Phil Hendrickson (Concordia University) ­­ Cardboard Conundrum: Why a Small University Library Has Grown a Monthly Board Game Night from 2015 C&U/CULS (Joint NE & KS) Spring Meeting

1. Cardboard Conundrum:
Why a Small University Library
Has Grown a Monthly Board
Game Night
Philip Hendrickson, Director of Library Services
Concordia University Nebraska
phendrickson@cune.edu

2. Board games are back!

3. Board games are back!

4. Board games are back!

5. A word on words
 Formerly called parlor games
 Board and card games
 Tabletop games
 Hobby games
 Modern games
 Euro games
 Designer games

6. Board games are back… So what?
Problem solving
Logic
Subject skills
(Geography)
And…FUN!

7. Video games are more popular, but…
F2S
vs.
F2F

9. What makes this a renaissance?

10. Easy to learn
Quality components

11. Player interaction
Definite length
Points, not player elimination
Meaningful decisions

12. Game nights at Concordia

13. Benefits of game night
o In our small town, game night offers a fresh activity for students, faculty and friends.
o Game night draws visitors to campus, which the administration always appreciates.
o It provides a fun, intellectual alternative to the typical sports and arts opportunities on campus.
o It helps library staff build informal relationships with students, which reduces their reluctance
to ask us for library assistance in the future.
o It offers a talking point during recruiting tours – allowing librarians to demonstrate to future
freshman that we are approachable and friendly.
o It is a non-threatening opportunity to draw into the library students who otherwise avoid us.

14. Library Lingo: Collection Development
www.BoardGameGeek.com
www.DiceTower.com
www.CasualGameRevolution.com

15. Podcasts, Blogs and YouTube Channels
MeepleTown
Opinionated Gamers
Games for Educators
Rahdo Runs Through
Drive-Thru Reviews
Watch It Played
Starlit Citadel
… and so on.
The Dice Tower
The Secret Cabal
Cardboard Jungle
Games in Schools and Libraries
Blue Peg, Pink Peg
Garrett’s Games and Geekiness
Rolling Dice & Taking Names
Shut Up and Sit Down
The Daily Worker Placement
www.BoardGameLinks.com

16. …and Books, of course!
Teaching with games:
 Mayer, Brian, and Christopher Harris. 2010. Libraries got game: aligned learning
through modern board games. Chicago: American Library Association.
 Harris, Christopher, Patricia Harris, and Brian Mayer. 2015. Teaching the underground
railroad through play. New York: Rosen Classroom Professional Resources. [Part of a
series of game-based lesson plan books.]
Board gaming culture:
 Woods, Stewart. 2012. Eurogames: the design, culture and play of modern European
board games. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co.
 Green, Lorien. 2012. Going cardboard: a board game documentary. United States: T-
Cat Productions. [DVD]

17. Where to buy games…
Friendly Local Game Store … maybe
or Amazon, of course.

18. Image Credits
All pictures taken by presenter except:
Clark, Kevin, “Green Bay’s Board-Game Obsession” in Wall Street Journal
(Jan 15, 2015) viewed May 26, 2015 at http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-
packers-of-catan-green-bays-board-game-obsession-1421346102
"Monopoly board on white bg" by fir0002/flagstaffotos. Licensed under
GFDL 1.2 via Wikimedia Commons -
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Monopoly_board_on_white_bg.j
pg
"1911 Ford Model T Touring" by I, Lglswe. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via
Wikimedia Commons -
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1911_Ford_Model_T_Touring.jpg
“Bentley Continental GT” by nakhon100. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Flickr
- https://www.flickr.com/photos/8058098@N07/14227691573
“Ticket to Ride cover” by Fawkes. [Circle added for emphasis.]
https://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/38668/
"Children playing video games in a video game trailer" by Gamesingear.
Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons -
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Children_playing_video_games_i
n_a_video_game_trailer.jpg
"Carcassonne Miples" by Júlio Reis (User:Tintazul). Licensed under CC BY-SA
2.5 via Wikimedia Commons -
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carcassonne_Miples.jpg
“BGG Logo”. http://www.boardgamegeek.com
“Dice Tower Logo”. http://www.dicetower.com/game-podcast/dice-tower
“Casual Game Revolution Banner”. http://casualgamerevolution.com
“Cool Stuff Inc Logo”. http://www.coolstuffinc.com
“Miniature Market Logo”. http://www.miniaturemarket.com
“Funagain Logo”. http://www.funagain.com
“Carcassonne” by Sampsa Ritvanen (User: saksi). Licensed under CC BY-NC
3.0 via BoardGameGeek -
https://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/1320302/carcassonne

19. Also see “Cardboard Conundrum” in the
February 2015 issue of Nebraska Libraries,
at http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/neblib/9/