Shall We Play A Game?

If you're like Matthew Broderick and responded, "Love to," then November is your month. International Games Month, an annual celebration of gaming and libraries run by library associations across the world, including the United States, is celebrated every November. You may think that games have nothing to do with libraries or books but think again!

There are some obvious connections, like games based on literary works. Some examples jump right out: Andrzej Sapkowski's The Witcher series lent itself to the (arguably better) video game series. There's a Game of Thrones board game, and a separate card game, both based on George R. R. Martin's series of the same name. Some are a little more obscure: SimCity was inspired by Urban Dynamics by Jay W. Forrester and a short story from The Cyberiad by Stanisław Lem. I could go on and on; these games number in the thousands.

But, do we even need to draw these parallels? Libraries that shush still exist and have their function, but libraries as a welcoming third place are growing by leaps and bounds. Many Mississippi libraries offer themselves as a place where patrons can have fun and learn. MLC's Special Collection Coordinator Charlie Simpkins says, "Adults need playtime, too. Games aren't just for kids." And he's right.

Have you always wanted to master the game of chess? Ask your local library if they have a chess club. Want to try DND but don't have a gaming group? Yep, check at your local library. Do you like getting together with friends for a board game night? That's right--try your local library. MLC offers games for all ages for libraries to use for game nights and/or special gaming communities, so your library can be a gaming mecca all year long. ALA's Games and Gaming Round Table has put together an amazing list of printable games and online resources.

Ursula K. Le Guin once said, "A library is a focal point, a sacred place to a community; and its sacredness is its accessibility, its publicness. It’s everybody’s place." We agree. It's an excellent place to learn, to grow, and to play. Let's play a game, shall we?

Warren County-Vicksburg Library Prepares Kids for Kindergarten

The Warren County-Vicksburg Public Library partnered with Excel by 5 to create the Tiny Tot's Early Learning Read & Play program. The goal of this program is to provide access to educational toys, games, and board books to preschool-aged children and their parents. WCVPL applied for and received a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant to purchase board books, a few toys and games, and containers in which to keep the toys and games. Excel by 5 will purchase additional toys and games to add to the collection. Together, the library and Excel by 5 will offer parents the tools, both fun and educational, needed to prepare today's children for kindergarten.

Long-Ago Literature Games

We came across a delightful book called The Wonderful World of Toys, Games & Dolls, 1860-1930 and found a few old literary games that we thought we'd share with you!

From the Butler Brothers, or City Products Corp., catalog from 1914. "F2423--12 styles. Authors, Old Maid, Little Red Men, Mother Goose, Lotto, etc. box 4 x 5, gold and colored labels. Asstd. 1 doz. in pkg.....Doz. 32c" (Schroeder 189).

From the Butler Brothers, or City Products Corp., catalog from 1914. "F2421--56 finely enameled flexible cards, modern authors -- Jack London, Booth Tarkington, Winston Churchill, James Barrie, etc., litho box 7 x 5 1/2. 1/2 doz. in pkg. Doz. $1.80" (189).

From the Butler Brothers, or City Products Corp., catalog from 1914. "F2420--32 high grade cards, tinted backs, fine photo fronts, litho box, 4 1/4 x 5 3/4. 1 doz. in pkg.....Doz. 68c" (189).

 From the Marshall Field & Co. catalog from 1892. "No. 518. The Literary Game of Quotations. This is a splendid high-class game, abounding in the celebrated quotations which have made authors famous. Consists of sixty finely finished round-cornered cards with fancy assorted backs, each devoted to a certain author or on of his works. A most enjoyable entertainment.....per doz., $4.00" (76).

We have plenty of other neat collectible toys, dolls, and games books in our collection. Let us know if you have a unique collectible item that you'd like for us to research for you!

