Grade-school kids in Oak Park can check out a backpack full of dice, character sheets and adventure books from the public library. A new librarian's guide explains why they should.
The Oak Park Public Library published the guide on Thursday, July 24, written by Hal, a children's librarian who specializes in Rainbow Services for LGBTQ+ young people and their allies. Part of the library's "Discover & Explore for Grade Schoolers" series, it positions tabletop roleplaying games as vehicles for practicing math, creative writing, teamwork and emotional literacy.
"I am a huge fan of tabletop roleplaying games, but not because I love dragons, unicorns, and all things magical," Hal wrote. "Tabletop roleplaying opens up opportunities to explore identity, name emotions, build problem-solving skills, learn teamwork, and practice math and creative writing, all in the context of a fun game."
Hal emphasized that the games don't have to involve fantasy combat. Adventures can feature stories of any genre and encourage kids to listen, build empathy and find non-violent ways to navigate conflict, he wrote.
Three kits listed for checkout
The library lists three Discovery Kits that families can borrow with an Oak Park library card through the SWAN Libraries catalog:
- Imagination & Collaboration Kit — Features "Stories of the Three Coins," a collaborative storytelling game that comes with a choose-your-own-adventure picture book.
- Tabletop Roleplaying Discovery Kit — Built around "Spell: the RPG." According to the SWAN catalog, the kit contains a Game Master set, character sheets, 200 letter tiles, six sets of dice, a rulebook and an adventure book, all packed in a backpack.
- Wanderhome Tabletop Roleplaying Discovery Kit — Set in the fictional land of Haeth, a world of animal folk, with a guide for solo adventures included. Availability of this kit could not be confirmed in the SWAN catalog at publication time.
The library's website also hosts a virtual tutorial aimed at families trying tabletop RPGs for the first time.
How to participate
Residents can search for the Discovery Kits in the SWAN catalog or visit oppl.org to access the virtual tutorial and Hal's full guide. No program registration or event attendance is required. The kits circulate like any other library material.
