This post is brought to you by one of our new contributors, Sarah Granville! Sarah is the Teen Services Librarian at the Barberton Public Library in Barberton, Ohio. Sarah loves the new perspectives her teen customers bring her. Their enthusiasm helps keep her enthusiastic on rough days!

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I began thinking of a Dungeons and Dragons (D & D) group at the library in 2005. I had been interested in D & D since high school, but hadn’t ever played. The idea of knowing nothing about this game and running a program terrified me. The thought of learning enough to feel comfortable suggesting it overwhelmed me. I received a D & D starter kit from YALSA and stared at it proudly as it sat on my desk. And gathered dust. My quest was not starting out well.

One evening I entered our meeting room to set up for anime club and there was a group of boys sitting at a table with D & D books. My teen programming senses tingled and I asked them about what they were doing. They were beginning a new campaign so I asked them if they would mind having their campaign be a once a month library program open to any teenager who wanted to come. They agreed! I was getting my D & D group without having to be proficient at it myself! And you can too.
The basic things that any librarian needs to start a D & D group are the core rule books (the Players Handbook, the Dungeon Masters Guide, and the Monster Manual), dice, and one or more teens to be Dungeon Master, or DM. My DM and I have an understanding. If he feels that a player is acting unfairly he will let me know so I can handle it. If he notices that I am continually correcting someone’s behavior, he will punish them by taking away hit points, which is like a player’s life span.

It is so rewarding to see my teens having fun gaming in a social way. During a campaign they will fight for and with each other instead of against each other. D & D is not about who wins. The group of characters is working toward a common goal. They learn each others’ strengths and weaknesses.

Since we are talking about libraries, I will mention books. If your kids are really into the sword and sorcery content of D & D, they will definitely want to read the Dragon Lance and Forgotten Realms series. You can also incorporate aspects of other books into the campaign setting. Right now, the world our D & D group is playing in is based on the Wizard of Oz series. Our DM found out more about the series of books so he had more settings and ideas to draw from. My favorite book is Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, so I’ve already requested a Wonderland campaign setting. If your teens are not interested in fantasy but you still think a role playing game might appeal to them, there are a wealth of role playing games that offer different settings. The great thing is that you can make this work for any group of kids.

Here’s a list of resources on D & D and why role playing is a good thing:

Packer, Alex J., Ph.D. Wise Highs: How to Thrill, Chill, & Get Away From It All Without Alcohol or Other Drugs.

Slavicsek, Bill and Richard Baker. Dungeon Master for Dummies.

Slavicsek, Bill and Richard Baker. Dungeons and Dragons for Dummies.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/ (search “role-playing”)

http://www.theescapist.com/index.htm

http://www.wizards.com/

Posted by Sarah Granville

Hi everyone, this is Stephanie from the Alternative Teen Services Blog. As you may have noticed, our blog posts have dwindled! The last time this thing was updated was a little more than a month ago. A handful of our regular bloggers are taking a hiatus and we need some fresh voices to step in for replacement.
Are you interested in sharing your passion, ideas, and experience of working with teens in libraries? Would you be willing to blog for librarians in need of inspiration, support, and ideas?

If so, then please get in touch by sending an e-mail to teenservices@yalibrarian.com

Thank you for your time, and thanks for reading the Alternative Teen Services Blog.

Stephanie

PS please share this with anyone that might be interested! Thanks.