Schroeder, Joseph, ed. The Wonderful World of Toys, Games & Dolls, 1860-1930. Follett Publishing Company, 1971. Print

Jacks: You've Got To Be Nimble

Jacks

A few days ago, someone asked if the old-fashioned jacks with which we played as children were still being made and sold. "You remember those, right? We used to play with them back in the day." Oh, yes, we most definitely remember them, and yes, jacks are still around. In fact, it's pretty amazing how long the game of jacks has been around. Some claim that the Roman god Hermes invented the game. He liked to play a few rounds with his half-brother/mentor Apollo (Bloomsbury).

Jacks has had several different names over the years. Some have called it knucklestones, doing so because jacks originally came from sheep knuckles and other various small bones. Checkstones and jackstones were two other popular names; checkstones is a similar game played with small pebbles, or checks (Collins).

Some of the best things about the game of Jacks, in our opinion, are its complete versatility and ease of play. It can be played by one person or a group. To play, one follows these simple steps:

• Scatter the jacks
• Throw the ball in the air
• Pick up one jack with the same hand
• Catch the ball with the same hand after it has bounced once
• Repeat until all the jacks have been picked up
• Graduate to a new round by picking up the jacks in groups of twos, then threes, etc... (Diagram)

We checked www.amazon.com and found a plethora of jacks for sale. They're also available at many toy stores and drugstores. Have fun playing, and enjoy your blast to the past!

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Childrens_Museum_of_Indianapolis_-_Jacks.jpg 
Hermes. (1996). In Bloomsbury dictionary of myth. Retrieved from http://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/bloommyth/hermes/0
Jacks. (2000). In Collins english dictionary. Retrieved from http://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/hcengdict/jacks/0
The Diagram Group. Family Fun and Games. New York: Sterling Publishing Company, 1992. Print.

Mississippi Travel Game!

This find from The Clarion-Ledger, dated June 2, 1963, demonstrated what Mississippi had to offer travel-wise during the 60’s, but in a really creative, fun way: “Tour Mississippi Travel Game”!  Mississippians were encouraged to write to The Clarion-Ledger to receive a reproduction of this game on “heavier and more permanent paper.”  You had to be quick because the numbers of productions were limited!

The object of the game was to get to the finish line before your competitors (like most board games), but you’d also become familiarized with the cities, landmarks, and other destinations in Mississippi!  The images on the bottom left could be cut out and used as each player’s game piece.  There were no dice involved in the playing of this game.  According to the directions below the angular Mississippi state outline, you were to “hold [the] pencil about 6 inches above [the] map – close eyes and lower [the] pencil point – move number [of] spaces indicated.”  This game is very simple, but I couldn’t imagine how long it would take if the pencil fell everywhere BUT on the indicated number blocks.  We wonder if there were a lot of players who magically landed on 9 every time!

Are you touring Mississippi this summer?  Or maybe you visited an area or landmark and would like to know more about it!  Contact us with your questions, or come and visit our beautiful building!  We’d love to have you!

“Tour Mississippi Travel Game.” The Clarion-Ledger [Jackson] 2 June 1963, CXXV ed., sec. B: 9. Microfilm. Jackson Mississippi Clarion-Ledger 1963.

Happy Holidays From The MLC Reference Staff (And Friends)!

We get a lot of genealogy questions here at MLC, and we often use Ancestry.com and Heritage Quest (along with our print sources) to assist our patrons.

Confession: we use these sources to amuse ourselves as well.
From various U.S., England, and Australian Censuses, 1860-1930, here is the Reference department's list of holiday-related names. These are all actual names of actual people:

Santa Claus

Elf Nelson

Toy Popwell

Mary Nativity Tambourine

Tree McFatridge

Wreath Spicer

Feliz Navidad

Joe Apple Pie

Frosty Jones

Chestnut Brown

Myrrh Hamilton

Turkey Crisp

Candy Cane

Betsy Reindeer

Happy holidays, everyone!

This post originally appeared 12/19/07.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:World_Santa_Claus_Congress_2013#/media/File:World_Santa_Claus_Congress_-_Santa_Claus_band_2.jpg 

Knock Knock...

