A one-stop, complete guide to tabletop role-playing games for novice librarians as well as seasoned players.Tabletop role-playing games (RPGs) are a perfect fit for library teen services. They not only hold great appeal for teen patrons, but also help build important skills ranging from math and literacy to leadership and dramatics. Role-playing games are cost-effective too. Dragons in the Stacks explains why RPGs are so effective at holding teenagers' attention, identifies their specific benefits, outlines how to select and maintain a RPG collection, and demonstrates how they can enhance teen services and be used in teen programs. Detailed reviews of role-playing games are included as well, with pointers on their strengths, weaknesses, and library applications. Coauthored by an experienced young adult librarian and an adult services librarian, this is the definitive guide to RPGs in the library, and the only one currently available.

Outlines a variety of affordable, effective programs for teens that involve role-playing tabletop games

ContentsIntroductionGlossaryChapter 1: Let Me Tell You of the Days of High Adventure!; or, A Very Brief (and Admittedly Incomplete) History of Tabletop Role-Playing GamesChapter 2: Selection and Collection DevelopmentChapter 3: CatalogingChapter 4: ProgrammingChapter 5: Guide to the GamesAppendix A: Games Listed by Genre TagsAppendix B: ResourcesIndex