Hello,

I am sharing the many responses I received to my question on how  board game collections are kept. Replies are attached as pdf and included below. Thank you to everyone who shared how they process their games; our game collection is off to a good start here!

We've recently started a collection as well, and are just leaving them in their boxes, with a couple of rubber bands to keep them from spilling everywhere if they get knocked down/dropped.  No problems so far, the boxes should be sturdy enough to take at least a bit of a beating.

One recommendation I have seen for board game collections in the past is the purchase of an accurate postal scale.  You can weigh the board games, and when they're returned, if the weight is accurate, you know that you don't have to count every piece.  This won't catch if a few cards are gone, but much more than that it should show the difference.  If you try this, get one with a large plate, ours is small and the boxes don't all fit well, it throws off our measurements a bit.

Donald Priest
Director
Southgate Veterans Memorial Library
14680 Dix-Toledo Rd.
Southgate MI 48195
734-258-300

We pretty much just store ours in the boxes they came in. We include small baggies to

put the pieces in, but we just wrap a four-way rubber band around the box and circulate them that way. We've only been circulating board games for a little over a year, but it seems to work for the most part. 

Valerie

------------------
Valerie Long, MLIS
Acquisitions Clerk
Ann Arbor District Library
longv@aadl.org / 734-327-4286
Pronouns: They/Them - See www.mypronouns.org to learn more

I thought I'd share how we're handling our games in case it's of interest to you.  Most of our games are just displayed on open shelving.  You'll see a few that are packed in plastic bins but those are typically smaller or have pieces/parts that are unusual.  For most of our games, we have large rubber bands that hold the boxes together.  Some go both top to bottom and side to side (see 3rd picture).  For smaller items, we have some thick rubber bands that keep the tops secured.  I didn't take a picture but know that each game comes with an inventory list that our staff generates and secures the box (usually inside the lid) for patrons to use as a reference in maintaining and returning the game.  Hope this helps.  Please let me know if you have any other questions and I'll do my best to answer or find out for you.

I should add that we also have puzzles for checkout.  More of those tend to be in plastic boxes but it may have more to do with the box strength.  If the box is in good shape, they simply have a rubber band as well.

Dana Allen

Administrative Clerk

Howell Carnegie District Library

Howell, MI  48843

BCLS started a board game collection a few years ago. We keep them in their original box with a large label on the inside of the box lid listing all pieces and quantities.

Jeanette Marks, Managing Librarian

Bay County Library System

Sage Branch Library

100 E. Midland St.

Bay City, MI  48706

989-892-8555, ext 307

jmarks@baycountylibrary.org

We left ours in their original boxes.  We put them in a cloth Friends of the Library bag (collection sponsor) when we check them out.  But that’s it.  We decided to keep it simple because we don’t have much money in the games. 

Gretchen Evans

Director

Paw Paw District Library

609 W Michigan Ave

Paw Paw, MI 49079

269-657-3800

We leave them in the box and get game board rubber bands to keep the lids on.  All the pieces inside are bagged separately with like items.  The outside of the box has a sticker which includes all the number of items.  If the box is flimsy we will sometimes place contact paper around it to strengthen it.

I hope this helps!

Mary Cook

Library Director

Allendale Township Library

6175 Library Lane

Allendale, MI 49401

We leave in the original box.  A few that have tops that come off easy we have fabric velcro straps around to keep closed.  

Deanna Riggleman, Director
Tamarack District Library
832 S. Lincoln Avenue
Lakeview, MI  48850
(989) 352-6274

Ours are in the original box.  Pieces are in ziploc baggies with the number of pieces written on it with marker. List of pieces in notebook at the desk and barcodes are on the outside lid of the game and in our card catalog.

Happy New Year!!        

Joann Simmons

Director

Hudson Carnegie District Library (zv170)

205 S. Market St.

Hudson MI 49247

517-448-3801

When I worked at a library with a board game collection, we left them in the box and used Grifiti brand cross-style rubber bands to keep them closed. All of the component parts were listed on a laminated sheet, and all other paper (instructions, paper money, etc.) were laminated as well. We asked patrons to check to make sure all the component parts were in the box before they left the library, since they would otherwise be responsible for replacement costs.

I now work at a library with a more general tools collection, which has STEAM kits, outdoor games, and board games. For that collection, we put board games in a large tote bag with the laminated components inside.

Best of luck!

CADL puts ours in plastic containers. We then put an inventory on the front with pictures so it is easy for patrons to make sure they have all the pieces when they turn it in.  Many of our games are in ArtBin containers, they work relatively well and we’ve only had a few of the plastic containers break.

Jessica Goodrich (she, her, hers)

Library of Things and Business Outreach Librarian

Capital Area District Library – Community Outreach

401 S. Capitol Avenue, Lansing, MI 48933

517-367-6330 | goodrichj@cadl.org

www.cadl.org | facebook.com/cadlibrary | twitter.com/cadl

At my previous library, we had a board game and puzzle collection.  We kept them all in their original boxes.

At my current library, we are preparing to start a "library of things" that will contain board games.  We plan to keep them in their original boxes if possible.

Hope this info helps,

-Laura Orlowski, director

Jonesville District Library

We at Farmington Community Library, have them rubber banded with special type that covers them by all four sides. 

I hope this makes sense. 

Happy New Year.

Emma DeCenso

Head of Adult Services

Farmington Community Library 
Farmington Hills, MI 

We have left most of them in the boxes. If the box is too beat up we move it to a plastic container.

We’ve been lending board games for a few months now.  We keep them in the original boxes.  We cover the exterior of the lid with clear self-adhesive plastic and we reinforce the interior corners of the bottom of the box with fiber tape.  We secure each box with two large rubber bands – the bands are large enough and light enough not to warp the box.  We affix a list of the contents of the game (i.e. 1 game board, 12 red disks, 12 blue disks, 52 cards, 1 rules sheet) inside the lid.  We place the playing pieces and cards in labeled Ziploc bags.  So far this has been working well. 

Most of our card games come in lightweight cardboard boxes that are easily torn, and these we have placed in clear plastic boxes (originally intended to hold 4x6 index cards).  The card games that come in more robust boxes (like Exploding Kittens) are left in the original box and processed like board games. 

We recently received a gift of 19 jigsaw puzzles in excellent condition, and we’ve started circulating them as well.

Hope this helps!  Our patrons are really enjoying the games.  If you need further information, let me know.

Teresa L. Stannard, Library Director

401 S Riverview Dr., Parchment, MI 49004

269 343-7747 ext. 203

Parchmentlibrary.org

We leave ours in the box for the most part and put one of those silicone h-bands around them so they stay shut.

Sincerely,

Adrienne Breznau

she/her/hers
Head of Access Services
Royal Oak Public Library
222 E. Eleven Mile Road
Royal Oak, MI 48067

BillieJo Bluemer

Director

Rauchholz Memorial Library

1140 N Hemlock Rd

Hemlock MI 48626

989-642-8621