1. Andrew Lewis.
Exploring multimedia for engaging children with libraries in
Windsor and Maidenhead.
Library and Information Services
Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
LILAC 2005, Imperial College, London. 5th April 2005.
Abstract
This paper accompanies the presentation given at LILAC 2005, and outlines the work
of Multi-Lib, an electronic service development sub-programme looking at multimedia
in libraries primarily aimed at children, within Library and Information Services in the
Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. Multi-Lib aims to explore the ways in
which libraries’ work and missions can be promoted using the media that are
embedded in children’s everyday lives. It explores ways of using multimedia for
delivering core library service to children such as reading, using ICT and access to
and the use of information, and the marketing of these services.
Multimedia for children is part of their social culture. They play, learn, communicate
and socialise using it. Failure to accept this means we may be alienating ourselves,
and may mean we limit how well we can get our messages across.
It is not within the scope of this paper to detail the evidence for using computer
games and related multimedia for learning. For this please refer to the short
bibliography provided in Appendix A. Listed here is Mitchell and Savill-Smith’s
substantial literature review for the Department of Learning and Skills in which they
conclude that:
“…producing educational games that are true games is a worthwhile activity… a
necessary development if we are to reach out to current and future generations in
ways that cater for their needs and expectations.” [2004, p69]
A more detailed article about the work within Phase 1 of Multi-Lib features in the New
Review of Children’s Literature and Librarianship: Volume 11, Number 1.

2. Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank the organisers of LILAC 2005 for their hard work.

3. Introduction
This paper describes real experience of the use of multimedia to develop marketing
models for attracting children onto library computers, using computer games and
animation cartoons. It discusses issues such as balancing content design to
maximise return on investment, approaches to evaluation, and using networks to
communicate user behaviour.
This paper does not assume any great technical knowledge. It offers practical
experience of issues that can arise in a real environment where resources are not
unlimited. And is aimed at anyone looking to use multimedia for service development
in the following areas:
Issues surrounding content creation
In marketing services beyond simple printed media such as posters and text
The collection of user behaviour data for evaluating learning and progress
The information presented is based upon work implemented within the public sector,
but is presented in generic terms. It is hoped that is relevant to anyone thinking of
developing multimedia content for learning, or development programmes such as
information literacy.
Multi-Lib Phase 1 (2002-2004):
The main work within Multi-Lib Phase 1 concentrated on the use of computer games
as a motivational marketing tool to overcome perceptions of ICT amongst customers
in libraries, especially children and their accompanying adults. It aimed to develop
basic ICT skills for very young children and also explored the creation of multimedia
reader development resources.
Based upon this some experiments were undertaken in developing animation-based
marketing. The first of these involved pre-launch promotion of new games available
only on computers within libraries, using an animated trailer via the library web
pages. A second promotion used character based cartoon trailers to alert computer
users to the Reading Rollercoaster Summer reading scheme.
Objectives within Multi-Lib Phase 1
The main aims of Phase 1 were to encourage use of new library computers,
especially by children, to overcome the observed behaviour of adults who

4. accompanied child customers and who appeared to be afraid to allow children to use
them, and to change perceptions of the library service in general. It was intended to
ensure the service was recognised as technically up to date and leading, as
providing early years skills for children in ICT. The strategy was to do this by
creating in-house content and using this to embed library messages within this
content
The work involved creating a suite of ICT skills games aimed at 3-9 year olds for
content and level. These used very simple bright bold designs and each was limited
to a single simple mouse task such as clicking with a mouse, dragging and dropping
and double clicking. The game play for these was developed to be appealing and
fun, so that young users who played the games learned to develop each skill by
actually doing it, but without necessarily being made aware they were developing
skills in doing so. There were deliberately no messages about learning or
educational benefits within the gameplay to avoid being too seen as patronising. The
key selling point was fun; the developmental benefits came simply from playing them.
The other main audience was parents and accompanying adults of children. For
these, there were subtle library messages about the learning aspects and the
benefits of the libraries. Creating the content in-house gave complete control over
the style and design, as well as the messages contained within the games. These
messages not only promoted the library service, but also were pitched to reassure
parents that the content was created specifically for their children’s development.
A multimedia-based guide to the Hobbit was later developed as an interactive reader
development aid aimed at older children. This was intended to see how users
reacted to alternative media rich presentation.
There were two animated promotions within the later stages of Multi-Lib Phase 1
used. The first used an animated GIF on the library web pages. The objective was
to alert web page users at home to new games content on the computers within the
libraries.
The second promotion used cartoon trailers on the main games interface on the
library computers to alert children using the computer games that reading schemes
were also taking place. The objective of this cross marketing of services was to
utilise the proven appeal of the games to expose potential readers in a new way. It
was hoped that this tactic might reach users who might not immediately think of

