Gamification

Do you know what Gamification is? Neither do I, but I like some of the ideas presented here on Mashable. How can we at LAPL get teens more excited?

Imagine: A patron signs onto the library account and sees a generic Avatar. Gamifying would be having the patron do something within our website to earn something to make your avatar special. (Generic: dog. Gamified: add a doghouse, fire hydrant, change the color, change the breed, etc.)

During the Summer, kids and teens could earn special badges that they could see on their library account. (Submit a book review and get a Badge. Read 25 books this summer and get the special "Bookie" badge.)

Foursquare badges, an example.