According to the National Literacy Trust, “video games are a significant cultural and creative force, often involving a number of art forms, including narrative, design and audio composition” (2024). Video games are simply more than just games. They can educate and teach not only children and young adults but everyone. People can immerse themselves in the power of storytelling, use their brains to solve complex problems, learn about design, listen and experience music and sounds effects, and be creative when figuring out the best approach to a game. A 2021 study by the National Literacy Trust found that video games: Give young people a route into reading and writing Improve…

This Fall, I have an archival internship at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, the largest botanical library and archive in California. They have an impressive archive but these collections are mostly unprocessed. One thing I had hoped to accomplish this Fall was to help establish an online archive or digital repository. Because of time, I will not be able to achieve this but used this assignment to create a plan for the Arboretum to use going forward on establishing this repository. Plan: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eyEtOx3tzu1abbSrlefuNLkKqr9Zrppf/view?usp=sharing I also used NotebookLM by Google Labs to create an AI Podcast based on the plan which returned impressive results Podcast: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GvVlSo075VXx3hKWYQJMJfANbC9F0jL0/view?usp=drive_link

Libraries today are becoming much different places than the book repositories of the past. They are becoming important links to help bridge the future of technology with the present. Many libraries are offering innovative services that reflect this changing climate. Here are a few examples of programs that can be added to ensure the world is becoming more connected and less divided. Television & Radio Memphis Public Libraries is the only library in the United States to offer a free public television and radio station. It is available to stream for anyone with an online connection and helps bring free streaming to the community. https://www.memphislibrary.org/wypl/ Cell Phone Lending This program…

I have been pondering libraries and their role in the community while going through the hyperlinked community readings. At the same time, I have been surveying my coworkers at work to see their views and usage of libraries in trying to tie together what I have read through real life opinions. “A recent survey shows 92 per cent of the people think of libraries as a safe place” (Hasan, 2022). Everyone I talked to said that they view libraries as an essential community service and feel that they are safe places where everyone belongs. Although many admitted they have not been to a library in quite a few years, they…