“Okay, what I want to do is if a wizard sets fire here,” one of my young patrons excitedly suggested, drawing a rough sketch in the air. my ax in it. Throw it in the fire and set the bugbear on fire! ”

Hearing this, I couldn’t believe my luck. I’ve only been hosting Dungeons & Dragons for a few weeks, but my kids are already thinking collaboratively and creatively. As someone who is passionate about both libraries and tabletop role-playing games (such as Dungeons & Dragons), I believe the keys to making each one a fun and safe experience are the same: freedom, choice, and respect. .

I grew up going to libraries: Dusenbury River Library,To be exact. I was a shy, imaginative child, but combined with her mother’s efforts to get her and her sister to read whatever set their eyes on her, I became a voracious reader. I grew up on high fantasy. I loved living in a book world where magic and dragons and enchantments and curses were real. Libraries are where I found that love.

Of course, it was my love of fantasy that led me to tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons. I loved fantasy books, but when I got to play in a world I could live in with my friends, it breathed new life into me. Hosting games with friends makes me a better librarian. I learned a lot about how. i didn’t know that yet.

Tabletop role-playing games are the difference between life and death in two things: imagination and participation. As a host, it was my job to create an environment in which they were encouraged and rewarded.One of the flawed but meaningful pieces of advice he gives game hosts is to never say no to players. . The idea is that if a player wants to do something cool and is repeatedly told no, they don’t feel like they can participate. And this is important to keep in mind — players should be free to do whatever they choose. If it is

But the reason the “never say no” advice is wrong is the third key: respect. Sometimes a player wants to be disrespectful to their peers, and your job as host is to turn them in the other direction. No, you cannot attack other players in-game. But you can work together.

Really the advice should be “never give no”. Keep players engaged by offering an alternative course of action. You can correct your course, rather than being rejected outright, while still keeping the group cohesive.

Working with children as a teen and teen librarian at the Santa Rosa Library (1075 S. 10th Ave.) is very similar. Working with children is great. As soon as school ends, kids from the neighboring schools flood in to tell us about their day.we have daily program Helps keep kids occupied. In her first month working at the library, I decided to try Dungeons & Dragons.

It was perfect. Once we started, we were excited to see our core group of kids return regularly to build on each other’s ideas and return to our safe spaces, our libraries and our in-game creative worlds. Every day one of my kids girlfriends asked me when was her next D&D session. She also had one young patron—the same person who had the idea for fire—at home she told me she started playing the D&D game.

After all, tabletop games and libraries do the same thing. We provide a space where children and adults can safely explore community and creativity.