A quick visit to the ALA's event website shows they're primarily interested in electronic and online gaming. It's a nuisance for libraries to have hands-on game equipment with small parts, or cards, where parts can get lost or damaged through use. On the computer, no problem, no maintenance, no pilferage. Also, no inventory to buy! It's basically free. The same objection to having hands-on equipment in public areas comes from hotels, airports, even schools. They don't want to have to do the labor-intensive part of counting up all the parts and putting things away each day and then finding things lost, with no easy way to replace, or having to clean things. It will be interesting to see how Chicago's new "Games for Guests" program in selected hotels/motels will work out. Electronics are the present and the future, especially for institutional use. We hands-on dodos have a hard road to trudge. -- Kate Jones www.gamepuzzles.com -----Original Message----- From: edu-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:edu-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Christopher Harris Sent: Monday, July 02, 2007 6:57 AM To: maureen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; Looney Labs Education Discussion List Subject: Re: [Edu] Reaching the Educational Market Maureen, Not exactly schools (though a few will be there), but the American Library Association is having a gaming in libraries symposium in late July in Chicago. I am not sure if they are having any vendors in, but you could at least talk with Jenny Levine who is organizing it for ALA. http://gaming.techsource.ala.org for more info. I will be there, keeping it old school with a session on text-based adventure games! Chris Chris Harris - infomancy@xxxxxxxxx - http://schoolof.info/infomancy <http://schoolof.info/infomancy> On 6/30/07, Maureen Reed <maureen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: Thanks everyone for the replies. They have been very helpful. If any of you are going to be at Origins and would be willing to discuss this further, please look me up. I'm sure I'll be checking in at LL often and the Teacher areas. And btw, yes, I very much want to reach the homeschool market. In fact, that is where I have the most presence right now because we have homeschooled in the past. I am aware of their many conference schedules with workshop opportunities and I was looking for similar situations and other opportunities for the public school market. Again, thanks for taking the time to share. Maureen Reed _______________________________________________ Edu mailing list Edu@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx http://lists.looneylabs.com/mailman/listinfo/edu <http://lists.looneylabs.com/mailman/listinfo/edu> --