The Library as a public playground

Steen Nielsen, Gamebrarian, stni@aarhus.dk Lotte Duwe Nielsen, Library Transformer, LDN@aarhus.dk

3 April 2014Main Library, Aarhus

Play and games at the Library

Gaming – When the Library Joins in

Examples:

Network Talks

Nordic Game Day/International game day

Workshop

Reaching out to the Community

Arcade Culture

Board Games

Game Expo

Tournament at the mall

The Library as a public Playground

Games, bringing stories to life!

Games as catalyst for interaction! Gaming as a Social experience!

Facilitated by the library

The Library as a safe place to explore play and games!

The Library provides inspiration and context

Lotte:

• Play is part of the strategic agenda for the library

• More snapshots of experiments on play in the library

• Lots of Play opportunities in the future library in Aarhus; Dokk1

Strategic agenda: Recommendation from Danish Minister of Culture: Children play - at the library

• A report with 10 recommendations for concrete actions and suggestions as to how the children’s libraries and their services can be made more attractive to children

• Play and culture of playing can be a central activity in the library.

Play in the library:

Goals:• Playware and toys for use

in the library and to loan

• Playful activities

• Space design

• Guidance on play and playware

Methods:

• User involvements• Experiments• Service design• Design Thinking• Competence development• Inspiration from other• Planning Future Library,

Dokk1

Previous projects – play elements

• Families at Play at the Library • Mobile Probes• Idea lab for children about the future of libraries• Unleash the Library Users• Mindspot• Transformationlab + Transformationlab II

Idea lab for children

Families at Play at the Library

Family treasurehunt – storytelling and interactive game for children age 5-10 years. Partners: Codura (technology), Figuramus (animation), Freja (storyteller), a publisher, 3 public libraries in DK

Service design – user experience

Design Thinking experiment play to be a librarian

Transformation Lab 2Let us pretend we are in the Library of the future

• Testing services, installations, programs

• Involving users, staff and partners

• Evaluation focus: - let’s do it now- further investigation- important for the future library

Play: exchange your toys

Tech lab

Creativity, learning: Crypty Party

Jewellery workshop

6th grade presents project about play and gaming for staff and library users

6th grade presents project about play and gaming for staff and library users

6th grade presents project about play and gaming for staff and library users

6th grade presents project about play and gaming for staff and library users

6th grade presents project about play and gaming for staff and library users

Maker space – People’s lab

Maker space – People´s lab

Constructing robots out of brushes

Maker space - autumn holiday

Test: We play at the library – Construction place

The simple concept worked:

• 3 -4 different kind of bricks; lego mindstorm

• computers for gaming • sofas & coffee for the

adults

Users: Super! More of this in the future. Sofas and coffee for the adults is great.

It makes til library visit more relaxed

User: In this way the library becomes a meeting place, every day. Thanks for the coffee

What a wonderful day to be met when you enter a library The times when a library was only shelves of books and when you were not allowed to talk , only whisper – and certainly no play! – are finally conjured. 20 seconds after we arrived Pippi is well under way.

Parents: nice that there are things to play with for children of different ages

Play, learning: Parkour in the library

Parkour in the library

Urban Mediaspace Aarhus, Dokk1

Kilde: www.urbanmediaspace.dk

Mediaspace 16.500 m2

Rental areas10.000m2

Parking 1.000 cars

Revealing of the stream

Urban harbourspace

Trafic regulation

Ligth Rail tracé

Climate securing of the center of the city

Largest construction project in the history of Aarhus

Budget DKK - 2011

1.939.000.000

Financing DKK- 2011

Realdania og Realdania Byg 721.000.000

Sale of the current library building, rental

403.000.000

The Municipality of Aarhus 815.000.000

I alt 1.939.000.000

3 x the space for citizenz

Space for children and families - - 5 x the size of the current childrens Library in the Main Library

Increased need for technology – the building, the services, the size

Play, Learning activities and Partnerships?

Kilde: www.urbanmediaspace.dk

Kilde: www.urbanmediaspace.dk

Central elevatorsReading room

Project spaces

Study spacesEntrance, level 1

Citizens’ Services

Café

Rooms for meetings

Large Room and Children Theater

Children & families

Learning and meeting rooms Media ramp

Central elevators

Læring og møder

Spaces for play, creativity & learningVarious oasis for staying in the library

Level 1: 700 – 850 seats (400 – 500 in open spaces)

Level 2: 250 – 400 seats ( 200 – 300 in open spaces)

Interior design draft level 1

Interior design draftlevel 2

Signal

Feature zone

The Play Library

Children´s theater; space for play & performance

Design draft: Chill-out zone – Children &familiesEnjoy the view

Design draft:Play, creativity and learning for 4-8 year olds and their families

Breastfeeding space

Blackboard paint

Eating space

Design draft: Play & creativity

Kilde: www.urbanmediaspace.dk

Playground on the terasse around the building

Kilde: www.urbanmediaspace.dk

• Visit the construction site of Dokk1

• Admission free

• Saturday 31. May & Sunday 1. June10 am – 4 pm10–16

Thank you for listening