HYPEr Activity: Detroit Public Library’s Teen Center

From TechSource Gaming Symposium

Presenters: Steven Teeri, Oneka Wilson (Detroit Public Library)

Description: On May 16, 2008, The Detroit Public Library opened the doors to the H.Y.P.E. Teen Center at our Main Library. Our name, H.Y.P.E., stands for “Helping Young People Excel”, and was submitted by one of our teens in a naming contest for the new teen center. The center is located in a 4,000 sq. ft. space at the front of our Main Library in what was originally the 1923 Children’s Reading Room.

Video games play a significant role in the youth programming of the H.Y.P.E. Teen Center. A total of four video game kiosks have been installed, two with 42” monitors, and two with 17” monitors. Our current configuration includes one Nintendo Wii, one Playstation 3, and two XBox 360 consoles.

Monthly video game tournaments with food and prizes are held at the H.Y.P.E. Teen Center. The gaming events we have held thus far have been met with positive feedback from our participants. Communications about our events are posted on our Teen Blog, which is a part of the H.Y.P.E. Teen Center website, www.dplhype.org/.

The design and structure of the H.Y.P.E. Teen Center provide an excellent platform from which to carry out teen gaming. Video game tournaments played on our kiosks can be broadcast to three 42” monitors located at corners of the room, and one video project mounted from the ceiling. This allows participants who are not playing in current matches to spread around the room, while keeping up on the action. Only teens age 13-18 are allowed in the center, making it a place to call their own in the Library. Comments from teens who have attended our events include “This is amazing!” and “I never thought the library could look like this!”

In our presentation, we will discuss how the H.Y.P.E. Teen Center came to be, and why gaming can truly flourish in such an environment. We also have a digital photo show of the H.Y.P.E. Teen Center, from the start of construction to completion. To view pictures of the H.Y.P.E. Teen Center, please visit our website (www.dplhype.org/), and make sure to check out our Teen Blog.

Intended Audiences:

• Administrators and others who hold the purse strings
• Pretty much any librarians
• Technology librarians
• Youth librarians

at

• Public libraries

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