The librarians' book on teaching through games and play - Softcover

Amazon reviewer:

“Perfect balance of theory and practice: I strongly recommend people buy this book, share it with colleagues, get their manager to buy one for the team, get their library to buy a copy you can borrow, read somone else's copy and adapt the ideas, show it to any teachers/lecturers/trainers you support. I think the advice and ethos could change the way we teach - one bit of fun at a time.”

The Journal of Pedagogic Development:

“Learning through play is a great trend in education, enabling learners to be liberated from the static and flat teaching and embrace fun techniques for learning new skills and information. This is not to say that this playful learning is not meaningful; on the contrary, it can be much more meaningful than traditional delivery can bestow. However, it is not just about turning up to a session and playing a few games, and the book by Andrew Walsh details the effort and skill it requires to be able to teach through play well. <...> I found this book thoroughly enjoyable, as well as fundamentally useful and beneficial to my practice. I would heartily recommend it to any librarian (or anyone in a teaching position with a bit of flexible thinking) who wants to try a new a fun way of teaching their students.”

The Journal of Information Literacy:

"In summary, this book is clear, well written and of a very practical nature, which will suit those teaching librarians who are looking for help in introducing (or building on) playful learning activitieswithin  their IL sessions. Andrew Walsh is well known for his work on playful learning, and has delivered workshops for librarians on this topic, as well as writing other books of a similar nature.

He is a well-respected ‘playbrarian’ (which Walsh also uses as his Twitter handle), and this book is an invaluable addition to any teaching librarian’s bookshelf."

Aimed mainly at libraries workers, especially those who teach information skills, this book contains many examples of games and playful interactions to help turn the information literacy classroom into a more playful space. It is aimed primarily at those in post-compulsory education, including Further and Higher Education, Health, Law, and workplace library settings, but parts may also be useful in school libraries.

Some theory behind the use of active learning, play, and games are covered to help readers use these approaches more effectively.

Many of the games include links to full print and play versions online.

Games and playful interventions include:

• CRAAP dice
• Database matching game
• Escape rooms (in a box)
• Fake or Fab
• Journal analysis through collage               
• The library story (A to Z cards)
• Model making and Lego               
• The playful induction
• Referencing games
• Referencing mix and match
• SEEK!
• SOURCES
• Sources of Information Cards
• Top Resources
• Example of Playful Interventions
• Bubbles               
• Chatterboxes
• Learning while walking
• Mixing up groups (in playful ways)
• Music and video
• Paper plane feedback
• Pass the Parcel
• Things to keep hands busy
• Playful Challenges

It also includes a guide to creating non-digital educational games, and a more specific guide to creating educational escape rooms.