5. taking part in a reading scheme. A secondary objective of this promotion was to
attempt to record user behaviour with a simple branching interface that gave users a
choice of whether to play the games, or look at further information about the scheme.
Evaluation of Multi-Lib Phase 1
The games were very popular as soon as they were introduced. Despite no publicity,
and relying upon word of mouth alone, usage of the games was quickly established,
rose steeply, and has continued to rise. The 6 games are accessed over 3,600 times
each month (averaged over the period April 2003 – January 2005) and have been
accessed over 100,000 times in the two and a half year period between August 2002
and April 2005. In addition there is a clear correlation between children’s holidays
and usage with repeated peaks of use over holiday periods.
The trailers for the Reading Rollercoaster were successful as a simple model for
recording what people did. During the campaign, potential games players had to
watch a short 30-second trailer first before getting to the main interface. Of these
about 30% then chose to watch a further trailer in first month instead of just playing
the games. This tailed off in the second month.
This information obtained by this method may be crude, but it did demonstrate an
example of using a simple model to understand users behaviour. The simple method
of allowing a choice of access to two game files, and by using a web stats
programme recording the numbers users choosing each option, gave not only the
number of people who made a particular choice, but also because of the trailing off of
interest over time, an indication that they were repeat users.
A link between the computer game promotion and uptake of reading was also made:
at least 2 reading participants of the scheme specifically said they found out about it
from the games on their reading card. This could in fact have been much higher, but
the scheme’s national evaluation form was not designed to consider this local
experiment. For example a large number of returns indicated simply that they found
out about the scheme in the library.
The Web trailer that promoted the new game DoubleClicketyWinks was not proven to
be directly effective. The new game became popular quickly, but the data was
inconclusive as to whether this was directly due to the web trailer

6. Perceptions of the library service were felt to have been promoted successfully.
Corporately, this was demonstrated by this positive quotation from councillor Richard
Fagence in a press release for DoubleClicketyWinks in July 2004:
“Children who read do better in life. That’s why libraries are so important to
get adults of the future reading when they are very young. These games are
an innovative part of a variety of schemes which encourage children to join in
the fun at their local library.”
This positive and newspaper friendly publicity in turn led to a corporate responsibility
grant from Computer Associates for nearly £1,000, and a further research grant from
SEMLAC for nearly £5,000. Income generation has made the Library and
Information Service’s profile much higher.
Within the library profession, the work has attracted positive attention and was
judged winner of the Multi-media and Web Publicity category within the CILIP
Publicity and Public Relations Awards in November 2004. This quote is from their
summary:
“The judges feel that this serious use of computer games has great potential
to encourage the use of libraries”
Again this publicity has helped maintain the library’s profile within the local authority.
Customers comments such as this received in November 2004 have also been
positive:
“I like...the Hobbit game as I am reading the book, so I already know some of
the characters.”
(From a child.)
“My son had great fun playing on the computer games. Pirate Pete (sic) is a
good introduction to mouse control”
(From a parent)

7. Lessons
Multimedia is undoubtedly popular. The games have maintained high usage, positive
feedback from users, positive publicity and generated income. However this
popularity requires careful management. It is suggested that projects should start
small and not build expectation that cannot be met.
Content production is resource heavy, and requires some specialist skill. To harness
the benefits of the popularity of multimedia, the investment required needs to be
planned to get the maximum return. It is clearly important to identify the key aims
that need to be conveyed, to use content that does not date, and that applies to the
widest audience possible. The design brief should include these aims as objectives,
as well as an appropriate design to appeal to the target audience.
The means of evaluation should also be incorporated at the design stage. Within
Multi-Lib Phase 1, the use of the web trailer promotion was hastily implemented, and
the method of measuring success was not thought out in advance, leading to a lack
of conclusive evidence from it. The cartoon trailer promotion that followed, learnt this
lesson, and used a method that allowed a controlled method for collection data that
provided reliable evidence.
Generic content is likely to be the most effective in terms of return on investment.
The DoubleClicketyWinks game took around 32 hours of staff time to create, but was
accessed over 2000 times in the first 6 months. The simple appeal of the games to a
very large audience has been felt to be key to their success.
Specific content may also be effective, but probably only if targeted carefully. The
Hobbit was not felt to be scaleable as its scope was too small for the effort. The
Hobbit is a very well known book with wide appeal, and benefited from contemporary
interest due to the release of The Lord of the Rings. To create one of these guides
for every book however would not be an effective use of resources.
It was felt that core subjects are scaleable once an optimum audience size is
reached. This would typically include marketing activities with large audiences, and
development tools for core subjects. For libraries this would clearly include
information literacy.

