Naperville Library to offer video games

Gamers can leap into gaming as Naperville Public Library will begin carrying a video game collection on Leap Day, Monday, Feb. 29.

The library's shelves will be stocked with games for all ages, including the latest games like Star Wars Battlefront and Call of Duty, as well as classics like Super Smash Bros. More than 2,500 games compatible with a variety of popular video game consoles will be available for a three-week checkout period.

"Over the years, we have regularly received requests to have circulating video games, both in our customer satisfaction survey and in our customer comment cards," Executive Director Julie Rothenfluh said.

"Many other libraries in the area have games to check out, so it's a fairly common material to provide for the community."

Rothenfluh said that toward the end of last fiscal year, the library saw an opportunity to add a video game collection as several budget lines in the library's materials budget were underspent.

"It seemed like the perfect opportunity to make the necessary investment in providing a reasonable number of titles and formats to open a new collection," Rothenfluh said. "We spent about $100,000. Moving forward, we are budgeting $50,000 per year for games."

To determine what games are most popular with customers, the library will review circulation statistics and hold reports.

"As with all other types of materials, we welcome user suggestions for titles to purchase," Rothenfluh said. "We will look for recommendations from appropriate trade journals, particularly for award-winning games. And we have a wide pool of gamers on staff who are also welcome to make suggestions."