Here’s a message from Philip Minchin in Australia you may be interested in:

‘Hello library colleagues!

We have always known that libraries link their communities to the wider world. Now we have a single event that will connect libraries on every continent – including Antarctica – in a single chain of communication lasting over 24 hours.

International Games Day @ your library is a completely free event that links libraries all around the world. It is auspiced by the American Library Association. All you have to do to participate is have some games (of any kind) in or around your library on the day – this year, Saturday November 16. The event can be as simple or as elaborate as you like! You can read more about it, and see the free promotional posters you can use, at the link just given. To register, just go to http://bit.ly/igd13reg.

As part of International Games Day, we are running a special worldwide game that travels from library to library – the Global Gossip Game. It too is completely free – all you need to play it is a phone to receive a call when your turn starts, and the ability to make an international call to pass the game onto the next library when your turn is up. (The call isn’t always international, and we can manage with Skype or an email if you can’t make a phone call.) All countries and all languages are welcome to apply!

All the information is at the link above, but there is one important fact I’d like to emphasise – this year we are going to ALL SEVEN continents! We have a library in an Antarctic base that will be playing. So by participating your library will be linking up with other libraries literally all over the world! It’s a great way to get some positive news coverage for your library from local media, and to remind people how important libraries are in maintaining the linkages of language and culture that connect our communities to the rest of humanity.

Thank you for your time, and I hope to join you in celebrating libraries and the spirit of playful learning on November 16!’