However it seems like most of the attendees just wanted to be able to run around with a few other people and work on something or play a game as a small group.  I also observed that many people would leave the library server to go play on one of their favorite servers with whoever they were sitting next to.  We would get a lot of late elementary to middle school attendees.  

Here are some other tips I have learned along the way, setup and log in all the computers to Minecraft prior to the event, if they are laptops make sure they are plugged in so they will not die in the middle of the event.  It is good to have at least two people to help run the event and for set up, teen volunteers are great because they often know the game and can help answer questions you might not know.  If you require registration have one person to check people in and tell them what computer to go to otherwise it can become chaotic quickly, it is helpful to have a large room where you can station someone at the door and control who enters.  If you do let people bring their own computer be prepared to help people update their Minecraft version or troubleshoot your wireless connection.    

It is pretty popular with anywhere from 20 to 52 people attending our monthly minecraft club.

Craig M. Buno
Branch Manager
Sand Lake Branch
Kent District Library
88 Eighth St. 
Sand Lake, MI 49343
616.647.3959
cbuno at kdl.org

-----Original Message-----
From: michlib-l-bounces at mcls.org [mailto:michlib-l-bounces at mcls.org] On Behalf Of Michael McEvoy
Sent: Wednesday, September 17, 2014 3:08 PM
To: G Nartker
Cc: michlib-l at lists.mcls.org
Subject: Re: [Michlib-l] Minecraft...

The TLN Technology Committee did a presentation on this in August by Michael Shereda and Kyle Rudisill.

Their presentation and Resources are available through the TLN Technology Site at http://tln.lib.mi.us/committee/tech-comm/

Minecraft In Your Library - Presentation - http://tln.lib.mi.us/committee/tech-comm/files/docs/minecraft/minecraft-in-your-library-TLN-Tech-Comm.pdf
Minecraft Resources - http://tln.lib.mi.us/committee/tech-comm/files/docs/minecraft/minecraft-resources.pdf

----- Original Message -----
From: "G Nartker" <gnartker at sandusky.lib.mi.us>
To: "michlib-l at lists.mcls.org" <michlib-l at mail.mcls.org>
Sent: Wednesday, September 17, 2014 2:48:51 PM
Subject: [Michlib-l] Minecraft...

Would any libraries have information that they might like to share in regards to hosting a Minecraft event? Thanks in advance for your help in this matter!
_______________________________________________
Michlib-l mailing list
Michlib-l at mcls.org
http://lists.mlcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/michlib-l

--
Michael McEvoy
mmcevoy at northvillelibrary.org
Technology Coordinator
Northville District Library
http://www.northvillelibrary.org
SMS: (248) 982-4918 or mightyspoo at gmail.com Phone via CAPTEL @ Library: (248) 912-0040

Remember, Technical Solutions to Social issues are inherently flawed! 
_______________________________________________
Michlib-l mailing list
Michlib-l at mcls.org
http://lists.mlcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/michlib-l

_______________________________________________
Michlib-l mailing list
Michlib-l at mcls.org
http://lists.mlcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/michlib-l