This blog post originally appeared 5/30/2008.

While browsing some new reference books, my coworker came across a great entry in an encyclopedia about the Great Depression: the fads of the 1930's! Times might have been hard, but read on to find out how struggling Americans spent all that free time.


1.Eating contests: including pies, EGGS, clams, oysters, spaghetti, and hot dogs

2.Rock-a-thons: rock continuously in rocking chairs without falling asleep!

3.Marathon Dancing: dance the longest total time to win a prize

4.Kissathons: stay lip-to-lip for the longest amount of time

5.Tree and flagpole sitters: began in the 20's but carried over; attempt to remain on top of pole for weeks, even months; partner on the ground collected money from spectators

6.Bike races: designed for setting records for the longest continuous time on a bike; usually took 6 days

7.Rollerskating derby: 4,000 mile roller skating race; also usually took 6 days

8.Chain letters: scratch off first person's nameon the list, send that person a dime, and mail out 5 more copies of letter; if it remained unbroken, original sender stood to amass a fortune in dimes

9.Goldfish swallowing: began when a Harvard freshman swallowed a live goldfish on a dare, Boston reporters showed up, and the news coverage resulted in college students repeating the stunt on their own campuses (one MIT student swallowed 42 in a row!)

10.Knock-knock jokes:

[Set Up] Knock knock.

[Response] Who's there?

[Teaser] Dwayne

[Response] Dwayne who?

[Punch line] Dwayne the bathtub, I'm drowning!

It's good to know that in the midst of all the struggles of the Depression and the threat of a second World War, Americans still found the energy to be silly and creative.

Young, William H. and Nancy K. Young. The Great Depression in America: A Cultural Encyclopedia. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2007.

How About Some Coffee, Bingo, And A Little Bog

Our new reference books sit directly opposite the reference desk. I have been tempted by Holy Bingo, the Lingo of Eden, Jumpin' Jehosophat and the Land of Nod since we got it in a few weeks ago and I finally heaved myself out of my comfortable chair to take a look. Here are a few of my favorites:

Cross-mark
The X that illiterates make in place of their signature is actually a cross. Among the Saxons it was the sign of a holy oath and it was customary to add a cross to the signatures of those who could write, as well as using it as a sign of good faith for those who could not. Illiterate Jews signed their names with a small circle to avoid using a Christian symbol (68).

I find this fascinating! Of course, I was ruined for life when I read Jean Fritz's book Will You Sign Here, John Hancock? when I was eight. The cross or circle simply wouldn't have been fancy enough for me; I wanted this:

Bog
Bog is the Russian word for God. In 1930 a new schoolbook was issued containing a poem in which the word was used. The atheists in the Kremlin were horrified to discover that the word had been capitalized throughout. One million copies of the book had to be recalled and 16 pages retypeset so that Soviet children would not be "contaminated" by exposure to Bog with a capital (43).

I keep visualizing the scene from Europa, Europa where the teachers convince the students that Stalin is sending them candies from the heavens. They certainly did go to great lengths to preserve their new atheist state!

Holy Bingo
In the 19th century Christian missionaries in Africa introduced the game of bingo along with the Bible. Many Africans began to associate the Christian heaven with the game, specifically a winner's joyous shout of "Bingo." As a result, bingo became the word for Heaven in many languages (111).

I suppose this means that Stalin wasn’t a big Bingo fan.

Coffee
In 17th century England the drinking of coffee, especially in coffeehouses, became all the rage. The Puritans were against the consumption of coffee because it led to idleness and loose talk. The drinkers would

"Trifle away their time, scald their chops, and spend their money, all for a little base, black, thick, nasty, bitter, stinking, nauseous puddle water" -The Women's Petition Against Coffee (1674) (63).

Join me, fellow anti-coffee people! We'll go play some Bingo instead.

Harding, Les. Holy Bingo, the Lingo of Eden, Jumpin' Jehosophat and the Land of Nod: A Dictionary of the Names, Expressions and Folklore of Christianity. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2006. Print.

