Joplin Public Library is excited to add a new Nintendo Switch gaming cart in the Teen area, thanks to a recently awarded Bramlage & Willcoxon Foundation grant. The new gaming cart includes approximately 20 games designed to encourage collaboration and creative thinking. 

Because of the grant award, the Library was able to purchase the Nintendo Switch deluxe bundle, a mobile gaming cart and two controllers, all from Fully Loaded Entertainment. The gaming cart includes a 20” monitor and a lock box for the gaming console. Many of the games are multiplayer and require teamwork and critical thinking. The console does not have access to Wi-Fi and is in compliance with CIPAA requirements. 

According to Youth Services Librarian Christina Matekel-Gibson: “Studies show that games, including video games, can be especially beneficial for teens as a means of encouraging in-person socialization, building friendships, and fostering creative expression.”

The Bramlage and Willcoxon Foundation mission of “improving the lives of the people and communities it touches by focusing on health, education, and children” is in direct alignment with the Nintendo Switch gaming cart addition to the Teen area. Joplin Public Library is thankful for the award and the opportunity to enrich and improve the lives of a sometimes-overlooked demographic by providing access to unique educational and entertaining resources.