The Electronic Library

Understanding Gamification
Philip Calvert,
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Philip Calvert, (2016) "Understanding Gamification", The Electronic Library, Vol. 34 Issue: 5,
pp.000-000, https://doi.org/10.1108/EL-02-2016-0049
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 weeding into collection development plans. A comprehensive appendix containing Book reviews
library collection development plans provides an idea of how to formulate policies and
procedures that would integrate selection, acquisition and weeding into a general
library approach to collection management.
To summarise, the book provides an easy-to-understand and practical introduction
to weeding for beginners and guides them to further reading materials. Personal stories,
multiple examples and tips enrich and complement the general discussion. If necessary, 897
each chapter can be consulted individually.
Zinaida Manžuch
Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania

Understanding Gamification
By Boyhun Kim
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ALA TechSouce
Chicago, IL
2015
35 pp.
US$43.00 soft cover
ISBN 978-0-8389-5953-4
Review DOI 10.1108/EL-02-2016-0049

While all readers of this journal will be familiar with computer games, there may be
some who do not understand the concept of gamification. This guide to the subject,
originally published as one of the American Library Association’s Library Technology
Reports, is a good introduction. Gamification is about fun, but it goes beyond playing
games; usually, there is some objective, which is often learning, but sometimes it is
behavioural change. There are always rules, however, which is what marks out the
gaming aspect. So, while it is necessary to explain the concept clearly, it is a little
disappointing that more than half of this report is used for that purpose and not until
Chapter 4 is the reader introduced to actual examples of gamification found in education
and libraries. I tried one of the games mentioned: America’s Army is a free game
focussed on using small unit tactical manoeuvres while using online maps. My guess is
that it is a recruiting tool, and one aimed at a generation that spends a lot of time gaming.
Others sites, such as Stack Overflow, uses game elements such as earning badges and
points through participation in a forum, answering questions and gaining votes from
other users. There are, though, a few games mentioned that focus upon libraries. Just to
give two examples, Canton Public Library (Michigan, USA) gamified its summer
reading programme by giving badges for the completion of specified activities, with the
top achievers going into prize draws; this is a model used by some other library games.
One of the best developed library games described in this short book is Library Quest
from the Grand Valley State University Library (also Michigan, USA). It set tasks for
students designed to encourage them to explore (what was then a) new library building
 EL and gave points for every quest completed. Once a set total was reached, the student
34,5 went into a draw for an iPad. This particular game was developed by an outside agency,
and the result was made available through the Apple App Store and Google Play. The
fifth chapter asks some general questions about gamification that librarians should
think about before committing themselves and their organisations to a gamification
path that remains unclear.
898 Philip Calvert
Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
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