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Beaverton City Library’s CIRCULATING GAMES!. The Basics!. The Collection debuted in January 2009 with Wii , Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 titles. It was started with $5,000.
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The Basics! • The Collection debuted in January 2009 with Wii, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 titles. It was started with $5,000. • Due to demand, we purchased Playstation 2 titles. These are backwards compatible with the Playstation 3 console, and some patrons have yet to adopt the expensive new hardware.
Budget & Purchasing • It is recommended that $5,000 be used to seed the collection. We have a budget of $9,000 per year. Courtney says she could easily spend twice that amount! • We began by purchasing games at a local game store, but we now use Amazon.com. Their prices are often $10-$20 lower than retailers! • Xbox 360 and PS3 games often run from $20-$50. Wii is around $40, and PS2 titles are $20-$30.
Popularity • The Wii games are by far our most popular, with the Xbox 360 and PS2 close behind. PS3 is last. I rarely see a Wii case on the shelf! • We get occasional requests for the first Xbox, Gamecube and Playstation 1, and frequent requests for Nintendo DS, which has very small cartridges.
Review Sources • Metacritic (http://www.metacritic.com) is an invaluable resource! It compiles critical reviews from magazines and Web sites, then puts together one score for the site. You can browse by console type, recent releases, and best scores. • Common Sense Media (http://www.commonsensemedia.org/) is good for Children’s purchasing, although they can be spotty in coverage.
Age-Appropriateness • For the teen collection, we choose games that are rated “E” for everyone or “T” for teen. “E” games include Mario titles – they are not “babyish,” and teens enjoy them! There is a special rating – “eC” – for early childhood. • Sidenote – Party games are HOT circers! Families love to have 4-player Wii gaming time, and games like Boom Blox are absolutely perfect. In addition, they can be cheaper than flagship titles!
Loss? • The loss rate is incredibly low! It helps that we stock dummy cases on the public shelves; the patrons receive the discs when they check out. Only 10 games are legitimately lost, while 13 are “in-repair” or “unavailable” (i.e. damaged). The ‘dead soldiers’ have averaged 12 circs each, but some items with 50+ circs are still going strong!
