Gamifying the Library

Abstract

This project was part of the University of Michigan's "Michigan Library Scholars" internship in the summer of 2023. This Michigan Library Scholars project entailed helping the library's Circulation and Access Services department develop wayfinding training materials to aid library users and personnel in navigating the Hatcher and Shapiro libraries. With close mentorship from library staff, the selected students designed a game that includes accurate wayfinding information to help people learn how to effectively navigate floors, stacks, instruction spaces, and service points starting at various nodes from within the library.

As an international component, the selected students considered how to more visually represent our international collections through the creation of landmarks in our buildings that can help with wayfinding.

Students working on this project learned practical applications for game design, graphic design, and teamwork, as well as how to communicate norms and expectations for locations across diverse cultural domains. Deliverables were a game/training activity prototype including instructions as well as recommended designs for landmark creation.