Game Activities for the School Library

Games help students learn how to navigate the school library.

School libraries are useful locations for students to conduct research and study. However, finding the materials that a library contains can be difficult. Libraries may also contain materials that a student would not immediately associate with a library, such as maps, CDs, DVDs, other types of media or reserved materials placed there by teachers. There are many games that teach students about the library and how to find the items within it.

Learning Call Numbers

Reading call numbers is a basic skill needed to use a library. After teaching a unit on call numbers, challenge students with puzzles to guess the topic of a book with a particular call number or a scavenger hunt to locate books with certain call numbers.

Using the Catalog

Most modern libraries use an OPAC, or Online Public Access Catalog, which is a computer program that contains a record of all of the materials in a library. After teaching how an OPAC works, challenge students to find a particular item in the library using a few keywords, a call number, author's name or other method of search to ensure they understand how the OPAC works.

Navigating the Library

Libraries typically have sections devoted to different types of materials. After teaching the students or taking them on a tour of the library, set up a scavenger hunt that encourages them to go to each section. For instance, put an object in each section, give them an item to find or request that they draw a design that is placed on the wall in that area.