Answering Life's Little Questions

One of my first activities upon my arrival at the Mississippi Library Commission was to complete a scavenger hunt. Tracy explained that the task was a fun way for new staff to become more familiar with the reference resources that reference staff use most often . Now that I’m finished with the task, I thought I would reflect on a few things with a blog posting.

First, not all information needed is available online. One of the biggest misconceptions about reference librarians is that we spend all day searching through Google. This is simply not true. Our collection at the Mississippi Library Commission has tons of information that is not readily available on the web. This is especially true with regards to information about Mississippi. Our collection has county cemetery records, tax revenue information, literacy ratings, and countless other bits of information about our great state. Here’s a couple of examples:

Question: How many deaths were investigated by the Mississippi State Crime Lab in 1991? How many autopsies were performed?

Answer: The state crime lab tested 12,400 cases in 1991 and 1,093 autopsies performed in the state.
Some good news did appear in this report: only 81 heads of cattle were reported stolen for the whole year in 1991. Not too shabby, Mississippi![1]

The next important lesson that I learned is that I can trust my supervisor. The questions were allegedly based on real questions received in the reference department, but when I began looking for the answers, I thought, no one will ever ask for this kind of information. Well, during my short stay here I have located information on municipal tax revenues, given advice on how to wear tie clips, given contact information for our state Tax Commissioners, and checked up on Patrick Swayze’s health status (repeatedly). The point is: a reference librarian has to be ready for any and all questions…just like Tracy said! Here is an example of a question we often get at the reference desk:

Question: Who is the owner/manager of Pee Wee’s Muffler and Brakes in Meridian?
Answer: Dewayne Massey is the owner of Pee Wee’s Muffler and Brakes in Meridian![2] By the way, I read a review of Pee Wee’s Muffler on Yahoo and the reviewer gave Pee Wee five stars for his excellent muffler work. Keep up the good work, Dewayne!

Lastly, I learned that Tracy’s idea of “fun” is pretty twisted. I mean, whoever thinks that looking through dusty copies of Mississippi phone directories is fun has some serious issues. Here’s an example of one cruel question she composed:

Question: My grandmother, Stella Smith, was born somewhere in Mississippi around 1890. Where was she during the 1920s and 30s?
Answer: Who knows? There has to be at least four thousand Stella Smiths born “around 1890”!

I think this last question shows Tracy’s true diabolical nature. But, in all seriousness, I did learn a great deal about our resources and that experience should make me a better reference librarian.

[1] Annual Report. Jackson, MS: The Department of Public Safety, 1991.
[2] Mississippi Business Directory. American Directory Publishing Co., 2009

Tonight I'm Gonna Scrabble Like It's 1999!

I have a slightly uncontrolled competitive streak that feeds on games. Trivia games, card games, board games-I love them! I have been playing a lot of Scrabble Beta on Facebook during my lunch breaks and, boy, am I hooked. Last night I watched part of the documentary Word Wars, which is all about the highly competetive world of Scrabble-fascinating stuff! Here is some Scrabble ephemera for you to enjoy. (Ooo, ephemera-good Scrabble word-a p, an h, an m-need to put it on a bonus tile...)

• Alfred Butts invented the original concept of the Scrabble game in 1938.
• You can join the National Scrabble Association or form your own Scrabble club.
• The first official Scrabble Dictionary was created in 1978 using the top five dictionaries in North America.
• Chuck Woolery, the popular game show host, brought Scrabble to the small screen in a 80's TV version.
• There were some censoring issues concerning some "objectionable words", but Scrabble solved the problem by coming out with one dictionary for family play and a separate one for tournament play.
• Check out the book Word Freak by Stephen Fatsis who did some in-depth Scrabble sleuthing.

By the way, one of my favorite funny movie scenes occurs when Ethel and Elsie play Scrabble in the movie Foul Play!
Scrabble on, Scrabble dudes!