Playing Games for Fun and Learning

Video games at your library? YES! Wii, Playstation 2 and 3, Xbox360, and Nintendo DS; at your library!
Central Mississippi Regional Library System (CMRLS) added more than 300 video games in five of the most popular game formats to its collection. The libraries are not choosing to offer video games rather than reading material to the young or the young-at-heart of the community. On the contrary, reading lists are available at the library for those wishing to read in the same genre in which they enjoy playing games. Science fiction and fantasy, military action, sports, adventure, and treasure seeking are popular themes of today’s video games, and of course, books for all ages. Slow or reluctant readers may learn to love books and become life-long learners from playing games and taking advantage of these age appropriate reading lists!
The video games are found at the Flowood Library in Rankin County, Forest Library in Scott County, Magee Library in Simpson County, and the Taylorsville Library in Smith County. However, the games may be checked out from any library in these counties for one week, by any library cardholder, 16 years of age or older. A list of the game titles in each format may be seen at http://www.cmrls.lib.ms.us/ from the Basic Search window of Rosie’s Web, the online catalog. All games in the collection are rated E for everyone through T for teen, by the Entertainment Software Rating Board.
Popular sports games such as SEGA Bass Fishing, Cabela’s Trophy Bucks, Madden NFL ’08, NASCAR ’08, FIFA Soccer ’08, Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam, and Tiger Woods PGA Tour ’08, are among the many titles in this new collection. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Hannah Montana: Music Jam, Bratz, Ironman, The Bee Movie, LOST Via Domus, and Lego Star Wars are just a few of the television and movie tie-in games available.
For the younger gamer, the collection includes Dora the Explorer: Dora Saves the Mermaids, Go Diego Go: Safari Rescue, Strawberry Shortcake Sweet Dreams, John Deere Harvest in the Heartland, and many, many more. Physically interactive games requiring additional controllers are loaned with the needed equipment, such as the Wii Mario Kart (with wheel), karaoke games such as American Idol Encore and Singstar (with microphone), and Scene It Movie Trivia (with 4 wireless controllers).
Many CMRLS libraries are busy planning gaming program opportunities for all ages, to be held at the library. These events will be announced through the media at future dates. An Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant, administered by the Mississippi Library Commission this year, funded the CMRLS video game collection announced here. This is the first such collection in the state of Mississippi.
For information concerning this or other library materials, contact your local library or visit on the web at http://www.cmrls.lib.ms.us/. Central Mississippi Regional Library System serves the public libraries of Rankin, Scott, Simpson, and Smith counties.
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Not Today's Music!

RatherGoWalking, originally uploaded by msulibrary1. (Viewed during a breakout workshop at the MSU Library 2.0 Summit, 2008)

This is one of many scans of 100 year old sheet music from the archives of Mississippi State University! Check out the rest of the collection on Flikr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/msstatelibraries/sets/72157605711536723/.