NCompass Live: Starting a Board Game Club at a Small Library
Channel: Nebraska Library Commission
Date: 2022-04-21

Recorded on April 20, 2022
NCompass Live - http://nlc.nebraska.gov/ncompasslive/

The Lied Scottsbluff Public Library is excited to announce the beginning of a new program: the Scottsbluff Library Board Game Club! I came up with the idea for starting a board game group when my director, Erin Aschenbrenner, asked me to research and compile a list of board games that we could purchase for the library. I have previously participated in board game groups here in Scottsbluff and then at college, so I was immediately excited for the educational potential that a board game club could have at the library. Board games are an important educational tool because they develop skills in logic, communication, social interaction, math and counting, memory, and pattern recognition. One of my favorite aspects of tabletop gaming is the social element which is often lacking in video games. As opposed to video or online games, board games fully engage people with one another, utilize so many different aspects of communication and body language, and can foster an atmosphere of teamwork and shared fun that is difficult to find anywhere else. And the great thing about starting a library board game group is that the initial startup costs can be minimal.

Presenter: Ethan Nelson, Library Assistant, Lied Scottsbluff (NE) Public Library.