Do video games belong in public libraries?
If readers hear a strange noise inside a normally quiet branch of the Ottawa Public Library, they shouldn't worry, it's likely just the sound of a video game in action.
The library is hoping to get more people, especially teens, through its doors by introducing miniature, arcade-like machines.
The initiative, aided by a $30,000 donation from Ottawa developer Urbandale Corp., is part of the transformation of quiet reading rooms into high-tech interactive centres of learning. Thousands of libraries in Canada and the United States are introducing video games to engage the digital generation.
I'm inclined to call this a bad idea. Is this educational? (Should it be?) Does it detract from the other users of the library?