I love libraries. I always have. Even as a kid, the public library was something of a magical place for me: if I could imagine it, the library would be where I found it--or found out more about it. Unsurprisingly, that magic sent me into librarianship as an adult, where I can spread the magic to others.
But right now, the magic is--well, it's harder to access. Libraries are closed to the public for the time being, so we can't browse, or suggest titles to nearby readers, or even just interact with other information- or recreation-seekers. And what is a librarian without her library?
Tina Chenoweth didn't want to answer that question. She's the Young Adult Services Manager at the Baxter-Patrick James Island branch of Charleston County Public Library in South Carolina, but she's also the librarian of their virtual branch--set up in the latest release of Nintendo's popular Animal Crossing franchise.
For the uninitiated, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a game in which your character moves to a tropical island, and .... that's it. You catch bugs and fish and pick fruit and trade those things in for items like furniture, wallpaper, and other goods to decorate your pretend home and island. It's a quiet, peaceful, somewhat meditative game--a perfect setting for a library.
And what a library it is!
In this article published a few weeks back, she explains that most of the decor--book-themed wallpaper, bookcases, study equipment--was donated by patrons "visiting" the island using a special friend code. While the library started small (a main room and a smaller children's room off the back) has expanded to include a staff break room, a study room, makerspace, and more. In true resource-sharing library fashion, outside the building there are areas for visitors to donate spare crafting "recipes" and found fossils and pick up ones they don't already have. On one of my visits, they were even running a library program--finding certain objects around the island and reporting back for an in-game prize.
The Animal Crossing version of the BPJI Library is staffed by two librarians, who are both happy to answer questions, give suggestions, and otherwise interact with whoever comes to their island. And if we can't go to a real library, I'm glad there's a welcoming place for me to pretend.
Animal Crossing players can visit the BPJI island using the library’s Nintendo Switch friend code, 0912-2261-5044
