Description
To meet the needs of students reared, nurtured, and cultivated by video games since childhood, as well as the needs of faculty instructing them, the McGill University Library seeks ways to support the increasing presence of Serious Play in higher education. Serious Play incorporates creativity, innovation and cooperation as the foundations of new forms of immersive, intellectual engagement. In addition, novel interactive strategies in education, information literacy, and instruction are emerging daily. As dynamic spaces that foster and reward intellectual curiosity, 21st-century academic libraries can continue to be hubs of interdisciplinary collaborative experimentation by evolving to match the pedagogical demands of students educated in increasingly interactive and ‘playful’ environments.
Running 2020-22, our program of events brings together a cohort of interdisciplinary thinkers and industry leaders to convey best practices for academic research libraries in supporting Serious Play. Together, we will reach across disciplines to explore how play and games fit in the serious and goal-oriented adult world of the 21st-century research library, and what services academic libraries can, could, and should offer.
Events
- January 16, 5:00-7:30 PM | “The Ludic Generation”: Harnessing the Power of Interactive Learning in Higher Ed with Dr. Paul Darvasi and Shawn Young. Watch on YouTube
- February 12, 4:00-6:00 PM | "Learning Your P's and Q's”: Printing with Moveable Type with the McGill Library Book Arts Innovation Lab.
- February 27, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM | "Helping Students Get a Clue": Serious Play and Orientation in the Special Collections Library with Community Engagement Librarian, Emily Jack. Watch on YouTube
- May 19, 4:30-5:30 PM (Digital) | "Before the Screen": Sketching, Play, and Creativity in the Making of Disney Animation with Disney Animator, Mike Wiesmeier. Watch on YouTube
- July 14, 3:00-4:00 (Digital) | "Objectives & Dragons": Finding the Adventure in your Content with educational technologist Kristin Ziska-Strange. Watch on YouTube
- July 28, 3:00-4:00 PM (Digital) | "Play Where the Knowledge Lives:" Why Libraries are Obvious Spaces for Play with Megan Lotts and Matthew Shoemaker. Watch on YouTube
- August 4, 3:00-4:00 PM (Digital) | “How Do They Win"? Collaborative Game Creation as Impetus for Class Discussion and Research with Russell Hall and Glenn Kumhera.
- August 25, 3:00-4:00 PM (Digital) | “Leveling Up" Academic Library Gaming Collections and Services with Michelle Goodridge. Watch on YouTube
- September 17, 5:00-6:00 PM (Digital) | "Puppetry as a Tool for Transformation" with Puppeteer Jesse Stong. Watch on YouTube
- September 22, 5:00-6:00 PM (Digital) | "Playing Dress Up": Demystifying Costume Design with Professor Catherine Bradley of the McGill Costume Shop. Watch on YouTube
- October 6, 5:00-6:00 PM (Digital) | "Performance, Play, and Female Empowerment": The McGill Archives and the Genealogy of Women's Basketball in Canada from 1900-2020 with Kelsey Blair. Watch on YouTube
- October 13, 5:00-6:00 PM (Digital) | “Solving the Disruption”: Revealing The McGill Library’s Orientation Game, Raising Spirits: A Timely Diversion. Watch on YouTube
- October 27, 12:00-1:00 PM (Digital)| Resurrection Cakes and the Pleasures of Metaphorical Recipes with Rebecca Earle. Watch on YouTube
All events are funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Connections Program, and the generous support of Ron Harvie (Ph.d. McGill Art History 1999) and Doug Bagguley.
