Pokémon Go players can now collect more than Pokéballs at the Mattituck-Laurel Library Pokéstop.
Though the institution has been a Pokéstop since day one of the game — which means players can stop and gather supplies there and they’ve been flocking to the library to get them — the creative minds of the Youth and Parenting Department have come up with another way to use technology to bring in and engage patrons.
The library is giving away 3D-printed, Pokémon-themed “badges,” much like those acquired by trainers in the Pokémon games, show and movies.
“Libraries are wonderful, diverse places, but sometimes people pass them by. Pokémon Go is just one way we can make sure people stop in and see what we’ve got going on,” said department head Karen Letteriello.
Since the games’ release last month, Letteriello said they’ve been flooded with players. “Kids, adults — everyone is playing, even all of us in this office,” she said.
Elizabeth Grohoski, who works in the department, came up with an idea to get more patrons involved using the library’s 3D printer.
“Elizabeth saw the Pokémon Go craze and, knowing we’re a part of the game as a Pokéstop, thought, ‘this is something we can use,’” Letteriello explained.
In the Pokémon games and show, trainers receive badges when they’ve defeated a gym leader. Gyms are places where trainers go to battle each other, and the most powerful trainer in the area is named the gym’s leader.
The new mobile game mimics this in a way, designating some local landmarks as “gyms” and allowing players to battle for control of them. Trainers in the game pick one of three teams to join: Valor, Instinct and Mystic. If a member of a team defeats a gym leader, that team then controls the gym.
Grohoski has five badges in production right now — three “team” badges, a ‘knowledge’ badge and a ‘lure’ badge. Players can earn their team badges just by showing the library what team they’ve chosen to be on, something they can do once they’ve reached Level 5 in the game.
The “knowledge” badge is earned by showing a librarian your library card (thought it doesn’t have to be from this particular library). The “lure” badge is awarded after a player places a “lure” on the Mattituck-Laurel Library Pokéstop. A “lure” does just what the name implies — it lures Pokémon to the area, and Pokémon trainers with them.
Players will also receive a keychain with a whistle on it. “We want everyone to be safe while playing,” Grohoski explained.
In the weeks since they started producing the badges, Letteriello says they’ve given out dozens.
“People think the library is an old place just full of old books but kids come in and say — ‘oh, they know about Pokémon,’ or ‘wow, they have a 3D printer’ and start to realize what a resource and part of the community libraries are,” Letteriello said. “Kids love learning with technology, so we’re always looking for ways to incorporate it.”
The library received its 3D printer about a year ago, as a donation from the Ira Roschelle Foundation. Grohoski was immediately interested in learning how to use it, and even attended a class in Brooklyn given by the makers of the machine.
“We use a non-toxic, biodegradable plastic,” she explained. “You can find a lot of the designs we use online, where people post templates they’ve made.”
The library is thinking of more ways to take advantage of the renewed Pokémon craze. In the Tween section of the library is a display with the three team logos on it to indicate which of the teams has control of the nearest gym — a nearby church.
“Kids are in and out of here all the time when they’ve won the gym,” Letteriello said.
The department also offers a reading list for children to enjoy during the summer. Each completed reading earns them raffle tickets, which they can use to enter to win one of two baskets filled with a dozen 3D-printed Pokémon.
“We’re also all saving up our lures so we can drop them during the summer picnic,” Grohoski said. “So we keep telling the kids, if they want to catch a ton of Pokémon, August 10, this is the place to be.”
Grohoski, who is a longtime fan of Pokemon, is enjoying the Pokémon Go phenomenon.
“It’s really interesting that a video game got people exercising,” she said, laughing. “But it’s also cool that there are so many people playing that had no idea about Pokémon, who are now getting to enjoy it.”
