Title: The Co-op Gaming Experience: cross-generational inclusion through jigsaw puzzles, D&D, video games, and beyond!
Description: Libraries are continually evolving third places for the communities they serve, and one vital way in which libraries have developed as third places for people from all backgrounds is through gaming. Though one may assume in 2026 that these gaming experiences are purely digital or electronic, there is now a growing return to older ways of gaming – whether old in terms of time since its inception or a gaming medium viewed as only for those of an older age – what was new became old and is now new again.
This session will explore the use of video games, analogue gaming such board games to jigsaw puzzles, to pen & paper games such as Dungeons & Dragons or the daily crossword, and how the inclusion of these tools into your library spaces fosters cross-generational social development.
When: Tuesday, April 14th at 10am – 11am PDT on Zoom
Register today!Resources:
- 1UP Your Video Game Collection
- Quick Guide to Game-Based Programs
- Gaming Subscriptions Guide
- Roll a D20 for Your Tabletop Collection
Who should attend: Library programmers and promoters, and gaming enthusiasts
Presenter: Christopher Knapp works as a Children’s & Teen Librarian with the London Public Library in London, Ontario. He is also a PhD LIS Student at Western University, conducting ongoing research on the topic of providing access to information for LGBTQ+ children, youth, and families via collection development and professional behavior standards since 2016. Prior to starting his PhD LIS, he completed his MLIS at Western University in 2017 and taught high school for three years in Vancouver, having completed a B.A. in History and English Literature and a B.Ed. with Secondary specialization in the same fields. During his undergraduate he focused his studies on LGBTQ children’s materials.