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LaGrange Park teens ring in 2013
Justin Schiro of LaGrange Park performs vocals while playing the video game Rock Band during the New Year's Eve party at the LaGrange Park Library Dec. 27. | Curtis Lehmkuhl~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: March 4, 2013 1:49AM
LAGRANGE PARK — New Year’s Eve came early but was just as much fun for a group of teens gathering Dec. 28 at the LaGrange Park Public Library.
Samantha Farruggia, young adult reference librarian, said she put together an assortment of table games and video options for the library’s fourth annual Rockin’ New Year’s Eve party.
Decorations, party favors and snacks were on hand, but the games were the draw, Farruggia said.
“We have one that’s a combination of Operation and Pictionary, called Telestations,” she said. “They quite enjoy that one.”
Hamsterrolle, a strategy game involving dexterity, also is a popular table game. Preferred video games for multiple players include Rock Band and Mario Cars, a racing game, Farruggia said.
“I do a lot of gaming in general for teens, and this was a way to put a little bit of a twist on it, with a little bit of a celebration,” she said.
The library’s gaming events are part of an overall philosophy to be a community center for residents, as well as promoting reading, the librarian said.
“Gaming is a chance for socialization, and it allows them to do a lot of encouragement. Mario Cars is not so much competition as collaboration,” Farruggia said. “I like it when they’re coming into the library, interacting face to face.”
In addition to regular gaming afternoons for teens, the library has joined with area libraries, including Lyons Township High School, to offer teens a book discussion group from October to January.
Students have a choice of 10 books to read and will vote on their favorites Jan. 21. Participants will then compare their picks with the American Library Association’s Michael Printz Award on books for young adults.
