Pokemon Go for Libraries: Resources

7/18/2016



Never missing out on a chance for fun or a new technology, librarians are already exchanging ideas on how to bring Pokemon Go players to their libraries. Libraries have done amazing things with hot apps. For example, Burlingame Public Library was written up in the New York Times for their #bookface social media posts. But that is so 20 minutes ago! It's "Go" time.

1) Library Aware, a digital marketing platform provided by EBSCO, sent out an announcement today about
 free materials to get Pokemon Go going. I am not sure if it is open to non-customers but you may want to write to the email on that landing page and see it any EBSCO customer can take advantage.

2) A librarian, Erin Washington at 
Spartanburg Methodist College, was already working on a digital scavenger hunt that she is going to rename LibraryGo.

Since all the "kids these days" are meandering around doing PokémonGo, I thought I'd design a game called LibraryGo. I had already been working on an augmented reality library scavenger hunt using Aurasma, so I really have just relabeled it "LibraryGo" to cut down on the explaining time involved at the beginning...they'll all know what PokémonGo is even if they haven't played it.

If you haven't used Aurasma before, it is basically a way to link online content to an object in the real world (I used signs, a statue, a student ID card, and a screenshot, for example). If you've used QR codes for scavenger hunts before, it's basically the same idea but is just more fun. When you walk around and use the Aurasma app, it feels like you are pulling images and videos out of the air when you find a "trigger".

It is free to set up an account in Aurasma and fairly easy to create Auras. (My suggestion is to check the "lock" feature when you create an aura so that the students don't have to keep their phone hovering over the trigger to make the content play.) If you would like to see my auras, download the Aurasma app and follow "eirini52105".

The is the sheet I will give students to begin their search for "LibStops" (rather than PokeStops). Feel free to adapt this however you like, and borrow/edit my "LibraryGo" logo. The students will also receive one of our library iPads that will have the Aurasma app pre-downloaded for them. If you don't have iPads to hand out, you could easily do this with phones as long as one student per group was willing to download the Aurasma app. This activity *I think* will take about 30 minutes, and I was considering doing a Kahoot Quiz as their "Pokémon Gym" battle for the remainder of class time, or perhaps the usual database demo.

I just wanted to share this idea, in case anyone is looking for something creative/new to do for beginning of the year funtivities and/or library orientation. Feel free to email me back if you have questions or need help. Or let me know how you decided to adapt it! Maybe we can share ideas.


Way to go Erin!

3)  Pokemon Go at the FDR Presidential library was covered by LibraryJournal's InfoDocket

4) School Library Journal has posted an 
excellent write-up on applications of Pokemon Goand policy implications.

Though Pokémon GO is still new, libraries are already joining in the fun and connecting with enthusiastic patrons. The 
New York Public Library was quick to blog about the game, offering an introduction to game play and some tips about finding relevant locations in and around the library. At the Thomas J. Harrison Pryor Public Library in Pryor, OK, the staff has used social media to advertise the library’s Poké Stop and has started dropping lures to attract players.

You can also join the often humorous and always entertaining LMAO (
ACRL's Library Marketing and Awareness Outreach group on Facebook) to see if people begin sharing the results from their libraries.

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