8. In financial terms, it was felt that the use of multimedia was be efficient where the
above issues are considered. The work within Multi-Lib Phase One has in a crude
sense been at no cost to library service customers when one considers that the
income generated by the programme to date has exceeded the cost of staff time
spent developing it.
In advocacy terms multimedia can be used successfully, as long as sensitivity is
given to issues surrounding attitudes to games and related media. As Kirriemuir and
McFarlane point out, these tend to polarise into those who suspicious of social
concerns about the use of computer game, and those who defend their use in
learning [2004, p7]. They go on to warn of the risk of potential bias in research from
these stances.
The approach in Windsor and Maidenhead taken has been to start quietly and to
build trust based on evaluation. The careful use of customer comments, publicity
and graphs to illustrate popularity has been effective.
It is recommended to use the inherent capabilities of the technology to record activity,
and adopt a cautious approach using the minimum you can to achieve what you
want, rather than alarming partners with heavy demands. This is especially true of IT
departments, and should be backed with a professional approach to their concerns of
issues such as network security. Adopt an informed, planned approach that shows
you mean business.
Multi-Lib Phase 2 and Information literacy
This paper has been presented within LILAC, and some mention should be made of
where this fits with information literacy. Multi-Lib Phase 2 is a research and
evaluation phase. Phase 2 will cover the period 2004 until early 2006 and aims to
build upon Phase 1, which though successful, was perhaps not as clearly scoped as
it should have been.
Phase 2 takes an evidence based developmental approach to make best use of
limited resources. The key aims of Phase 2 are the promotion of information literacy
and library resources, to formally analyse identify Phase 1 and identify its pros and
cons, and to undertake user consultation on games amongst children. The latter
includes attitudes to games, learning and libraries and usability and preferences from
previous gaming experience. New game design approaches will be developed from

9. this and aim to further develop ways in which user behaviour can be evaluated by
capturing progress via game data.
A key area to be explored is to develop interactive game type environments where
players undertake activity in simulated environment that requires them to act in an
information literate way to reach objectives. This is hoped to provide means of
identifying what people are actually doing. The promotion of information literacy aims
to be via active engagement, rather than passive reception of text or lecture-based
delivery.
The ability of computer games technology to record user behaviour - what people
actually do - has huge potential. For example user data about individuals can be
recorded over time to indicate skills that have achieved, how long this took and
patterns of use. The use of networks for delivering games allows remote
communication of data, and immediate feedback from the users. By comparing
direct evidence of behaviour with other evaluative means such as pre- and post-
project benchmarking, it should be possible to assess impact in a very rich way.
It is hoped that the issues and experience covered in this paper will be of use and
help inform the debate for practitioners considering the use of multimedia in
developmental programmes.
12 April 2005
Andrew Lewis
e-Services Officer
Library and Information Services
The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead

10. Appendix A – Bibliography
These sources are a mixture of academic and others which have useful information
on the issues of computer games in serious applications. The details and comments
are the author’s offered to inform, but are not endorsements of any of these.
Amory, A. et al. The Use of Computer Games as an Educational tool: Identification of
appropriate game types and games elements. In: British Journal of Educational
Technology. vol 30(4) 1999.
Digicult. Games Technology Resources web page. [WWW]
http://www.digicult.info/pages/resources.php?t=7
Accessed: 12/04/2005
Game Studies - the international journal of computer game research. [WWW]
http://www.gamestudies.org/
Accessed: 12/04/2005
Kirriemuir John and McFarlane Angela. Literature Review in Games and Learning.
Nesta Futurelab Series: literature review number 8. 2004.
Available at:
http://www.nestafuturelab.org/research/reviews/08_01.htm
Accessed: 12/04/2005
Mitchell, Alice and Savill-Smith, Carol. The use of computer and video games for
learning. A review of the literature. ULTRALAB report for the Learning and Skills
Development Agency. 2004
Available at:
http://www.lsda.org.uk/files/PDF/1529.pdf
Accessed: 12/04/2005
Serious Games Initiative. Serious Games Reading List web page. [WWW]
http://www.seriousgames.org/wiki/index.php?page=SeriousGamesReadingList
Accessed: 12/04/2005

11. Appendix B – Rationale for using games technology
Cultural
Multimedia is embedded in children’s culture and that of many young adults. If we
don’t use their cultural channels, we may alienate people. Today’s children and
tomorrow’s adults may not listen to us
Pedagogical
Playing is fundamental within learning and computer games are popular. Learning
through games simulation is more about doing it than studying it and so may have a
greater impact, and potentially reach non-academic and disaffected audiences.
In life, information is provided in many more ways than simple text. This requires a
multimedia approach to information literacy.
Technological
At a simple level, multimedia can offer sound, vision and communication beyond text.
But its real strength lies in its ability to offer built-in progress monitoring based on
user behaviour

12. Appendix C - Attitudes to computer games
These two quotes illustrate two different views on the use of computer games at the
time of this paper (April 2005). Multi-Lib aims to inform the ongoing debate about the
usefulness or otherwise of computer games by the use of via evidence based
practise.
“[the reason computers in libraries are there] is not so that people can play
games on them”
COATES, TIM. in evidence to Select Committee on Culture, Media and Sport
Minutes of Evidence Examination of Witnesses (Question 37). 17 November 2004
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200405/cmselect/cmcumeds/81/4111701.htm
“Borrowing ideas from the world of interactive games, we can motivate even
reluctant learners to practice complex skills and achieve much more than they
would through traditional means.”
DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION AND SKILLS: e-Strategy Harnessing Technology
- Transforming Learning and Children’s Services. 15 March 2005
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/publications/e-strategy/docs/e-strategy.pdf
See also Kirrimuir and McFarlane, and Mitchell and Savill-Smith in the bibliography.